Clinical Field Experience A: Recruiting and Interviewing

Clinical Field Experience A: Recruiting and Interviewing

Tanica Troy

Grand Canyon University

EAD 536 Strategic Leadership and Management in the Principalship

Dr. Gary McDaniel

September 23, 2021

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● What recruiting methods are used by the district and school to find teacher

applicants? Non-teacher applicants?

When attempting to recruit new teaching staff we first use various search engines when

looking for potential candidates. Due to the age of technology most of these are online,

Indeed, Monster, Google, and ZipRecruiter. When looking, we base a potential

candidate on their qualifications of course, certifications, and if they possess what the

school needs depending on what position we are filling. We will then attempt contact

with the person and set up an interview. The same process is followed for non-teacher

applicants.

● Who sits on your interview committees? Do you use the same interview team for

all positions? Why or why not?

The principal stated that the interview committee consists of herself, and a lead

teacher. The team mostly stays the same. A different lead teacher might be asked to

join the interview depending on what position is being filled. The principal feels it is most

beneficial to use the lead teacher who has the most knowledge in the particular position.

● Are there positions you would try to fill prior to others? Why or why not?

The positions which have the greatest need will be filled prior to others. The principal

stated that she likes to make sure all of her lower grade positions are filled quickly,

because they usually require more support. Leadership positions also get priority

because they help the school to run smoothly. They provide that extra support needed

by the principal and staff. My mentor principal also stated that some of the non-teacher
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positions are also viewed with priority, especially if it’s in administration because they do

help the school to run the way it should.

● What criteria do you use in making hiring decisions?

We look for staff who are not only qualified but a good “fit”. It was stated that applicants

with good content knowledge skills, collaborative, strong communication skills, and

highly motivated are ones that will most likely get an interview. My principal mentor also

explained that someone that may be a good “fit” to the school is someone who is of high

integrity, friendly, honest, and is definitely a team player. A positive school culture is

what they promote.

● What are examples of interview questions you use? Do you include any

performance and behavior focused questions? Why or why not?

1. What is your motivation for wanting this position?/What do you like most about

what you do?

2. What classroom techniques or strategies do you find most effective in the

classroom?

3. How would you address a situation with an aggressive co-worker?

4. How would you motivate a student or a co-worker?

The principal does include performance and behavior focused questions to try to get a

sense of the applicant’s character. She explains that those types of questions can be

very telling of how a person thinks, their integrity.

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● What legalities do you consider when going through the hiring process?

The principal stated that it is most beneficial to be familiar with any legalities that deal

with discrimination of any kind, religion, race, preganacy, and disablities.

● Reflection

The talk with my principal mentor reflected a lot of what I have been learning in my

courses. I felt like everything was tying together. It was very evident that one's character

and integrity was very important in the hiring process. The principal had expressed

having really bad experiences with staff who were very qualified for various positions

and good at them, but were toxic for the culture of the school. They weren't a good fit in

that they didn’t work well with others at all. It made me think of how I would create a

positive school culture, and how that process starts at the hiring stage. I thought about

the questions I would need to ask to draw certain things out of people to see where their

character truly stands. It seems the easy stuff is finding someone with the qualifications

and certifications for various positions, but then there's a whole host of other things to

take into account to make sure the students are getting the best and everything and

everyone is in alignment with the mission and vision of the school.

Like stated in the National Policy Board for Educational Administration (2015),

standard 6a, effective leaders recruit, hire, support, develop, and retain effective and

caring teachers and other professional staff and form them into an educationally

effective faculty. In my future practices this would be a very crucial piece in the hiring

process. My goal would be to choose the right candidate and continue to help develop
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their professional capacity through things like creating a positive work environment,

motivation, and professional development. Another standard which really speaks to my

future leadership practices comes from PSEL standard 9, which states, effective leaders

strategically manage staff resources, assigning and scheduling teachers and staff to

roles and responsibilities that optimize their professional capacity to address each

student’s learning needs. This is a big part of what I’ve learned from my principal mentor

and through my courses here at Grand Canyon University. In my future practices it

would be imperative for me to properly place candidates in a position in which their skill

set is strong and they can thrive. This will help increase staff morale and student

success. When one feels confident about their ability to do a task, the overall task

seems to be done better.

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References

National Policy Board for Educational Administration (2015). Professional Standards for

Educational Leaders 2015. Reston, VA: Author.