Job Fair Strategy
-
antitravolta
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 10:35 am
- Location: United States
Job Fair Strategy
I was wondering if anybody does anything beyond the obvious (resume, cover letter, etc.) that they're willing to share in finding ways to stand out in the job fairs. What has been your success rate at getting a job above what you'd expect with your strategy?
Response
A lot has been written about this topic, you might want to search through the forum.
BASICS:
First, location makes a difference. The Search Bangkok fair is different then the Search Cambridge fair. Its the same with ISS, and London. The Bangkok fair is more geared to teaching couples then Cambridge (its just bigger). Each fair is different.
Second, come prepared, there is too much to do, and too many candidates, and not enough recruiters or time to come in unprepared. You should be in contact with schools you are interested in WELL before the fair and have slips for appointments already lined up. Know what vacancies are open BEFORE you arrive. Signing up for a slot your not qualified for or not competitive for is a big waist of time at the fair (yours and the recruiter). If your just interested in 10 schools and their high demand schools, you might be devastated to either not get a position with them, or find out by the time fair time comes around all those positions are not available. You should honestly plan to interview with all schools that have your position available, but rank order them in importance to you. The last thing you want to happen is not get offered a position at any schools on your "top 10 list" and have had free time you could have been interviewing with.
Third, dont be intimidated. Long lines for a particular school can give you the impression you dont have a chance. Understand that most of those people in line are newbies. Well established and experienced teachers dont need to depend on fairs for positions, so most of the people in that line are just as much the same caliber of candidate as you are. If they were really that good they wouldnt need to be there.
Fourth, In some ways fairs are like a car dealership. Most interviews take place in the admins hotel rooms, they may have a curtain set up, and may video tape or have a webcam set up for a live or recorded feed for other admins back at their school. Discussions and negotiations happen fast. Despite what Search, ISS, and CIS put in their literature, it is very common for a recruiter to make an offer on the spot (Many people walk away with a contract or job from the fair). If you did your planing and are given an early advance interview, the head doesnt want to have to interview 20 or 50 more people if they want you, but they have to wait. They need to make their time "pay off". If you want to consider, they need to continue interviewing. If you accept, they can scratch one position off their roster, and move on. Its important to be very mindful that the fair process is VERY grueling on a head/recruiter, they have many positions and interviews to conduct, and if your not one of the first they are likely to be some what tired of the repetitive process. That being said you shouldnt let your guard down, just dont be surprised if your interviews later in the fair come of a bit hectic and casual. The heads are just tired, and have 100+ faces and resumes in their head.
Fifth, its important to remember that contracts are "as is" once you sign, you put yourself and the school in a difficult position should complications come up later. Know what your compensation and duty expectations and requirements are. Research the schools and the regions, and make a list or profile for each school of what you "want". if a position is offered to you this is the bargaining table and its going to most likely be the only time your going to get to have to "get what you want". Contracts are negotiable just because the school has a standard contract ready to go doesnt mean its set in stone (also understand your not a star football player). If a school is offering you a cookie, it means they have a cookie jar somewhere, and if they didnt think you would be adding value to their school they wouldnt be offering you a contract. Just go into every interview not just ready for the questions, but what your expectations are if you leave the room with a job. It will be very difficult to argue later after talking with other attendees, or doing research and finding out that others are getting paid more then you to go back and require more money. Remember whats "fair" as far as what compensation means to a school, does not mean it will be fair to you.
Sixth, Remember your likely interviewing with people from another culture. They may have different approaches from what your used too. Most recruiters are male, and its not uncommon for them to act differently in some cultures to other men then it is with women. Be careful how you socialize, admins and recruiters are everywhere, assume that anytime your not in your room, that someone you may interview with later is watching or listening. Follow up with every interview, a simple thank you email is all that is necessary.
EDGES:
1) Use your spouse, she can wait in one long line while youre in another and save your spot. Signup is two hours and some of those lines can take 30 minutes to get to the front and not get an interview slot.
2) You can be a shark or you can be a sheeple. This is like the Olympics everyone acts nice and social and helpful, but they are your competition. If you get an invitation dont wait in line (unless everyone has invitations) wait off to the side and when the recruiter is done speaking with the candidate walk up to the recruiter and invitation in hand state you received an invitation and would like to schedule an interview time. The recruiter has their first few earliest interview slots reserved for invitations, but you still want to get one of those as soon as possible and one of them is likely going to get the first offer, and you dont want it to be the person who interviewed before you. The other issue is that sociopaths act nice, and social and helpful, but people sabotage each other. They swipe resumes, go though your message folder, take out resumes and application materials from other candidates in the ISs message folders. Spill drinks on other candidates right before an interview. Fairs are stress, some candidates sail right through them and some have meltdowns.
3) You really need to plan signup and that starts well in advance of the fair. You want to try and get interview times in advance. By interview times I mean a commitment to a time slot, not just a "stop by our table". This solves two problems, one you get an idea how marketable you are, and two it saves you time. You want a balance of ISs. On one side of the coin there will be many tables that have no line you can walk right up make your pitch, and move on. Some of the recruiters literally just stand there looking at the wall for the entire time, but these are the ISs nobody is interested in and whats the use of a bunch of interviews if you wouldnt accept a position with those ISs. On the other side you have the high desire regions and upper tier ISs that can have a 30 minute line, you could easily spend all your time in lines for only a few ISs and not get any interviews. You also have dwindling resources (time slots) that have to match recruiters time slots. Many recruiters do not stay on the third day, so you have afternoon/evening of the first day and then the second day and all that time other candidates are interviewing and offers are being made, a portion of those offers will be accepted, making your later interview moot.
