principal-job-interview-questions-and-the-answers

Principal Job Interview Questions and The Answers Prepare for principal job interview questions and the answers in order to ace your next education job interview Apart from being able to administer the school well, school principal interviewers want to see somebody that has good human relations and can relate well with other members of staff Going through a school principal interview is a different ball game compared to interviews for other school staff You have to prove that apart from a decent teaching record outlined in your resume that you have the capacity to control and manage every situation that may arise under your supervision During the interview, there arecertain questions that are somewhat routine, yet there are others that will require you to really dig into your bag of tricks to answer Below are a few such questions and sample answers to each • Question One: If the school’s drive towards self sustainment and the community ethos and standards clash, how will you respond? • • Question Two: In the event of a Teachers’ protest for better welfare, will you align with them or the management? • • Answer: As a teacher too, my first constituency is the teaching aspect; however, my job will be to make the management see reasons how teachers’ better welfare conditions affects better output, which makes the students benefit in the long run I will endeavor to start these discussions even before the agitation commences Question Three: How will you attend to the complaints of an aggrieved parent whose child has been disciplined? • • Answer: The school is an integral part of the community and as such cannot dissociate itself from the activities of the general populace My job will be to create a workable synergy between both parties I will endeavor to meet with community leaders and try to make a case for the school’s position All in all, I will make sure the matter is resolved amicably in the shortest possible time Answer: No matter who the child’s parents are, I believe discipline must be sustained or else the school goes under My job will be to educate the parents as best as possible on what happened and why the child had to be disciplined I will not allow mediocrity all in the name of profit or maintaining the status quo Question Four: Considering your age, can you put in extra-hours to your job even when you are not paid for it, if yes how many? • • Question Five: How will you handle a sexual or child abuse allegation brought on by one of your teachers? • • Answer: Yes I can put in extra-hours if need be A maximum of four hours extra should help me finish the day’s task Answer: A thorough investigation would be sanctioned involving at least three other staff from other departments; if the teacher is found guilty, he/she would undergo all necessary criminal and work-related charges and would be forced to resign to maintain the school’s reputation Question Six: Would you allow students to participate in the decision making process of the school? • Answer: Yes A select body of students drawn from the senior classes would be allowed to air their opinions on how they think things should be done to move the school forward Be that as it may, there will still be some visible limits After reading through these questions, is there anything you would add to any of them? Are there any other important questions that you’ve come across in an interview that you’d like to share? For more help preparing for administrator specific interview questions take a look at A+ Principals’ Interview Edge In today’s competitive marketplace, you need to be fully prepared and nothing will have you more prepared to ace an interview than knowing the questions in advance! What questions to expect in an interview? First of all, they will test your communication skills, values and opinions with couple of typical interview questions To such questions belong: • • What is your motivation to this job? Why you think you can be a good assistant principal? • What are your strengths and weaknesses? • Why should we hire you and not someone else? • What are your goals in five years time? The answers to these questions are very important, because this is the moment when the first impression is created If it is a good one, you can count on it for the rest of the interview and it can carry you towards the finish line – a coveted job contract After this “introductory” part of an interview, behavioral questions typically follow These questions are focused mostly on your past experience with teaching, or with managing the others You can expect to hear the following questions: • • How did you deal with upset parents whose child complained about you? How did you deal with lazy students? • How did you cope with stress at school? • Did you supervise any school event in the past? What problems did you face? How did you handle the problems? • How did you motivate the students to their homework, or to prepare for an exam? As you can see, these questions are focused on your past experience Employers believe that once you took certain action in situation A, you will most likely act in a similar way in a similar situation in the future What more, asking you these interview questions, they can also verify if you really have some practical experience with doing a job, or not Many people write nice things on a resume However, you can hardly fool anyone, if you can not remember on some work related situations from the past Situational and personality questions Needles to say, right personality is very important for a good assistant principal Your values and opinions interest all the interviewers They will give you different questions in order to assess if you have right personality for this job, or not They will also outline some dilemmas to see your opinions and ideas of improvement Once answering the following questions, not forget to have the interests of school at the first place, the interest of students at the second place and your own interests just at the third place • Can you describe yourself? • Why you think you are suitable to work with young people? • What you think are good topics to talk about with young generation? • What you consider the main challenges