What exactly happens?
What exactly happens?
Going to job fair in january,4days long. This might seem like a stupid question but could someone tell me what exactly goes on? Do you actually sign a contract if offered or can you think about it. Just a bit unsure what to expect from a practical point of view. Thanks for any help or advice!!
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There have been a lot of posts written on this topic, ill give you the short answer to your questions.
You arive at the fair and go to orientation. The first full day you spend a couple hours waiting in various school lines to meet a recruiter for about 30 seconds and try to convince them to give you an interview. This is called signup.
After signup is over you wait until your interview times and then go to those recruiters hotel room and interview. During this time schools give various presentations on their schools and Search and a few other organizations give presentations as well. These are optional and another opportunity to talk to a recruiter. On the last night of the fair there is a social with some
hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
You may be offered a contract and and many candidates are offered contracts. Your supposed to get 24 hours to decide but in reality that doesnt happen. Candidates either sign immediately or can take a couple hours. A school has to continue interviewing until you accept, and they cant just skip a full day of interviews waiting for you to decide.
You arive at the fair and go to orientation. The first full day you spend a couple hours waiting in various school lines to meet a recruiter for about 30 seconds and try to convince them to give you an interview. This is called signup.
After signup is over you wait until your interview times and then go to those recruiters hotel room and interview. During this time schools give various presentations on their schools and Search and a few other organizations give presentations as well. These are optional and another opportunity to talk to a recruiter. On the last night of the fair there is a social with some
hors d'oeuvres and drinks.
You may be offered a contract and and many candidates are offered contracts. Your supposed to get 24 hours to decide but in reality that doesnt happen. Candidates either sign immediately or can take a couple hours. A school has to continue interviewing until you accept, and they cant just skip a full day of interviews waiting for you to decide.
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Speculative Bubble
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Re: reply
[quote="PsyGuy"]Your supposed to get 24 hours to decide but in reality that doesnt happen. Candidates either sign immediately or can take a couple hours. A school has to continue interviewing until you accept, and they cant just skip a full day of interviews waiting for you to decide.[/quote]
Are you serious about the "couple of hours"? If I happen to interview with a school I haven't researched in depth it would take at least a long night to check all angles and that wouldn't involve contacting possible teachers at that school for reviews.
(Yes, this will be my first time at a job fair.)
Are you serious about the "couple of hours"? If I happen to interview with a school I haven't researched in depth it would take at least a long night to check all angles and that wouldn't involve contacting possible teachers at that school for reviews.
(Yes, this will be my first time at a job fair.)
Hi Specs
If you are interested in a school, you should get down to your research immediately. Try to find out if there are teachers from that school at that fair (that is much more common than you would think). If they are at the fair, then they are planning to leave and should give you a pretty good insight about what life is like there. The candidates' lounge is a great source of information.
You will generally find that the better the school, the more time they will give you. I NEVER HIRE AFTER JUST ONE INTERVIEW. If a recruiter is prepared to say, "here is a job in my school, take it leave" it after 20 or 30 minutes witth you, then that should ring alarm bells. If I am seriously interested in a candidate after the first interview, then I will say - BEFORE THE SECOND INTERVIEW - you should start to think about what you would do if I made you an offer. That is a signal for you to start the research process.
That said, fairs are a rush these days - in every sense. When I first started recruiters would do the London fair (ECIS was the only game in town then) before going to UNI and/or ISS and say to candidates on each leg of the recruitment trip "OK I'm interested, but I plan to see others on my journery, and I'll get back to you." Everyone was fine with that at the time, but now you will find people making offers - and expecting replies - even on the first day of the fair (despite recruiters all agreeing not to do this)!
Fair to say, though, that the pressure is as much on recruiters, especially when it comes to key positions. I remember looking for an experienced IB Chem teacher and making an offer. Fact is there were only two at the fair who were of interest to me, and it seemed that we were the first choice for both. So I picked the one who I thought was just marginally more suited, and she asked to sleep on it. Of course I agreed and told the other candidate thazt he was my second choice, and I would be able to confirm - or not - an offer the next day. You can guess what happened: #1 candidate decided no and by the time I got to #2 candidate he had already accepted elsewhere.
But you still shopuldn't be bullied by recruiters. You are making decisions at a fair that will change your life forever - sounds melodramatic but it's true. You have a right to have some down time to read through a contract, have a conversations with family and hopefully manage a chat with a teacher there. (Even if there isn't a teacher from that school present, it's not a bad idea to ask the administrator to let you phone someone on the faculty. The good ones will say "Of course" and lend you the phone and let you make the call in private!