4) Bring an ichiro. 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”.
5) Go into every interview ready to negotiate. One moment your interviewing and then you blink and their describing the package and salary, and now they have a document template called a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) or Employment Intent document. Some ISs will print actual contracts, but some ISs have to have those done by HR, so the Intent Letter or MOU is what you get. They are supposed to be as valid as a contract, but the only thing thats as valid as a contract is a contract.
6) Only offers matter, all the best intentions mean nothing. Its important to distinguish flattery and compliments from offers. "Youre exactly what were looking for and youre a great fit for our school, I'll speak to the board president and get an offer approved tonight" smile and a handshake and you think you have an offer, you dont. You have nothing, you have consideration, you go right to your next interview, because that recruiter might tell half the candidates they interview for your vacancy that, and its true because they will get an offer approved that night but it might be someone elses offer.
7) Some recruiters are bat poop crazy. One spent the entire interview time showing and explaining all the shopping she did. One recruiter hired the first 10 people who showed up and accepted as they walked in the door. "Hello how are you, would you like to work for us, this is our contract". I had one recruiter who did the interview in his robe while sitting on his bed. One recruiter in a group was watching ---- on the laptop while the other recruiter asked me questions (could see the screens reflection in the mirror behind them). Then there are the recruiters that are pervs.
8) You can distill the entire success of recruiting to "fit" they already know you can teach or you wouldnt have gotten into the fair. The secret is too be very, very likeable.
9) You are always on when you arent in your room. Everything is an interview opportunity. The IS presentation to the social to who you are standing with in the elevator.
10) In my experience at the fairs, people make their decisions on a contract about two things: money and location. They have preferred regions that if they get an offer they take it. When they have similar schools, it always comes down to the compensation package. More money, tuition waivers, housing allowance, health care, whatever is just more (and more is better). The golden ratio is, Money:Contract hours. How much you get per hour of teaching. Thats really it
BASICS:
First, location makes a difference. The Search Bangkok fair is different then the Search Cambridge fair. Its the same with ISS, and London. The Bangkok fair is more geared to teaching couples then Cambridge (its just bigger). Each fair is different.
Second, come prepared, there is too much to do, and too many candidates, and not enough recruiters or time to come in unprepared. You should be in contact with schools you are interested in WELL before the fair and have slips for appointments already lined up. Know what vacancies are open BEFORE you arrive. Signing up for a slot your not qualified for or not competitive for is a big waist of time at the fair (yours and the recruiter). If your just interested in 10 schools and their high demand schools, you might be devastated to either not get a position with them, or find out by the time fair time comes around all those positions are not available. You should honestly plan to interview with all schools that have your position available, but rank order them in importance to you. The last thing you want to happen is not get offered a position at any schools on your "top 10 list" and have had free time you could have been interviewing with.
Third, dont be intimidated. Long lines for a particular school can give you the impression you dont have a chance. Understand that most of those people in line are newbies. Well established and experienced teachers dont need to depend on fairs for positions, so most of the people in that line are just as much the same caliber of candidate as you are. If they were really that good they wouldnt need to be there.
Fourth, In some ways fairs are like a car dealership. Most interviews take place in the admins hotel rooms, they may have a curtain set up, and may video tape or have a webcam set up for a live or recorded feed for other admins back at their school. Discussions and negotiations happen fast. Despite what Search, ISS, and CIS put in their literature, it is very common for a recruiter to make an offer on the spot (Many people walk away with a contract or job from the fair). If you did your planing and are given an early advance interview, the head doesnt want to have to interview 20 or 50 more people if they want you, but they have to wait. They need to make their time "pay off". If you want to consider, they need to continue interviewing. If you accept, they can scratch one position off their roster, and move on. Its important to be very mindful that the fair process is VERY grueling on a head/recruiter, they have many positions and interviews to conduct, and if your not one of the first they are likely to be some what tired of the repetitive process. That being said you shouldnt let your guard down, just dont be surprised if your interviews later in the fair come of a bit hectic and casual. The heads are just tired, and have 100+ faces and resumes in their head.
Fifth, its important to remember that contracts are "as is" once you sign, you put yourself and the school in a difficult position should complications come up later. Know what your compensation and duty expectations and requirements are. Research the schools and the regions, and make a list or profile for each school of what you "want". if a position is offered to you this is the bargaining table and its going to most likely be the only time your going to get to have to "get what you want". Contracts are negotiable just because the school has a standard contract ready to go doesnt mean its set in stone (also understand your not a star football player). If a school is offering you a cookie, it means they have a cookie jar somewhere, and if they didnt think you would be adding value to their school they wouldnt be offering you a contract. Just go into every interview not just ready for the questions, but what your expectations are if you leave the room with a job. It will be very difficult to argue later after talking with other attendees, or doing research and finding out that others are getting paid more then you to go back and require more money. Remember whats "fair" as far as what compensation means to a school, does not mean it will be fair to you.
Sixth, Remember your likely interviewing with people from another culture. They may have different approaches from what your used too. Most recruiters are male, and its not uncommon for them to act differently in some cultures to other men then it is with women. Be careful how you socialize, admins and recruiters are everywhere, assume that anytime your not in your room, that someone you may interview with later is watching or listening. Follow up with every interview, a simple thank you email is all that is necessary.