for school principals and their assistants? • How would you win the hearts of the students at our school? • Would you let someone with bad marks to organize an event? • If there is a conflict between student and a teacher, on which site will you stand? • What you think are the main duties of an assistant principal in our institution? • Would you let students to give their opinions before making a decision? • If you are reported about a sexual or child abuse case under your supervision, then how will you handle it? • You probably know something about our school by now What can you improve about it? • Have you ever thought of becoming a school principal? • Can you define your philosophy of teaching? So, that’s it General questions, behavioral questions and technical questions Is not easy, is it? However, that’s not all! Personal preferences matter a lot To be objective, many principals, members of internal HR committees and Departments of Education, or whoever is going to interview you, are not real HR professionals They are not going to use any scientific methods to analyze your answers to interview questions They are just human beings with good interest to help the youngsters to find their way in life and want to a good job themselves And as everyone else, they are looking for good colleagues, for colleagues they feel good with, for nice people they can co-operate with when achieving these goals Can it be you? Personal preferences are really important That’s why you should your very best to create a good relationship with the interviewers I know it’s not common in many other interviews But in this case, it is a must if you want to succeed Smile, be friendly and easygoing Try to tune yourself on the same wavelength as the interviewers are tuned on Do not forget to ask questions Be active! Good applicant for assistant principal position should be creative, responsible and active man You should present your ideas in an interview Tell them what you would like to improve, what actions you would like to take, what you would like to with students It is also strongly advisable to inquire the interviewers about the activities of school and the overall situation there You can inquire also about the challenges they face, etc More questions you give, the better your chances of getting a job are Listen more, talk less However, a good employee in education field should be a good listener at first place That’s why it is more than important to present this ability in an interview Listen carefully, not interrupt the interviewers and speak to the point Use rather short, but to the point answers Do not forget to be positive Schools are full of negative people… As you can see, it’s not easy at all to ace this interview However, we believe that with help of our website, you can end up being the best one in the eyes of the interviewers But it’s up to you… We can give you a helping hand, but it is you who must the first step, who must study the information We wish you a lot of patience and good luck in your interview! PS: Once you read other articles on this website, not forget to have a look at our Assistant Principal Interview Guide from Glen Hughins, where you will find multiple brilliant answers to all interview questions presented on this website, as well as winning interview strategies And much much more… Thank you! With most of the country still struggling economically, many principals tasked with filling open positions over the summer will actually be facing the problem of sorting between multiple quality candidates Separating the good from the bad can be a question of, well, asking the right questions Enthusiasm! In interviews We asked our "Principal Files" principals to share their favorite questions to ask as they screen potential candidates for assistant principal Chris Vail conducts, an opening The questions they provided get to the heart of an applicant's skills and passion Included: Thirty great questions he looks for one primary for future teachers characteristic -This month, principals everywhere are sharpening their questioning enthusiasm "If the techniques and taking another look at the questions they ask job candidate can't get candidates as they ready for the interviewing marathon me excited about what they are doing in the first five minutes of the So what kinds of questions are principals preparing? Interview interview, then I questions cover a wide range of topics "I'm looking for many assume they can't things when I hire a teacher," said Patricia Green, principal at Cedar Heights Junior High School in Port Orchard, Washington "I seek a get their students candidate who can truly communicate with students, parents, peers, excited," said Vail, assistant principal and our community I'm looking for someone who understands at Groveport human growth and development, knows how to respond in ageMadison Middle appropriate ways to students, and realizes that the behaviors we School South in teach our students are oftentimes equally as important as the Groveport, Ohio subjects they learn "For me, the "I also seek someone who has chosen teaching as a passion rather questions and than as a job; if I find people who truly love teaching, then I know I answers aren't as have found folks who see each day as an opportunity to help others important as the learn and grow instead of people who think about coming to 'work.' way they are answered." "Finally, I seek team players who are able to relate their subject areas to the world around them in order to help students understand the why's behind the what's they are learning." But how principals discern whether candidates for teaching positions possess those qualities they seek? They ask thoughtful and challenging questions, such as the ones Education World's Principal Files team members have been polishing as they get set to schedule interviews We asked our "P-Files" team members to share some of their personal favorite questions with us so we might offer you TWENTY GREAT QUESTIONS TO ASK FUTURE TEACHERS Once the meeting-and-greeting is done and everybody is settled in, the first questions in an interview usually fall under the category of "tell me more." Tell-me-more questions give everybody a chance to relax a little as they