Resumes, Cover Letters, References, and Applications
Common Online Teaching Application Mistakes Dr. Scott Ziegler Superintendent of Schools, Loudoun County Public Schools, Virginia
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he way in which you complete your electronic application may be keeping you from getting an interview and a teaching position. Even in the midst of a teacher shortage, principals pay attention to the way in which you present yourself in your electronic application. Before you can dazzle anyone with your experience, your love for children, and your cutting edge pedagogy, you have to land the interview. Avoiding any of these common mistakes can enhance your chance of a successful job search. Pay particular attention to these areas:
1. Outdated Information: Does your application contain old and outdated information? If so, it could be costing you an opportunity to interview. When principals and hiring managers screen applications, they want recent information. If you’re applying for a position that starts in January 2022 and your most recent update was in 2020, update your information to include your most recent employment and references.
2. Capitalization, Spelling, and Grammatical Errors: Remember, you’re applying to work in education. You should not make mistakes when capitalizing any proper noun. To avoid spelling and grammatical errors, type your responses in a Microsoft Word Document or similar. You can then make corrections before posting in your application. For help with proofreading, use a program like Grammarly to check your work.
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3. Unprofessional Email Address: Get rid of the cute, funny, or obscene email address. For professional purposes, use a variant of your name.
4. Applying for Every Job: Apply only for positions for which you’re qualified. It’s frustrating for hiring managers to screen applications from candidates who don’t meet the minimum qualifications. You want your name to be recognized as a quality applicant and not because screeners have read it a hundred times.
5. Typing “See Attached”: We know it is time-consuming to answer every question completely. However, doing so makes it easy for a hiring manager to select you for an interview. If it is difficult to see your qualifications, then it becomes more difficult to screen your application. The result is that you would be less likely to be selected for an interview.
6. Not Completing the Application: An application must be complete and up-to-date to move forward. Include all supporting documents and references as directed. An incomplete application goes nowhere.
As We Prepare Students To Change The World in Anne Arundel County Public Schools
We are looking for educators who are innovative, collaborative, and flexible with the dedication and commitment to elevating all students and eliminating the achievement gap. Above all, the ideal candidate must have a love and passion for all students!
• Located in Maryland on the magnificent Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore and Washington, D.C. • 130 schools serving approximately 85,000 students • More than 7,200 teachers with an average salary of $73,420 • Excellent competitive benefits • Numerous professional development opportunities • Right Start Advisor Program for new teachers • Apply on-line at: www.aacps.org/joinourteam 410-222-5061; 888-773-5212 | recruitment@aacps.org • www.aacps.org @aacpsjobs
40 American Association for Employment in Education
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