EDGES:
1) Use your spouse, she can wait in one long line while youre in another and save your spot. Signup is two hours and some of those lines can take 30 minutes to get to the front and not get an interview slot.
2) You can be a shark or you can be a sheeple. This is like the Olympics everyone acts nice and social and helpful, but they are your competition. If you get an invitation dont wait in line (unless everyone has invitations) wait off to the side and when the recruiter is done speaking with the candidate walk up to the recruiter and invitation in hand state you received an invitation and would like to schedule an interview time. The recruiter has their first few earliest interview slots reserved for invitations, but you still want to get one of those as soon as possible and one of them is likely going to get the first offer, and you dont want it to be the person who interviewed before you. The other issue is that sociopaths act nice, and social and helpful, but people sabotage each other. They swipe resumes, go though your message folder, take out resumes and application materials from other candidates in the ISs message folders. Spill drinks on other candidates right before an interview. Fairs are stress, some candidates sail right through them and some have meltdowns.
3) You really need to plan signup and that starts well in advance of the fair. You want to try and get interview times in advance. By interview times I mean a commitment to a time slot, not just a "stop by our table". This solves two problems, one you get an idea how marketable you are, and two it saves you time. You want a balance of ISs. On one side of the coin there will be many tables that have no line you can walk right up make your pitch, and move on. Some of the recruiters literally just stand there looking at the wall for the entire time, but these are the ISs nobody is interested in and whats the use of a bunch of interviews if you wouldnt accept a position with those ISs. On the other side you have the high desire regions and upper tier ISs that can have a 30 minute line, you could easily spend all your time in lines for only a few ISs and not get any interviews. You also have dwindling resources (time slots) that have to match recruiters time slots. Many recruiters do not stay on the third day, so you have afternoon/evening of the first day and then the second day and all that time other candidates are interviewing and offers are being made, a portion of those offers will be accepted, making your later interview moot.
4) Bring an ichiro. 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”.
5) Go into every interview ready to negotiate. One moment your interviewing and then you blink and their describing the package and salary, and now they have a document template called a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) or Employment Intent document. Some ISs will print actual contracts, but some ISs have to have those done by HR, so the Intent Letter or MOU is what you get. They are supposed to be as valid as a contract, but the only thing thats as valid as a contract is a contract.
6) Only offers matter, all the best intentions mean nothing. Its important to distinguish flattery and compliments from offers. "Youre exactly what were looking for and youre a great fit for our school, I'll speak to the board president and get an offer approved tonight" smile and a handshake and you think you have an offer, you dont. You have nothing, you have consideration, you go right to your next interview, because that recruiter might tell half the candidates they interview for your vacancy that, and its true because they will get an offer approved that night but it might be someone elses offer.
7) Some recruiters are bat poop crazy. One spent the entire interview time showing and explaining all the shopping she did. One recruiter hired the first 10 people who showed up and accepted as they walked in the door. "Hello how are you, would you like to work for us, this is our contract". I had one recruiter who did the interview in his robe while sitting on his bed. One recruiter in a group was watching ---- on the laptop while the other recruiter asked me questions (could see the screens reflection in the mirror behind them). Then there are the recruiters that are pervs.
8) You can distill the entire success of recruiting to "fit" they already know you can teach or you wouldnt have gotten into the fair. The secret is too be very, very likeable.
9) You are always on when you arent in your room. Everything is an interview opportunity. The IS presentation to the social to who you are standing with in the elevator.
10) In my experience at the fairs, people make their decisions on a contract about two things: money and location. They have preferred regions that if they get an offer they take it. When they have similar schools, it always comes down to the compensation package. More money, tuition waivers, housing allowance, health care, whatever is just more (and more is better). The golden ratio is, Money:Contract hours. How much you get per hour of teaching. Thats really it
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antitravolta
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 10:35 am
- Location: United States
Re: Job Fair Strategy
Thanks for all the great info, PsyGuy. I went to Cambridge 5 years ago and have spent very little time thinking about this type of thing since. I'll be going to Bangkok. This is a great primer to get me back in game mode. I think the thing of always being "on" is absolutely correct. I got 2 interviews just talking to everybody in the elevator at Cambridge. I'm having a debate this year because I find the host hotel extremely overpriced for BKK so I'd like to stay elsewhere, but I do know that being at the hotel last time was a big advantage.
I will definitely be fitting the stereotype of things basically coming down to location and money. I have a trailing spouse and we have a couple locations (fortunately strong places for ISs) that are significantly better for her job prospects than others and me taking a decent tier 2 job and her working still gives us a lot more money than just me working at the top paying school anywhere.
I will definitely be fitting the stereotype of things basically coming down to location and money. I have a trailing spouse and we have a couple locations (fortunately strong places for ISs) that are significantly better for her job prospects than others and me taking a decent tier 2 job and her working still gives us a lot more money than just me working at the top paying school anywhere.
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Thames Pirate
- Posts: 1150
- Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 8:06 am
Re: Response
PsyGuy wrote:
> Second, come prepared
YES! Last minute printing, not reaching out to schools, etc. is unwise. So is last minute research. Save that for unexpected schools that you might not have previously considered/researched. If a school is on your list, you should have already looked into reviews, spent a ton of time on the school website, etc.
While I agree about knowing open vacancies, that is almost always evolving--it literally changes by the hour. Things open and close very rapidly. But that just means you need to be MORE on top of your game.
You CAN apply for positions not your own if they are peripherally related and you have a rapport with the recruiter. Otherwise I agree that you are wasting resources.
