Employers need a systematic approach for sorting and selecting the best new hires, and hiring may be enhanced by the use of teachers in the process. This article discusses information-rich job advertisements, behavior-based interview questions, and how to objectively evaluate candidates in preliminary and on-site interviews. Candidates' past…

The risks are high when it comes to hiring a new principal. A principal is accountable for the safety, well-being and achievement of all the children in a school, as well as for representing the school to the community. With increasing demands on building administrators, the hiring of principals certainly may be considered high stakes. For several…

The stakes are high when one decides to leave a tenured teaching position or an assistant principalship to interview for a principal's position. However, the stakes are high for the future employer as well. The school district needs to know that the applicant is ready for a job that is very complex. As a new principal, the applicant will be…

Based on the premise that past behavior is the best predictor of future performance, behavior-based interviewing uses specific questions based on teacher candidates' skills, background, and experience to determine if they can do the job.

School administrators have some tough hiring decisions to make, and an interview to select the most highly qualified applicants is critically important. Even before the mandates of No Child Left Behind, school administrators strove to hire the best new teachers. Competent, caring, qualified teachers are the keys to enhanced student achievement.…

Behavior-based interviewing (BBI) has been used in the business world for decades as a way to select new hires whose past behaviors indicate future success. Behavior-based interviews are based on the premise that past behavior is the best predictor of future performance and that interview questions should evaluate the knowledge, skills, and…

Traditionally, teachers found job openings by "word of mouth" and often were hired with a rather informal set of interview questions. The old standard "tell me about yourself" was a question that started the interview, and it probably ended with "and where do you see yourself in five years?" Research supports the…

Developing best practices in the hiring of new teachers has become a necessity in times of teacher shortages. Personnel directors and principals charged with recruitment must be able to distinguish the most qualified applicants and to hire those with the most potential to succeed and remain in the profession. Behavior-based interviewing (BBI) is a…

The use of behavior-based interviewing in the business world to identify the strongest candidates who are best suited to positions may now be coming of age in the world of education. Because middle school environments must provide strong educational experiences for their students, behavior-based interviewing may help schools hire new teachers who…

This guide provides principals with useful information about hiring teachers, including checklists for organizing the search for qualified candidates, recommendations on how to identify suitable applicants, and sample interview questions. In an increasingly competitive employment environment, school district personnel systems can help, or hinder,…