Why do good schools give you more time and help you find out about the place you may be moving to? Because it is in the school's interest that their teacher is happy and sure of her decision!
You will generally find that the better the school, the more time they will give you. I NEVER HIRE AFTER JUST ONE INTERVIEW. If a recruiter is prepared to say, "here is a job in my school, take it leave" it after 20 or 30 minutes witth you, then that should ring alarm bells. If I am seriously interested in a candidate after the first interview, then I will say - BEFORE THE SECOND INTERVIEW - you should start to think about what you would do if I made you an offer. That is a signal for you to start the research process.
That said, fairs are a rush these days - in every sense. When I first started recruiters would do the London fair (ECIS was the only game in town then) before going to UNI and/or ISS and say to candidates on each leg of the recruitment trip "OK I'm interested, but I plan to see others on my journery, and I'll get back to you." Everyone was fine with that at the time, but now you will find people making offers - and expecting replies - even on the first day of the fair (despite recruiters all agreeing not to do this)!
Fair to say, though, that the pressure is as much on recruiters, especially when it comes to key positions. I remember looking for an experienced IB Chem teacher and making an offer. Fact is there were only two at the fair who were of interest to me, and it seemed that we were the first choice for both. So I picked the one who I thought was just marginally more suited, and she asked to sleep on it. Of course I agreed and told the other candidate thazt he was my second choice, and I would be able to confirm - or not - an offer the next day. You can guess what happened: #1 candidate decided no and by the time I got to #2 candidate he had already accepted elsewhere.
But you still shopuldn't be bullied by recruiters. You are making decisions at a fair that will change your life forever - sounds melodramatic but it's true. You have a right to have some down time to read through a contract, have a conversations with family and hopefully manage a chat with a teacher there. (Even if there isn't a teacher from that school present, it's not a bad idea to ask the administrator to let you phone someone on the faculty. The good ones will say "Of course" and lend you the phone and let you make the call in private!
Why do good schools give you more time and help you find out about the place you may be moving to? Because it is in the school's interest that their teacher is happy and sure of her decision!
Reply
No Im not kidding. You shouldnt "happen" to be interviewing for any school though. You can see what schools will be attending the fair and what schools have math positions and of those schools which ones youd like to sign up for. There is a lot of downtime after signup is over. Schools tend to schedule the early interviews with candidates they sent invitations too, so if you got an invitation and you want to interview then you should have researched that school in advance. You should have researched in advance before the interview what your deal breakers and contract expectations are. Very often an interview moves right into contract negotiation. You should know walking into the interview room what conditions you would need to accept a contract, you shouldnt need anything more then a couple hours to discuss the package with your spouse and give a yes or no.
Walters claim that candidates and recruiters have multiple interviews for the same school at a fair is fantasy (wishful fantasy at that). Recruiters dont have time. After your interview if you dont accept they have to keep interviewing and its one interview after another. Its not just your position but the other vacancies with the school as well. There just isnt time.
Walters claim that candidates and recruiters have multiple interviews for the same school at a fair is fantasy (wishful fantasy at that). Recruiters dont have time. After your interview if you dont accept they have to keep interviewing and its one interview after another. Its not just your position but the other vacancies with the school as well. There just isnt time.
Excuse me, Dave
How many fairs have you attended as a recruiter?
I think the answer to that is ZERO. In fact I know the answer to that is ZERO.
I've done between four and six a year for the last 25 years. I rather think I know a bit more about how I do the job than you do.
I swear, your arrogance is extraordinary. I presume that's wbhy you keep moving every year - because people just get so sick and tired of your constant know-all, blurting inanities...
I think the answer to that is ZERO. In fact I know the answer to that is ZERO.
I've done between four and six a year for the last 25 years. I rather think I know a bit more about how I do the job than you do.
I swear, your arrogance is extraordinary. I presume that's wbhy you keep moving every year - because people just get so sick and tired of your constant know-all, blurting inanities...