I am of a few minds for opening up options beyond your top 10. I do think an open mind is important, but I also think you need to know when/if you are settling. Settling is never good. Don't be afraid to interview with a school in Sri Lanka even though it wasn't on your list, but if you know you could never live in a hot, dry climate don't settle for Jordan. This is where school presentations are really useful.
>
> Third, dont be intimidated.
FULLY concur. Sure, you can beat the line (through a slip or just being fast), but the key is to maximise your time during both the signup and interview times. It is worthwhile to wait in line to a point. If it is exceptionally long, you might be better off bypassing it and trying your luck a bit later; it isn't like you can get ahead of those folks anyway, and you might score three major interviews in the meantime. If it is just a bit longer, go ahead and jump into the line.
>
> Fourth, In some ways fairs are like a car dealership.
Yes, both for better and for worse. There is an air of salesmanship and closing the deal for sure.
Its important to be very mindful that the fair
> process is VERY grueling on a head/recruiter, they have many positions and
> interviews to conduct, and if your not one of the first they are likely to
> be some what tired of the repetitive process. That being said you shouldnt
> let your guard down, just dont be surprised if your interviews later in the
> fair come of a bit hectic and casual. The heads are just tired, and have
> 100+ faces and resumes in their head.
Very true! You should be understanding and sympathetic, sure, but also on your guard. You might even find you can catch recruiters with their guard down (say, in an elevator), and if you play your cards well, you can land an interview that way. You are also more likely to do well if you remain professional even as the recruiters get more desperate.
>
> Fifth, its important to remember that contracts are "as is" once
> you sign, you put yourself and the school in a difficult position should
> complications come up later. Research the schools and the regions,
> and make a list or profile for each school of what you "want".
Yes, and do as much as possible before the fair or at the latest, before your interview.
> Just go into every interview not just ready for the questions, but what
> your expectations are if you leave the room with a job. Remember whats "fair" as far as what
> compensation means to a school, does not mean it will be fair to you.
VERY good advice!
>
> Sixth, Remember your likely interviewing with people from another culture.
Yes.
Be careful how you socialize, admins
> and recruiters are everywhere, assume that anytime your not in your room,
> that someone you may interview with later is watching or listening. Follow
> up with every interview, a simple thank you email is all that is necessary.
Yes.
>
> EDGES:
>
> 1) Use your spouse, she can wait in one long line while youre in another
> and save your spot. Signup is two hours and some of those lines can take 30
> minutes to get to the front and not get an interview slot.
Also, have a strategy--which schools do you want to hit first, which length of line do you accept, etc. And utilise the time in line. Listen to others make their pitch and determine if there is any sell you can make to get an interview time with this particular recruiter or any strategy you can pick up from the others in the line. Signups should be eyes and ears, not mouth and cell phone.
>
> If you get an invitation dont wait in line (unless everyone has
> invitations) wait off to the side and when the recruiter is done speaking
> with the candidate walk up to the recruiter and invitation in hand state
> you received an invitation and would like to schedule an interview time.
Yes!
> Spill drinks on other candidates right before an interview. Fairs are
> stress, some candidates sail right through them and some have meltdowns.
Sure, this happens, but it isn't the norm. Be watchful, but don't be paranoid. And most certainly don't be that person!
>
> 3) You really need to plan signup and that starts well in advance of the
> fair. You want to try and get interview times in advance.
Pre-contact, even if they don't have vacancies at the moment, for schools you really want can be a start. Do that before New Year's for sure. Also, arrive early on check-in day and drop notes to schools with vacancies or reminder notes if you had already applied. Check your folder frequently--almost obsessively--to ensure timely contact with schools. Once at the fair, don't rely on electronic submissions unless told to do so; it's all about the folders. This is true even after signups. Remember, things evolve quickly and schools who just lost their counsellor to someone else might post a vacancy at the fair that didnt exist during the sign ups.
>
> 4) Bring an ichiro.
> An Ichiro is essentially an alternative resume to describe marketing any
> type of flashy/gimmicky/creative method of introducing yourself to
> recruiters.
Overly flashy, though, doesn't mean much. It can be as simple as a side-by-side resume for a teaching couple so the recruiter can see both individuals at a glance or a little brochure with some color photos and a bit more insight. A recruiter won't be taken in by flash, but they might take another look at something creative. Stand out, yes--get the recruiter to take the time to look at your profile to see your references. But too flashy is trying too hard and smacks of desperation. Glitter doesn't make garbage nice, but a few sparkles can make something stand out.
> 5) Go into every interview ready to negotiate.
Yes.
>
> 6) Only offers matter, all the best intentions mean nothing.
Yes and no. Yes, nothing counts until an offer is made. But don't dismiss positive feedback; you might be able to wrangle more during contract negotiations later. Until you have an offer and have accepted, treat each interview as if it were your only one. Don't assume you "have it in the bag" until you actually do, and move on to the next interview as if the previous one had not occurred.
>
> 7) Some recruiters are bat poop crazy.
Yep. Consider if you really want to work for that person. However, consider also the cultural bit and the stress bit. I wouldn't want to work for a perv, but someone who just seems a bit odd might be acceptable.
>
> 8) You can distill the entire success of recruiting to "fit" they
> already know you can teach or you wouldnt have gotten into the fair. The
> secret is too be very, very likeable.