provide job candidates an opportunity to put their best feet forward I've read your application and resume, but what are the most important things I should know about you, your life, your experiences? Who is the real [insert applicant's name]? "What I'm looking for when I ask that question is whatever the person really wants to share with me," principal Tim Messick told Education World Besides the basic responses, "I'm looking for candidates to get away from the 'canned' responses I'm interested in hearing what the candidates feel is most important I'm looking to learn how they see themselves and what they value about themselves." "I have found that folks are often very candid and straightforward very insightful in their responses," added Messick, who is principal at Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina "This question generates a wide range of responses," added Bridget Braney, principal at Orchard Hill Elementary School in South Windsor, Connecticut "There are no right or wrong answers, but the answers can be very revealing." "Although much of what they have accomplished is listed on the applications, this opportunity to share tells me a little about them and makes them feel welcome," said Betty Peltier, principal at Southdown Elementary School in Houma, Louisiana "It's good for me to know about their background and interests when I am introducing them to teachers on the staff Additionally, this informal chatter gives me insight into how the candidates present themselves I am looking more for their composure than for any particular answers." The typical introduce-yourself and give-your-qualifications questions lead to answers focused on what the interviewers might want to hear, but Patricia Green likes to add a little twist to the traditional question by asking You have been hired as the newest member of our teaching team In fewer than five minutes, how would you introduce yourself to a group of parents, students, and teachers from our school? The only thing you want to be sure to is to indicate how your education, training, and work experiences have qualified you for your new role "That question adds a new twist; it challenges candidates to address their qualifications to the parents, students, and their peers," explained principal Patricia Green Green is looking for candidates to share their specific qualifications for the job, but she also is looking for other things "Often, their passion for this career, as well as their ability to build rapport with others, is evident in their responses," she said "I also get a chance to see how the candidate acts in an impromptu situation and how well he or she communicates under pressure." At Irving Elementary School in Kewanee, Illinois, principal Ellin Lotspeich uses her opening interview questions to try to get to see what is in a teacher's heart One of her favorite questions to ask is Who has most influenced you to become an educator, and how did they influence you? Role Models "I believe that personal life experiences in education relate directly to the type of teacher someone will be," Lotspeich told Education World "The candidate's response to that question should come from the heart, and it will give me insight into the 'heart' the candidate will draw on as he or she relates to students." ARE THE TEACHING SKILLS THERE? With the background information out of the way, it's time to dig a little deeper It's time to get a sense of what kind of teacher the applicant will make Some principals, like Les Potter, prefer to interview candidates who have teaching experience "I am fortunate I can get experienced applicants," said Potter, principal at Silver Sands Middle School in Port Orange, Florida "I can get a better read on them because I can check references I will probably need to spend less time working with them one-on-one, plus experienced candidates know what they are getting into." Principal Chad Moorehead of Lewis County High School in Hohenwald, Tennessee, often asks job candidates, "What role you wish to play in the lives of your students?" Moorehead has heard a wide variety of responses to that question "I am especially interested to hear applicants say that they consider Whether the candidate is experienced or not, Potter always asks one themselves to be question: role models I am looking for teachers Describe for me a lesson you taught that went very well Why who know that they did the lesson work so well? set an example in their work and in "That question helps me get a sense for how the teacher plans, their personal lives thinks, and reacts," Potter explained Teachers should never take for Don Finelli, principal at Catskill (New York) High School, also wants to get a read on a candidate's lesson-planning abilities "I feel granted the impact they have on the the most important times in class are the first moments and the lives of their closure of a lesson," Finelli told Education World So he poses a specific situation and topic "I say, 'You are going to teach this topic students." this period, and the bell has just rung to begin class Describe what the next 15 minutes are like What are you doing? What are your students doing?'" That question helps Finelli see if the candidate can think quickly "I look for knowledge, confidence, and passion," said Finelli "Does the candidate visualize what a classroom should be like, and already know what he or she is doing?" Principal Jim DeGenova likes to see a potential new-hire present a lesson He lets candidates know in advance that teaching a lesson will be part of the interview, but he doesn't get more specific than that "'Wing-it' lessons are a part of life," explained DeGenova, who is an elementary school principal and an assistant high school principal in Pennsylvania's Slippery Rock Area School District "Those of us who live in the real world know that things go wrong and unexpected interruptions occur So I ask for a no-prep-time lesson to be taught on a topic in the applicant's certification area Some lessons are only five or ten minutes in length, but they give me a better idea of what I might see when I observations." Principal Marguerite McNeely wants to learn during an interview that a candidate is more than a one-note teacher She asks