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wrldtrvlr123
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Re: Reply
[quote="PsyGuy"]No Im not kidding. You shouldnt "happen" to be interviewing for any school though. You can see what schools will be attending the fair and what schools have math positions and of those schools which ones youd like to sign up for. There is a lot of downtime after signup is over. Schools tend to schedule the early interviews with candidates they sent invitations too, so if you got an invitation and you want to interview then you should have researched that school in advance. You should have researched in advance before the interview what your deal breakers and contract expectations are. Very often an interview moves right into contract negotiation. You should know walking into the interview room what conditions you would need to accept a contract, you shouldnt need anything more then a couple hours to discuss the package with your spouse and give a yes or no.
Walters claim that candidates and recruiters have multiple interviews for the same school at a fair is fantasy (wishful fantasy at that). Recruiters dont have time. After your interview if you dont accept they have to keep interviewing and its one interview after another. Its not just your position but the other vacancies with the school as well. There just isnt time.[/quote]
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Well, I don't claim to be an expert, but I've been to 3 fairs as a candidate and 2nd interviews before getting an offer seem fairly commonplace, especially at the better schools. I've even had a Skype interview at the fair, as a 2nd interview with the specific admin. team back at the school I would have been working with.
Walters claim that candidates and recruiters have multiple interviews for the same school at a fair is fantasy (wishful fantasy at that). Recruiters dont have time. After your interview if you dont accept they have to keep interviewing and its one interview after another. Its not just your position but the other vacancies with the school as well. There just isnt time.[/quote]
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Well, I don't claim to be an expert, but I've been to 3 fairs as a candidate and 2nd interviews before getting an offer seem fairly commonplace, especially at the better schools. I've even had a Skype interview at the fair, as a 2nd interview with the specific admin. team back at the school I would have been working with.
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I suppose we have different experiences. I know very few candidates who had second interviews, and few recruiters that did them either. Of course I've learned never say never or always but it's a rare event in my experience.
Interesting. In my fair experience, I noticed second interviews seemed to be the norm. I even met people who had third interviews. I was hired after a Skype and then an in-person interview at the fair. I also met with a school that showed great interest and asked me to come back to Skype with the directors but I cancelled beforehand.
So, I'm expecting to do at least 2 interviews before an offer is made, but am certainly hoping that 1 will make it with a speedy yes or no. Interviewing so many times in a short period of time is physically and mentally exhausting!
So, I'm expecting to do at least 2 interviews before an offer is made, but am certainly hoping that 1 will make it with a speedy yes or no. Interviewing so many times in a short period of time is physically and mentally exhausting!
[quote]You don't know what you think you know and It's not arrogance when your right.[/quote]
Ahhh the arrogance is only improved by the poor grammar.
This is my first fair so I won't pretend to be an expert but I just wanted to mention that quite a few schools have already pre-interviewed me via Skype. In one case twice (with different people). It would seem crazy to me both from my point of view and from that of the school to hire people after one 30 min interview. I'm interested to see what actually happens but I know I won't be interested in any on the spot decisions and I can't see why any other top candidate would be either unless they really were dead certain before that fair that that was the school for them.
Oh well, guess I'll find out pretty soon how it all works.
Ahhh the arrogance is only improved by the poor grammar.
This is my first fair so I won't pretend to be an expert but I just wanted to mention that quite a few schools have already pre-interviewed me via Skype. In one case twice (with different people). It would seem crazy to me both from my point of view and from that of the school to hire people after one 30 min interview. I'm interested to see what actually happens but I know I won't be interested in any on the spot decisions and I can't see why any other top candidate would be either unless they really were dead certain before that fair that that was the school for them.
Oh well, guess I'll find out pretty soon how it all works.
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@lennoc
Pre Screening interviews before the fair are different. Those happen. At the fair there really isnt time, the schools that are only hiring for one or two positions and already have a top three candidate list, can afford to do second interviews, but the bulk of schools with more vacancies and who are really shopping for teachers dont have time.
My experience is that the 30 minute interviews dont lead to an offer, when your interview starts stretching to an hour and beyond those are the ones that lead to offers. 30 minutes may not be enough time to decide you want a candidate, but it is more then enough time to decide you dont want one.
Pre Screening interviews before the fair are different. Those happen. At the fair there really isnt time, the schools that are only hiring for one or two positions and already have a top three candidate list, can afford to do second interviews, but the bulk of schools with more vacancies and who are really shopping for teachers dont have time.
My experience is that the 30 minute interviews dont lead to an offer, when your interview starts stretching to an hour and beyond those are the ones that lead to offers. 30 minutes may not be enough time to decide you want a candidate, but it is more then enough time to decide you dont want one.