Interviewing for any job can be intimidating, especially if you don’t have much experience. I have been in the field of education for 10 years now and have worked at 3 different schools. I now work for an agency that serves children with developmental disabilities. Every school and principal is different. Everyone has their own personalities and interviewing style, so it can feel difficult to truly be prepared.

There are several tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way that I found helpful, so read on to find out some things that have worked for me!

Arrive early

It sounds simple, but you should give yourself plenty of time to get ready before the interview. The goal should be to leave earlier than you think you would have to. That way, you have time to figure out the parking situation. You also never know if there will be traffic on the way. The last thing you want is to be running into the school at the last minute all frazzled!

Arriving at few minutes early lets whoever is interviewing you know that you are taking this opportunity seriously. If the interview is at 1:00, I would recommend walking into the building to check in around 12:50. That way, you will most likely be sitting waiting for the principal instead of the other way around. Use those few minutes to take some deep breaths and review your notes.

You don’t want to be too early, because then it may seem like you are trying to rush the person/people interviewing you.

Virtual interviews are becoming more popular. Even if it is a virtual interview, I still recommend “arriving” early! You will typically be in a virtual waiting room, but the employer can still see that you are there early and ready to go. You can also take a few minutes to check your microphone and camera quality.

Come prepared with sample answers and questions

The most important thing to do before walking into an interview is to prepare! Do some research about the school/school district you are interviewing for. Write down a couple things that stand out to you about them- maybe they have a cool partnership with a place in the community, maybe they value hands on learning, etc. You can even talk to current employees and ask them their favorite thing about the school/district. That way, if they ask why you chose that specific school or district, you can say something specific.

It is also helpful to google common interview questions for the specific position you are applying for (elementary self-contained teacher, middle school resource teacher, etc.) I always write these questions down in a notebook, along with some bullet points of what I would say to answer them. You can even bring the notebook with you to the interview (if it is in person) and ask if it’s okay if you glance at your notebook to remind you of some things you don’t want to forget to say. If it’s virtual, you can keep your notebook off to the side to reference throughout the interview.

If you know of someone with the position you are interviewing for, reach out to them and ask what kind of questions they were asked during their interview if they remember.

Simply Special Ed also has a list of 101 practice questions you can download to help you prepare (linked in image above)! I actually used this list myself, which helped me secure a position as a self-contained teacher in 2021.

It can also help to do a mock interview. Give someone your list of common questions that you wrote down and have them ask you those questions. They can give you feedback on your answers, as well as things you may not catch yourself. As weird as it may sound, I have also found it helpful to practice reciting my answers in the car out loud when I am driving. The more practice you have before the interview, the better prepared you will be!

Think of it as a conversation

Something that has always helped calm my nerves before and during an interview is to just think of it as a conversation instead of a formal interview. Changing that wording in your mind may help it seem less scary.

I remind myself that I am qualified for the position and I have lots of great experiences I can talk about. If you are fresh out of student teaching, talk about that! Do you have a lesson that went super well? Did you have a lesson that didn’t go as planned? Talk about what you would do differently if it relates to the interview questions.

It is just a back-and-forth conversation. Try not to be afraid of responding back to the information they are giving you with something other than just “okay”. For example, if they tell you something specific about the position that you think is cool, don’t be afraid to say “wow, that’s great! At my current job I do xyz as well, and the students really love it””.

Don’t be afraid to show your personality. Smile, make a light joke when appropriate, and keep it as natural as possible.

Follow up with a thank you note

After the interview, I recommend sending a thank you note to whoever interviewed you. A handwritten note mailed to the school can go a long way. It conveys that you are appreciative of the opportunity. At the very least, send an email thanking them for their time and let them know that you are happy to answer any other questions they may have.

This will help you stand out. It may even be the deciding factor for an employer if it is between you and someone else who didn’t send a follow up thank you! Check out this SSE blog post for more tips on how to stand out as a candidate.

Pictured above is an email I received from a principal I interviewed with after I sent a handwritten thank you card to the school. It clearly meant a lot to her and she found it to be thoughtful.

Don’t get discouraged!

This may be the most important tip. Do not get discouraged if the interview doesn’t go well and you don’t get a job offer.

Interviewing is one of those things where the more you do it, the better you get. Try not to beat yourself up if it didn’t go as planned.

Reflect on what you did well, and where you may have made some errors. In the past, I have even asked the person who interviewed me to give me some feedback on how I can do better in future interviews. Some people may not take you up on this, but if they do, make sure you save their feedback somewhere you won’t forget about it!

Interviewing may be seem like a daunting, scary process, but you will feel so relieved when it’s over and you finally land that job you wanted! Hopefully these tips and tricks can help you with the interview process. Stay confident and trust your gut if you feel something is a good fit or not. Good luck!