What methods of teaching, besides lecture, would you use to present material to your students? "Since that is what I am looking for, I make certain to screen for it during the interview," said McNeely, principal at Alexandria Middle Magnet School for Math and Science Chris Vail, assistant principal at Groveport Madison Middle School South in Groveport, Ohio, is interested in getting a handle on the ability of teachers to structure a good lesson, but one of the questions he asks is intent on getting a read on whether or not a teacher knows what to if a lesson is not working Vail often asks candidates What if your students don't "get it"? In other words, if a lesson is not working for all your students, you have a plan for remediation? How you carry out that plan? "All good teachers are effective when the students 'get it,'" said Vail "I am looking for those teachers who have several alternate plans in mind when kids don't understand the material." A TEACHER IN THE MAKING Some people believe teachers are born But most principals think it takes more than that Even the best teachers are always searching for ways to improve themselves, they say In an interview setting, principals are often looking for candidates who recognize that they have a long way to go to become the teacher they want to be In order to discern a new teacher's attitude toward professional development, principals pose questions such as What would your previous employer or college advisor say were your greatest strengths for teaching, and what areas would they suggest were areas that need growth? And you agree with those assessments? That's a question principal Teri Stokes often asks "The question helps me gauge the applicant's understanding of where they are in the developmental process to becoming a great teacher," explained Stokes "Then I always ask what plan the applicant has to grow in those areas I want to see if they plan to some reading, attend workshops, observe a specific teacher who has fine-tuned those needed skills" Principal Larry Davis also asks candidates to focus on areas in greatest need for professional development "This lets me know where weaknesses may be without being negative or making the candidate feel uncomfortable," said Davis, principal at Doctors Inlet Elementary School in Middleburg, Florida Brian Hazeltine, principal at Airdrie Koininia Christian School in Airdrie, Alberta (Canada), asks a similar question "I want to see how honest the candidate is about his or her skills and how selfaware they are." Patricia Green gets candidates to tackle the traditional strengthsand-weaknesses question from a little different perspective She asks: If your greatest supporter was in the room with us today, what five words would he or she use to describe you as a person, a teacher, or a colleague? "That question shows whether candidates can think on their feet -and if they can truly sum up themselves using just five words!" said Green "The question allows us to see if the person is self-confident and whether or not he or she is willing to share some depth in a single-word set of answers." Teamwork! One of the questions principal Diane Petty likes to ask is How important is collaboration and building camaraderie with other staff members? And how would you go about this? "I am looking for ideas on making connections with other teachers when planning teaching units, or creating projects that will help students make cross-curricular connections to concepts or topics," said Petty But, not long ago, when Petty posed that question to one candidate for a teaching position, she got a short and to the point response she had not quite expected "I like to spend a lot of time in the teachers' lounge," the candidate replied Another way to learn whether or not a candidate might be proactive "Not exactly the in the professional development area is to ask a question Deborah culture the Harbin often asks: What have you read lately that led you to change the way you teach? interview team wants to cultivate in our building!" said Petty "That question helps me set a tone," explained Harbin, principal at Duryea Elementary School in Houston, Texas "I expect my teachers to be lifelong learners, and to want to take some responsibility for their own professional development." Andy Wood who is college head (equivalent to a U.S principal) at Seaforth College, a birththrough-high-school school in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa is another who likes to ask about reading habits He always asks what book is at a candidate's bedside table at the time of the interview "The response On Interviewing gives me insight into a candidate's personal and academic values," Principal Deborah said Wood BUT CAN THEY WRITE? Harbin offers this unique perspective on interviewing Many principals recognize the importance of a teacher's writing skills Principals want to know that communications between school and home whether a class newsletter, report card comments, or responses to parents' emailed questions are going to be clearly and correctly written "Recently, I read somewhere that during interviews you should always ask yourself, 'Is this someone with whom I would enjoy In order to get an idea of a candidate's writing skills, principal Betty having dinner?' Peltier sets aside time to get a writing sample from a candidate She That gives you a poses a question that any applicant for a teaching position should be way to view the able to answer: candidate as a 'total package.' It's Explain in writing in 100 words or fewer your philosophy surprising how well of teaching that perspective can help you sort Marguerite McNeely presents a similar assignment "I check for out the people with writing ability and cohesive thoughts," said McNeely whom you will work well." THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT & CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Most principals hope that candidates for teaching positions have a vision of the physical layout and appearance of their classroom and of what learning will look like there To discern a teacher's classroom vision, Lucie Boyadjian, principal at Glen Oaks School in Hickory Hills, Illinois, always poses a question that goes something like If I were