I only somewhat agree. There is still a huge range of quality even within a single fair. I agree about being likeable and would say fit is about gut as much as anything, but there are candidates that are better than others, both on paper and in person. Some people have huge charisma and teaching ability but perhaps no IB experience, for example; others have the paper pedigree but no ability to relate to students. The paper pedigree gets you an interview; the interview is about getting them to envision you in front of their students (or sometimes just in their building with their other staff).
>
> 9) You are always on when you arent in your room. Everything is an
> interview opportunity. The IS presentation to the social to who you are
> standing with in the elevator.
Having landed an interview in an elevator and another as a recruiter was packing up after his presentation, I can only agree!
A few additional points:
Get some sleep! You aren't your best when you are tired. Jet lag can also be a factor, and we definitely noticed a difference when we took an additional day off and arrived at the fair early. Not only were we able to pre-interview (some of those we confirmed during our layover), but we were also able to find a copy shop nearby (not to mention the coffee shop!), check in and get other formalities out of the way early so we could focus on the process before the interview signup, and forge contacts/schmooze a bit while people were still relaxed at the start of the fair.
We made a cheat sheet for our top schools. This was the name and a photo whenever possible of recruiters from our top schools as well as the school mission statement and/or a few key points about the school. That way when you are on an elevator with a recruiter, you can open your folder as if looking at resumes, see the face again (which you will hopefully recognise from your research) and instantly know what school they are, and have an opening talking point. You should also get good at reading name tags in elevators, for example. The recruiter-color name tag with a school name can be enough even without the cheat sheet to start a conversation (especially if you can convince them you recognise them from their photo on the school website, for example!)
Talk to other teachers. Someone might work at your goal school now and have insight as to why you might not want to go or how to butter up their head. Remember the eyes and ears, not mouth and phone rule? Use it. You might also learn of unposted speculative openings, information about a location, etc. If you can swing it, make friends so you can have an ally that might help you later in the fair or even in a future recruiting situation. Sure, this is easier to do when you are not competing ("I teach physics, but I hear X school has an elementary music position open"), and yes, you have to keep your guard up (particularly if in direct competition), but think of the candidate room as another place to network and research.
As for hotel, if you aren't at the hotel, you should be no more than 5 minutes away and plan to spend lots of time at the fair hotel. Sometimes the expense is worthwhile (if there is nothing immediately next door), but sometimes it isn't (you expect a job before the fair and they don't offer cancelable rooms). I find it's often worth the expense, even if it does suck to pay it, particularly because you are always "on" unless you are in your room--so staying at the hotel allows you to switch off.
By the way, the "always on" applies to going out to eat after your interviews for the day (recruiters and other teachers will be in nearby restaurants as well--remember the cheat sheet and the eyes and ears rule!) or your sleeping attire (ever had the hotel fire alarm go off during the fair? I have, and it happens more often than you would think). If you are stuck outside with recruiters in your sleepwear, you would want to be wearing something decent! So keep that element in mind!
> Second, come prepared
YES! Last minute printing, not reaching out to schools, etc. is unwise. So is last minute research. Save that for unexpected schools that you might not have previously considered/researched. If a school is on your list, you should have already looked into reviews, spent a ton of time on the school website, etc.
While I agree about knowing open vacancies, that is almost always evolving--it literally changes by the hour. Things open and close very rapidly. But that just means you need to be MORE on top of your game.
You CAN apply for positions not your own if they are peripherally related and you have a rapport with the recruiter. Otherwise I agree that you are wasting resources.
I am of a few minds for opening up options beyond your top 10. I do think an open mind is important, but I also think you need to know when/if you are settling. Settling is never good. Don't be afraid to interview with a school in Sri Lanka even though it wasn't on your list, but if you know you could never live in a hot, dry climate don't settle for Jordan. This is where school presentations are really useful.
>
> Third, dont be intimidated.
FULLY concur. Sure, you can beat the line (through a slip or just being fast), but the key is to maximise your time during both the signup and interview times. It is worthwhile to wait in line to a point. If it is exceptionally long, you might be better off bypassing it and trying your luck a bit later; it isn't like you can get ahead of those folks anyway, and you might score three major interviews in the meantime. If it is just a bit longer, go ahead and jump into the line.
>
> Fourth, In some ways fairs are like a car dealership.
Yes, both for better and for worse. There is an air of salesmanship and closing the deal for sure.
Its important to be very mindful that the fair
> process is VERY grueling on a head/recruiter, they have many positions and
> interviews to conduct, and if your not one of the first they are likely to
> be some what tired of the repetitive process. That being said you shouldnt
> let your guard down, just dont be surprised if your interviews later in the
> fair come of a bit hectic and casual. The heads are just tired, and have
> 100+ faces and resumes in their head.
Very true! You should be understanding and sympathetic, sure, but also on your guard. You might even find you can catch recruiters with their guard down (say, in an elevator), and if you play your cards well, you can land an interview that way. You are also more likely to do well if you remain professional even as the recruiters get more desperate.
>
> Fifth, its important to remember that contracts are "as is" once
> you sign, you put yourself and the school in a difficult position should
> complications come up later. Research the schools and the regions,
> and make a list or profile for each school of what you "want".
Yes, and do as much as possible before the fair or at the latest, before your interview.
> Just go into every interview not just ready for the questions, but what
> your expectations are if you leave the room with a job. Remember whats "fair" as far as what
> compensation means to a school, does not mean it will be fair to you.
VERY good advice!
>
> Sixth, Remember your likely interviewing with people from another culture.
Yes.
Be careful how you socialize, admins
> and recruiters are everywhere, assume that anytime your not in your room,
> that someone you may interview with later is watching or listening. Follow
> up with every interview, a simple thank you email is all that is necessary.
