The International Schools Review Forum

I am new to this... what is a Ichiro?!!

@lindsmarie017

An Ichiro is named after a long lost member of the forum, who was a very valuable contributor, much like the Reisgio effect.
An Ichiro is essentially an alternative resume to describe marketing any type of flashy/gimmicky/creative method of introducing yourself to recruiters. It would generally involve color photos of you teaching, amazing students projects, etc and a more limited amount of text. Some people go all out and mimic advertising flyers, brochures, wanted posters etc (kind of a high risk/high reward approach).
During signup your only going to have about 10-30 seconds to make contact with a recruiter and get an interview slot. A resume doesnt convey the highlights of you as a candidate. You want to convey the top three bullet points of what makes you special or at least worthy of consideration. Enter the Ichiro, which in its basic form is a flyer (in color) with basic contact information, some visual representations of your work, and a few bullet points of what makes you special. Ichiros are also good for slipping under doors and in school folders. A three fold brochure or business cards allow you to carry your resume everywhere without being cumbersome.
Ive seen a number of Ichiros from business card resumes with a photo, contact info and a few stared bullet points with a QR code leading to a digital portfolio, to printed CDS, coupons (Good for one amazing teacher, time limited must be redeemed at [web address] and currency bills for a "1,000,000 teacher", 3 fold "sales" brochures, a couple teachers have done commercials and one did a full 22minute "info-mercial" that included a staged interview answering 5 pretty common questions, that was distributed on flash drives (you get a couple of flash drives from schools in your invite folder). The best one I ever got was a full, professionally bound magazine on slick paper stock it was 62 pages long and had articles discussing their teaching philosophy, a center fold with their bio and resume, articles about differentiation, their approach to the whole student, special needs, learning support, a couple stories about past schools and what they learned, and what they wish theyd known. It was extremely well done. The most recent unusual one were bottles of wine the candidate had created custom labels for that had a photo superimposed over a vineyard, a mock review to one side and a short list of bullet points describing their strengths in a “Quality Profile”.

I really wouldn't want to work in a school where the admin were attracted to educators that used these kind of gimmicks.

But there again, it also goes against my philosophy of education for teachers to be described as 'rockstars".

Oh well, bottom end Tier 3 schools it is for me then . . .

@shadylane

Whats wrong with personal branding? Youve never been influenced or motivated by a commercial, flyer, brochure, print advertising for a service or product?

If you're Madonna, Bieber or similar then absolutely nothing. As I said, I don't like the teacher as rockstar thing.

However, I concede that that I why I would probably never get a job in that kind of school.

@shadylane

What about linked in, or premium recruiting agencies (SA/ISS), a business card or a resume? Those are all personal marketing schemes.

For sure. Even a well written resume is a form of advertising.

There's just something about the $1 million dollar bill thing that makes me throw up a little bit in my mouth. Maybe it's the fact that I've had teaching partners that were significantly better at advertising themselves, than doing their job. I want my admin to see through that.

You're quite right, shadylane, no serious teacher would advertise herself with the million dollar bill gambit, and most serious recruiters would respond with two fingers down their throats. Do NOT fall into the trap of believing that Dave Psyguy's advice is of any value when it comes to finding jobs. Much less keeping jobs, once they are found.

@shadylane

The Ichiro isnt created to appeal to you, it needs to appeal to a very diverse group of recruiters and leadership. There is a rejection rate, but there is risk in all aspects of recruiting.

PsyGuy wrote:
> @lindsmarie017
>
> An Ichiro is named after a long lost member of the forum, who was a very
> valuable contributor, much like the Reisgio effect.
> An Ichiro is essentially an alternative resume to describe marketing any
> type of flashy/gimmicky/creative method of introducing yourself to
> recruiters. It would generally involve color photos of you teaching,
> amazing students projects, etc and a more limited amount of text. Some
> people go all out and mimic advertising flyers, brochures, wanted posters
> etc (kind of a high risk/high reward approach).
> During signup your only going to have about 10-30 seconds to make contact
> with a recruiter and get an interview slot. A resume doesnt convey the
> highlights of you as a candidate. You want to convey the top three bullet
> points of what makes you special or at least worthy of consideration. Enter
> the Ichiro, which in its basic form is a flyer (in color) with basic
> contact information, some visual representations of your work, and a few
> bullet points of what makes you special. Ichiros are also good for slipping
> under doors and in school folders. A three fold brochure or business cards
> allow you to carry your resume everywhere without being cumbersome.
> Ive seen a number of Ichiros from business card resumes with a photo,
> contact info and a few stared bullet points with a QR code leading to a
> digital portfolio, to printed CDS, coupons (Good for one amazing teacher,
> time limited must be redeemed at [web address] and currency bills for a
> "1,000,000 teacher", 3 fold "sales" brochures, a couple
> teachers have done commercials and one did a full 22minute
> "info-mercial" that included a staged interview answering 5
> pretty common questions, that was distributed on flash drives (you get a
> couple of flash drives from schools in your invite folder). The best one I
> ever got was a full, professionally bound magazine on slick paper stock it
> was 62 pages long and had articles discussing their teaching philosophy, a
> center fold with their bio and resume, articles about differentiation,
> their approach to the whole student, special needs, learning support, a
> couple stories about past schools and what they learned, and what they wish
> theyd known. It was extremely well done. The most recent unusual one were
> bottles of wine the candidate had created custom labels for that had a
> photo superimposed over a vineyard, a mock review to one side and a short
> list of bullet points describing their strengths in a “Quality Profile”.

This "Ichiro" sounds like a teaching portfolio. My impression was that one had both a resume and a portfolio?

I wouldn't take a teaching portfolio to a job fair. Maybe that's just me?

@porter1

No, an Ichiro is a marketing tool, and alternative resume, its typically a single page or less. A portfolio is a collection of accomplishments and projects to showcase the highlights of an ITs achievements and their best outcomes.

Walter, I don't know. I might do a 'poster' cover to my CV with some flash images and hitting the high notes - and the CV immediately under it to lend credence.

You should do what makes you feel comfortable and confident but being "flash" or over-elaborate may well not count in your favor. You need an attractive, clear and concise resume of no more than two sides and an interesting, well written letter (and this will only be read if your resume hits the sweet spot). If you are an elementary teacher, you may want to bring a portfolio showing the work that goes on in your classroom; if you are an art teacher you should certainly bring a portfolio showing off your students' work - and your own work as well. Anyone who comes with a 62 page portfolio has wasted a lot of paper - no one will ever read it.

Despite @walters smoke and mirrors, the success of Ichiros is well documented on the forum. Being uncreative without an Ichiro may also not work in your favor, as your resume disappears in a sea of white paper.
Cover letters dont get read, and you dont need one at a fair.
The citation of @walters is in error, it was a 62 page Ichiro, not a portfolio; @walter does not and can not attest to the entire community of leadership, they dont know what anyone individual will or wont do.