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Beware the silent prospect killers
You don’t have to open your mouth to wreck your chances of landing that dream classroom teacher job, warns Jessica Powell
So you’ve researched and prepared your answers, planned what you will say and do in your lesson and have your own questions lined up for the interview panel. You’re confident that whatever comes out of your mouth will be what the people interviewing you want to hear. You are sure that dream job at your dream school is yours for the asking.
Except, on the way in to the building, you fail to warmly greet the receptionist as you’re too busy scanning the corridor beyond for a glimpse of any of the senior leadership team. She has to ask you twice to sign in and, even then, you fail to properly acknowledge her.
Little do you know it, but your interview prospects might already be over. That’s because it’s not just what you say, it’s how you act - and what you don’t say or do - that can turn an employer off when you’re being interviewed for a classroom teacher role.
“Unspoken factors really do count,” explains Naomi Shrimpton, headteacher of Heathlands Primary Academy, in Dorset. “Things like being punctual, being able to listen and looking well-presented, for example, set the right tone for any prospective candidate,” she adds.
So if you’ve got an interview lined up, watch out for false steps that could count against you without you even saying a word.
Time to put your social profiles on lockdown. “The first thing I do now before anyone comes in to be interviewed is Google them,” says Natasha Dangerfield, headmistress at Westonbirt Schools, in Gloucestershire. “What I’m looking for is that their privacy settings on social media are appropriate, and that what I can see of them is, too. In teaching, our role is to safeguard children and if somebody hasn’t got their own social media profile right, how on earth will they be able to inculcate the right knowledge in the children?”
Don’t make the mistake of only turning on your charm once you’re in the interview room.
“After an interview has finished, I ask the opinions of a lot of people,” says Dangerfield. “This includes my PA, who will have coordinated walking the candidate back and forth between different points of the interview, and the school reception staff.
“If the general opinion was that the candidate didn’t engage with them, I will then drill down and try to establish if it was because of nerves or arrogance.
“If there was a level of arrogance, I would seriously consider whether that person should be taken on,” she adds. “The way people treat one another is extremely important to me. It’s also about the example that teacher would set to pupils.”
Ensuring your interview outfit hits the mark isn’t necessarily about donning your most formal outfit.
“The way you dress can give your interviewers a subtle cue about whether you are ‘one of them’ or not,” says organisational psychologist Portia Hickey.
“Dressing in a way that isn’t consistent with the other teachers or management can mean they struggle to perceive that you will fit in.
“If possible, go to the school before your interview to see what the teachers are wearing or look for pictures on the school’s website,” she says.
“I always take a look at a candidate’s shoes to see if they’re clean,” adds Dangerfield. “I think that tells you a lot about a person.”
“If you’re being interviewed by more than one person, try not to give way to the natural temptation to pay more attention to the person who seems to be running the interview,” says behavioural psychologist and body language expert Peter Collett.
“If you spend all your time looking at the person who is ostensibly in control, you’ll really annoy the others because you’re demeaning them.
“I have known people to not get jobs because they have sidelined people who ultimately had a say in who would be hired. So, whenever you start to speak, you should consciously look everyone in the eye to show you are addressing them all.”
The more closed and introverted your posture, the more negative, unconfident cues you’re giving, -according to body language expert and author Robert Phipps. He advises you to “walk tall, with upright posture, straight shoulders, a level head and come through the door with a handshake ready”.
Body language textbooks often suggest mirroring, which means copying the other person’s gestures and posture. Technically it’s a way of showing, non-verbally, that you are like your interviewer. In reality, though, it’s just mimicking. “I don’t recommend copying gestures,” says Phipps. “If you mimic someone, they’ll notice straightaway. It’s insulting. What you can do is mirror their posture or angle.”
Patti Wood, another body language expert, agrees and explains how you should instead focus on reflecting the interviewer’s flow and pace. “We mirror instinctively with our friends and family. But we’re not likely to mirror naturally in an interview. Instead, get an idea of the interviewer’s pace - do they talk very fast or very slow? Get into their rhythm.”
Your sitting position is key, she says. The ideal position is “an open window”. Don’t cross your arms too often and try to avoid crossing your legs. You focus, concentrate and have better cognitive reactions when both feet are on the ground,” she explains.
Phipps suggests putting your elbows on the arm rests. It encourages an open -posture. But don’t get too relaxed: exuding too much self-assurance is a big no-no.
“If a candidate didn’t appear to know much about our school and failed to comment on its context, ethos and vision during their interview, it could suggest they see it as just any job rather than having a desire to teach our children in our school,” says Shrimpton. “I would prefer that applicants visit the school before applying. It shows they are genuinely interested in finding out what makes us unique.
“I would also hope they’d looked at our school website to find out more about what we do with regard to curriculum and parental involvement, and mention this. Finally, I would expect them to have looked at our last Ofsted report but would find it off-putting if they based everything they knew about the school on that.”
If you’re tasked with teaching a lesson on interview day, failing to think carefully about resources might mean a mark against your name, says Shrimpton. “If someone was unprepared or assumed resources were available without confirming or requesting them in advance, that would be off-putting. So would using resources ineffectively - for example, using a video clip to show they can use technology but without it actually adding to the learning for the children.” Your use of human resources matters, too, she notes: “If there was an additional adult, such as a teaching assistant, available but they hadn’t been directed appropriately, that would count against the candidate.”
What you fail to say can make as much of an impact as what you do say, warns Dangerfield. “When candidates come in for interview, we will show them around the school. I would expect them to be observant and make the odd pertinent comment about what they see, which would show me that they’re challenging what we do to a degree or trying to understand why we do what we do. So they might ask, ‘Why do you put displays there?’ or ‘Why are there more pictures of art than science?’ It demonstrates an interest in what happens in our school.”
If you’re touring the school and bump into some pupils, don’t just pass them by, says Shrimpton: “I’d expect a candidate to actively engage with the children and show an interest in what they are learning by asking them about it. I understand that less experienced teachers can be nervous but interacting with children is the bread and butter of what we do.”
A portfolio probably won’t be necessary for most classroom teacher interviews, says Shrimpton. So if you’re going to take one along, make sure it counts for - not against - you. “A portfolio would need to be well presented as this would demonstrate to me pride in their achievements and indicate that they would have high expectations of presentation from the children,” says Shrimpton. “I would want to see what makes them stand out from everyone else. Why should I employ them? What can they specifically offer us and our children that others cannot?”
First impressions are important but Collett stresses the significance of last impressions, too, so don’t consider the interview over until it’s over. “Remain engaged and enthusiastic right up until you have left,” he stresses.
Crucially, make sure you have mastered the parting handshake. “Grasp the interviewer’s hand firmly, although not too firmly. What you don’t want to be is like a wet fish,” he says, “People draw all sorts of conclusions from ineffectual handshakes, such as that the person may be ineffectual themselves.”
Jessica Powell is a freelance writer
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