Yes.
>
> EDGES:
>
> 1) Use your spouse, she can wait in one long line while youre in another
> and save your spot. Signup is two hours and some of those lines can take 30
> minutes to get to the front and not get an interview slot.
Also, have a strategy--which schools do you want to hit first, which length of line do you accept, etc. And utilise the time in line. Listen to others make their pitch and determine if there is any sell you can make to get an interview time with this particular recruiter or any strategy you can pick up from the others in the line. Signups should be eyes and ears, not mouth and cell phone.
>
> If you get an invitation dont wait in line (unless everyone has
> invitations) wait off to the side and when the recruiter is done speaking
> with the candidate walk up to the recruiter and invitation in hand state
> you received an invitation and would like to schedule an interview time.
Yes!
> Spill drinks on other candidates right before an interview. Fairs are
> stress, some candidates sail right through them and some have meltdowns.
Sure, this happens, but it isn't the norm. Be watchful, but don't be paranoid. And most certainly don't be that person!
>
> 3) You really need to plan signup and that starts well in advance of the
> fair. You want to try and get interview times in advance.
Pre-contact, even if they don't have vacancies at the moment, for schools you really want can be a start. Do that before New Year's for sure. Also, arrive early on check-in day and drop notes to schools with vacancies or reminder notes if you had already applied. Check your folder frequently--almost obsessively--to ensure timely contact with schools. Once at the fair, don't rely on electronic submissions unless told to do so; it's all about the folders. This is true even after signups. Remember, things evolve quickly and schools who just lost their counsellor to someone else might post a vacancy at the fair that didnt exist during the sign ups.
>
> 4) Bring an ichiro.
> An Ichiro is essentially an alternative resume to describe marketing any
> type of flashy/gimmicky/creative method of introducing yourself to
> recruiters.
Overly flashy, though, doesn't mean much. It can be as simple as a side-by-side resume for a teaching couple so the recruiter can see both individuals at a glance or a little brochure with some color photos and a bit more insight. A recruiter won't be taken in by flash, but they might take another look at something creative. Stand out, yes--get the recruiter to take the time to look at your profile to see your references. But too flashy is trying too hard and smacks of desperation. Glitter doesn't make garbage nice, but a few sparkles can make something stand out.
> 5) Go into every interview ready to negotiate.
Yes.
>
> 6) Only offers matter, all the best intentions mean nothing.
Yes and no. Yes, nothing counts until an offer is made. But don't dismiss positive feedback; you might be able to wrangle more during contract negotiations later. Until you have an offer and have accepted, treat each interview as if it were your only one. Don't assume you "have it in the bag" until you actually do, and move on to the next interview as if the previous one had not occurred.
>
> 7) Some recruiters are bat poop crazy.
Yep. Consider if you really want to work for that person. However, consider also the cultural bit and the stress bit. I wouldn't want to work for a perv, but someone who just seems a bit odd might be acceptable.
>
> 8) You can distill the entire success of recruiting to "fit" they
> already know you can teach or you wouldnt have gotten into the fair. The
> secret is too be very, very likeable.
I only somewhat agree. There is still a huge range of quality even within a single fair. I agree about being likeable and would say fit is about gut as much as anything, but there are candidates that are better than others, both on paper and in person. Some people have huge charisma and teaching ability but perhaps no IB experience, for example; others have the paper pedigree but no ability to relate to students. The paper pedigree gets you an interview; the interview is about getting them to envision you in front of their students (or sometimes just in their building with their other staff).
>
> 9) You are always on when you arent in your room. Everything is an
> interview opportunity. The IS presentation to the social to who you are
> standing with in the elevator.
Having landed an interview in an elevator and another as a recruiter was packing up after his presentation, I can only agree!
A few additional points:
Get some sleep! You aren't your best when you are tired. Jet lag can also be a factor, and we definitely noticed a difference when we took an additional day off and arrived at the fair early. Not only were we able to pre-interview (some of those we confirmed during our layover), but we were also able to find a copy shop nearby (not to mention the coffee shop!), check in and get other formalities out of the way early so we could focus on the process before the interview signup, and forge contacts/schmooze a bit while people were still relaxed at the start of the fair.
We made a cheat sheet for our top schools. This was the name and a photo whenever possible of recruiters from our top schools as well as the school mission statement and/or a few key points about the school. That way when you are on an elevator with a recruiter, you can open your folder as if looking at resumes, see the face again (which you will hopefully recognise from your research) and instantly know what school they are, and have an opening talking point. You should also get good at reading name tags in elevators, for example. The recruiter-color name tag with a school name can be enough even without the cheat sheet to start a conversation (especially if you can convince them you recognise them from their photo on the school website, for example!)
Talk to other teachers. Someone might work at your goal school now and have insight as to why you might not want to go or how to butter up their head. Remember the eyes and ears, not mouth and phone rule? Use it. You might also learn of unposted speculative openings, information about a location, etc. If you can swing it, make friends so you can have an ally that might help you later in the fair or even in a future recruiting situation. Sure, this is easier to do when you are not competing ("I teach physics, but I hear X school has an elementary music position open"), and yes, you have to keep your guard up (particularly if in direct competition), but think of the candidate room as another place to network and research.
As for hotel, if you aren't at the hotel, you should be no more than 5 minutes away and plan to spend lots of time at the fair hotel. Sometimes the expense is worthwhile (if there is nothing immediately next door), but sometimes it isn't (you expect a job before the fair and they don't offer cancelable rooms). I find it's often worth the expense, even if it does suck to pay it, particularly because you are always "on" unless you are in your room--so staying at the hotel allows you to switch off.