to visit your classroom and take a Polaroid photo, what would I see in that photo? Tim Messick asks a similar question "I want to know what I would see if I was a fly on the wall in the candidate's classroom," Messick told Education World "I'm interested in 'seeing' whatever visual picture they want to paint for me What I'm looking for is a sense of how they seat or group students, how they decorate their rooms, what is posted or hanging in the classroom, if there are learning centers or stations scattered around, if the room is bright and cheerful "Basically, I am looking to see if their room is student-centered." Bridget Braney asks the same question, because "it reveals a candidate's vision of what education should be as well as their vision of the educator they would like to be If they are relaxed enough, they can give us a good picture of their teaching style and professional knowledge." Other principals are just as interested in a candidate's approach to classroom management: What is your approach to classroom management and student discipline? "We firmly believe that teachers get the classroom behaviors they teach to their students," said principal Patricia Green "I'm looking for a person who has a clear plan for his or her classroom management and who can articulate that plan I'm also looking for an answer that will reflect some developmentally appropriate understanding of the students who are being taught Among the things I look for are candidates who teach clearly articulated expectations and consequences I look for their proactive and reactive strategies, and for them to involves parents and staff for example, a dean or assistant principal when appropriate." Jim DeGenova gets at teachers' classroom management skills by presenting the scenario of a misbehaving student "After the initial response, I escalate the scenario to a more serious level," he explained "I keep escalating the scenario until the applicant responds 'at this point, I need some help' Too often teachers don't seek assistance until after a problem has grown bigger than anyone can handle I seek someone who will admit they don't have all the answers." Brian Hazeltine wants teacher-candidates to tell him about a specific problem they handled well: Tell me about a difficult circumstance you handled What action did you take? What were the results? Fifteen More Questions Thanks for these questions go to principals Lucie Boyadjian, Larry Davis, Deborah Harbin, Marguerite McNeely, and Jean Williams Why did you choose teaching as a career? If you were not a teacher, what would you be? How will you ensure that your classroom is an exciting place a place where students always are engaged? We are working hard to turn out school into a "learning community." What special skills, talents, or knowledge will you bring to this community? Explain what professionalism means to you within the school climate and outside of school A student in your class consistently causes disruptions Explain the steps you take and your reasoning for each step At what are you a "6" at now, but wish to be a "10"? How would you incorporate individual This CAR approach an acronym for Circumstance, Action, Results is effective, said Hazeltine "How a person handled situations in the past is often a good indicator of how he or she will handle them in the future." WRAPPING THINGS UP The closing minutes of an interview offer an opportunity for candidates to summarize their skills and make a case for hiring them It's the time when many principals pose a question that goes something like this: Is there anything you want us to know that we haven't asked that might help us as we make our hiring decision? "Our purpose in including this question is to give the candidates an opportunity to really sell themselves," explained Diane Petty, principal at BCLUW Elementary School in Conrad, Iowa "It also provides insight about what they may think is really important about teaching They may end up showing items in their portfolios that address an additional area of teaching that was not asked about during the interview They may expand on a topic that was asked earlier Usually teachers give additional information that helps us see their skills more clearly or helps us make a decision about whether or not they will fit into our district." Another question that often accompanies that one is Why should I hire you over all the other applicants who have the same educational background, attitude, and experience? Asking applicants why they should be chosen helps principal Teri Stokes get a sense for how they feel about themselves and their abilities and strengths and how eager they are to become a great teacher "One of the key points I always like to hear is something about tenacity, or a stick-to-it-despitedifficulty attitude," said Stokes On the other hand, one of the things she often hears is 'Well I just love children' That's nice, Stokes says, but "I usually respond 'Well, I love my beagle too, but that doesn't mean I've been able to a good job of teaching him.' "I want to hear more than just a standard pat answer Believe it or not, I have had numerous applicants say they don't know why I should hire them over someone else." "I ask this question to try to determine a candidate's personality and its characteristics," said principal Maria Bernardi of Our Lady of Lourdes South School in Toronto, Ontario (Canada) "Teaching is about relationships Teachers need to make connections with the students, parents, and other staff If a potential candidate is telling me that they know it all and that they don't need help, that tells me a lot about them However, if a candidate tells me about their willingness to learn or that they are willing to ask for help, that tells me they are courageous and eager to what needs to be done to help children or parents." "I want to hear things about responsibility, integrity, kindness and, most of all, about a love for children and wanting to make a difference in their lives," added Bernardi Bernardi also wants to get a sense of professionalism and she wants to hear what is in a teacher's heart "I think the pressures of teaching are always offset when there is a joy for teaching," she said "And a sense of humor also helps."