By the way, the "always on" applies to going out to eat after your interviews for the day (recruiters and other teachers will be in nearby restaurants as well--remember the cheat sheet and the eyes and ears rule!) or your sleeping attire (ever had the hotel fire alarm go off during the fair? I have, and it happens more often than you would think). If you are stuck outside with recruiters in your sleepwear, you would want to be wearing something decent! So keep that element in mind!
Reply
@antitravolta
Whether staying at the fair property makes sense or not depends on how busy you realistically feel you will be. Everything that happens at BKK happens in the first 24 hours (from first night, to the end of the day of signup). You are either an ISS top 1-2 picks or your just another candidate they are going to let simmer in the candidate pool, because they have other fairs and possibly other candidates that are more desirable than you. If you think that first day is going to be bust for you, with a number of invitations and priority interviews than staying at the fair property is a good strategy at least for the first night and day. It will give you a place to go where you can turn off, refresh and relax. If its not going to be busy for you, if your expecting mostly second or forbid third day interviews or only one or two first day interviews, you can probably skip the fair property and stay close enough to make those interviews.
In regards to @Thames Pirate comments:
1) The problem with school presentations is that they occur after signup, so unless your attendance at the presentation is a pretext to an interview you didnt get at signup, they are a waste. Most of them are just point and talk brochures and paint nothing but a positive picture. I generally find school websites useless except for indicating that you looked at them. What you need to know is the ISs mission statement, ethos, and what their accreditation/curriculum are, thats maybe couple minutes.
2) Vacancies use to change by the hour during the fair, now its more they change daily, more and more ISs are waiting on contracts until later dates.
3) You can certainly apply for vacancies that are peripherally related to you, but its usually a waste of time unless the vacancy is some kind of combo vacancy (Lit and Humanities, maths/science). The problem is your time is so short at signup unless youve already talked to the ISs that have your vacancy and you have extra time on hand or dont have a very full interview schedule, your energies are usually better directed elsewhere.
4) If an IS in Sri Lanka wasnt on your list why bother interviewing unless its just a practice interview to get you tuned up for the interviews that matter. This is how so many ITs end up writing negative reviews, they end up taking interviews and contracts for ISs they arent really interested in because they dont want to leave with nothing. They convince themselves it will be some kind of X experience and then they get there and things go from bad to worse fast.
5) As far as interview time goes, dont be afraid to exit an interview early. You dont have to sit prisoner in the chair for the whole time according to the recruiters schedule. Sometimes you learn early on that its not the right fit (8 preps a day, etc). Just be polite, and make your exit. Some recruiters can be very aggressive, you can leave when you want.
6) The main problem with getting back to those longer lines later is that the premium interview slots may be filled by then, and those lines generally keep growing. Yes they sometimes get shorter as time moves on but so does their available interview times.
7) Its not paranoia if there are sociopaths out to win and any cost, the issue is that sociopaths can pretend to be normal people. One candidate would have his wife doing disinformation during the day. People take resumes out of folders all the time, etc. Your competition isnt your friend.
8) One problem millinials have is they check their phones for updates, and its really all about the folders.
9) Recruiters are just as taken in by style over substance as anybody is. The issue isnt that glitter makes garbage better its that so many candidates are indistinct from one another. Piles of resumes just look like pools of mashed potatos at some point, that something flashy and glittery draws their attention. The idea is to be memorable (and very, very, very likable). You want to be memorable or noteworthy enough to talk to further, thus getting an interview, and then at the interview leave them with the impression of being very likeable.
10) Positive feedback is worthless, its just a way to blunt the negativity of rejection.
11) Most recruiters have on their public face, if their "oddity" is seeping out at a fair during an interview theres deeper problems beneath it.
12) No there really isnt a huge range of qualifications. Even factors that are easy to quantify like years of experience get muddy. At a certain point youve mastered the craft no matter how long youve taught it. there are 4 main inflections or points on an ITs growth, at 1 year, at 2 years, at 4 years and at 6 years. They already know you can teach, they already know your motivated the only thing left is fitting in.
13) I wouldnt disagree with being refreshed and part of that is a good nights sleep, but dont forgo the opportunity of an impromptu first night recruiting by just hanging around and making some contacts early.
14) Really only millinials have this problem of having eyballs glued to their phones.
Whether staying at the fair property makes sense or not depends on how busy you realistically feel you will be. Everything that happens at BKK happens in the first 24 hours (from first night, to the end of the day of signup). You are either an ISS top 1-2 picks or your just another candidate they are going to let simmer in the candidate pool, because they have other fairs and possibly other candidates that are more desirable than you. If you think that first day is going to be bust for you, with a number of invitations and priority interviews than staying at the fair property is a good strategy at least for the first night and day. It will give you a place to go where you can turn off, refresh and relax. If its not going to be busy for you, if your expecting mostly second or forbid third day interviews or only one or two first day interviews, you can probably skip the fair property and stay close enough to make those interviews.
In regards to @Thames Pirate comments:
1) The problem with school presentations is that they occur after signup, so unless your attendance at the presentation is a pretext to an interview you didnt get at signup, they are a waste. Most of them are just point and talk brochures and paint nothing but a positive picture. I generally find school websites useless except for indicating that you looked at them. What you need to know is the ISs mission statement, ethos, and what their accreditation/curriculum are, thats maybe couple minutes.
2) Vacancies use to change by the hour during the fair, now its more they change daily, more and more ISs are waiting on contracts until later dates.
3) You can certainly apply for vacancies that are peripherally related to you, but its usually a waste of time unless the vacancy is some kind of combo vacancy (Lit and Humanities, maths/science). The problem is your time is so short at signup unless youve already talked to the ISs that have your vacancy and you have extra time on hand or dont have a very full interview schedule, your energies are usually better directed elsewhere.
4) If an IS in Sri Lanka wasnt on your list why bother interviewing unless its just a practice interview to get you tuned up for the interviews that matter. This is how so many ITs end up writing negative reviews, they end up taking interviews and contracts for ISs they arent really interested in because they dont want to leave with nothing. They convince themselves it will be some kind of X experience and then they get there and things go from bad to worse fast.
5) As far as interview time goes, dont be afraid to exit an interview early. You dont have to sit prisoner in the chair for the whole time according to the recruiters schedule. Sometimes you learn early on that its not the right fit (8 preps a day, etc). Just be polite, and make your exit. Some recruiters can be very aggressive, you can leave when you want.
6) The main problem with getting back to those longer lines later is that the premium interview slots may be filled by then, and those lines generally keep growing. Yes they sometimes get shorter as time moves on but so does their available interview times.
7) Its not paranoia if there are sociopaths out to win and any cost, the issue is that sociopaths can pretend to be normal people. One candidate would have his wife doing disinformation during the day. People take resumes out of folders all the time, etc. Your competition isnt your friend.
8) One problem millinials have is they check their phones for updates, and its really all about the folders.
9) Recruiters are just as taken in by style over substance as anybody is. The issue isnt that glitter makes garbage better its that so many candidates are indistinct from one another. Piles of resumes just look like pools of mashed potatos at some point, that something flashy and glittery draws their attention. The idea is to be memorable (and very, very, very likable). You want to be memorable or noteworthy enough to talk to further, thus getting an interview, and then at the interview leave them with the impression of being very likeable.
10) Positive feedback is worthless, its just a way to blunt the negativity of rejection.
11) Most recruiters have on their public face, if their "oddity" is seeping out at a fair during an interview theres deeper problems beneath it.
12) No there really isnt a huge range of qualifications. Even factors that are easy to quantify like years of experience get muddy. At a certain point youve mastered the craft no matter how long youve taught it. there are 4 main inflections or points on an ITs growth, at 1 year, at 2 years, at 4 years and at 6 years. They already know you can teach, they already know your motivated the only thing left is fitting in.
13) I wouldnt disagree with being refreshed and part of that is a good nights sleep, but dont forgo the opportunity of an impromptu first night recruiting by just hanging around and making some contacts early.
14) Really only millinials have this problem of having eyballs glued to their phones.
-
buffalofan
- Posts: 350
- Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2010 11:08 pm
Re: Job Fair Strategy
I would add:
*Avoid spending a lot of time in the candidate lounge. At one fair I popped into the candidate lounge to do emails, feeling pretty good with one offer already and possibly another one coming. Within 10 minutes, a couple of teachers had burst into the room crying, another shouting with joy, and a couple others were leaning over chairs moaning in distress. The big fairs are extremely intense and people are on edge - hanging around others in this mode is not going to be good for you.
*Do not even think about dressing down. If you are male you need to have shirt, tie, and jacket. A lot of these directors are old school.
*Make your plans to stay for the entire fair. Sometimes schools will offer positions on day 1 or 2 then and have them turned down unexpectedly. Then they are trying to fill the position on the last day when many teachers are already on their way to the airport. If you are still around and looking you could find yourself with an offer. I got a job this way once.
*Avoid spending a lot of time in the candidate lounge. At one fair I popped into the candidate lounge to do emails, feeling pretty good with one offer already and possibly another one coming. Within 10 minutes, a couple of teachers had burst into the room crying, another shouting with joy, and a couple others were leaning over chairs moaning in distress. The big fairs are extremely intense and people are on edge - hanging around others in this mode is not going to be good for you.
*Do not even think about dressing down. If you are male you need to have shirt, tie, and jacket. A lot of these directors are old school.
*Make your plans to stay for the entire fair. Sometimes schools will offer positions on day 1 or 2 then and have them turned down unexpectedly. Then they are trying to fill the position on the last day when many teachers are already on their way to the airport. If you are still around and looking you could find yourself with an offer. I got a job this way once.
Discussion
I find the lounge can be pretty entertaining. If you cant handle that kind of drama or filter it out yeah i can see how it might get to you.
Absolutely agree about the dress code, thought it was mentioned but its definitely business formal. Suit, tie, jacket, slacks, dress shoes, dont try to do it with jeans.
While last minute vacancies can happen as @buffalofan described thats an outlier. At that point most recruiters would move on to LON and their top pick there, its not really the stage of being desperate yet. The third day of the fair is particularly depressing. Its mostly killing time until catching flights. Though i do know an IT who got a job offer at the airport at the end of the fair.
Absolutely agree about the dress code, thought it was mentioned but its definitely business formal. Suit, tie, jacket, slacks, dress shoes, dont try to do it with jeans.
While last minute vacancies can happen as @buffalofan described thats an outlier. At that point most recruiters would move on to LON and their top pick there, its not really the stage of being desperate yet. The third day of the fair is particularly depressing. Its mostly killing time until catching flights. Though i do know an IT who got a job offer at the airport at the end of the fair.