Be Prepared for These Common Interview Questions

Dr. Thomas A. Kersten

Dr. Allison Slade Professor Emeritus, Roosevelt University, Illinois Director of Instructional Leadership, Roosevelt University, Illinois

One of the most exciting aspects of the job search process, especially for candidates completing their teacher education programs, is receiving a call for a personal interview. Whether the interview is in person or remote, you want to be as prepared as possible to respond well to questions you will be asked. Hiring administrators put great weight on the interview component. To help you be as prepared as possible, we surveyed almost 4,000 elementary, middle school, high school, and public charter school principals to identify questions administrators would most likely ask teacher candidates. Summarized below is a synthesized list of the most common questions.

Getting to Know You

ü What is the most important reason that you went into teaching?

ü What is it about this position that attracted you?

ü Describe a personal experience that had an impact on your teaching?

ü If I were to ask your most challenging students to describe you in three words, what would they say?

ü What would your worst critic say about you?

ü What are you most passionate about?

ü What makes you the best candidate for this position?

Interpersonal/Communication Skills

ü Describe a time when you had a conflict with someone. What was the situation and what was the result?

ü If confronted by an angry parent (or colleague) on an issue, how would you respond?

ü How important is it to be liked by your students?

ü How would your students know that you genuinely cared about them?

ü When is it appropriate to talk about your co-workers?

Instruction & Assessment

ü If I walked into your classroom on a typical day, what would I observe?

ü What instructional strategies have you found most effective?

ü How do you know if your lesson was successful?

ü With the recent increased use of remote/online instruction, what have you learned about how to make it an effective instructional tool?

ü What specific online platforms have you used with remote instruction?

ü What are the most important components of a balanced literacy program?

ü Describe an assessment tool that you’ve found to be highly effective for measuring achievement?

ü How do you measure student success?

ü Tell me about a student who did not make the growth you had anticipated. If you taught this student again, what would you do differently? ü How do you differentiate classroom instruction to accommodate all students? ü What is the number one factor that contributes to student learning?? ü What would you do with a student who continually fails to complete homework? ü What do you see as the single most important variable impacting student learning?

Classroom Culture Management

ü How do you create a classroom climate where students are excited to come each day?

ü If I walked into your classroom during an outstanding lesson, what would I see?

ü What is your experience with positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS)?

ü How do you feel about noise in the classroom?

ü Describe the toughest disciplinary situation you encountered and how you handled it?

ü If you were having classroom management difficulties, when and whom would you ask for help?

Equity & Inclusion

ü What experiences have you had working with diverse groups of students?

ü How do you create a classroom environment that recognizes cultural diversity?

ü How have your life experiences shaped your understanding of students and families from diverse cultural backgrounds?

ü How do you accommodate students with special needs?

ü How would respond to a student or colleague who made a racially/culturally insensitive comment?

ü Have you ever taken part in a conversation about race/culture in an educational setting? If yes, describe the conversation and how you reacted to it.

Personal Development & Self-Reflection

ü During your student teaching, what did you find most challenging?

ü How do you judge whether you are successful in the classroom?

ü Describe the best lesson you ever taught and explain why it was great.

ü Describe the most effective professional program you have experienced.

ü What was the biggest mistake you have made as a teacher?

ü What have you read lately or what professional development program have you attended that led you to make a change in your teaching?

ü Describe a challenge you faced during student teaching and what you learned from it.

Collaboration

ü How do you keep parents informed and involved in their child’s learning?

ü You have a student who is consistently misbehaving during class. What approach have you found to be most successful when discussing the problem with parents?

ü What does a high functioning professional Learning team (PLC) meeting look like?

ü How would you foster teamwork within your grade level or department?

ü When working with colleagues, do you tend to be more of a team member or team leader?

Other

ü Is there anything you would like to tell me about yourself that you haven’t had a chance to share?

ü How do you set short and long-term professional goals?

ü What new ideas would you bring to our school?

ü If I went to your social media page, what would I learn about you?

ü Is there anything I didn’t ask that you were hoping I would?

Questions to Ask

Candidates are often asked at the end of the interview if they have questions. Asking appropriate questions strengthens your interview as well as provides a way for you to learn more about the school while demonstrating your professionalism.

At the same time, asking the wrong questions can be detrimental. Avoid asking any questions that can be perceived as negative. Administrators will see these as “red flags.” Also, avoid any that are focused on salary or benefits. These will be answered at the time of a job offer. Listed below are several questions you may want to consider.

ü What are you most proud of about your school?

ü What would faculty, students, and parents identify as your school’s greatest strengths?

ü What are the school’s top priorities for the next school year?

ü What are your expectations for me as a new faculty member?

ü How does the school district support professional development?

ü Do you offer mentoring or coaching support for new faculty members?

ü Are there extracurricular leadership opportunities available?

Located just 15 minutes outside of downtown Denver, Colorado, Westminster Public Schools is a culturally and ethnically diverse school district that offers an excellent community, friendly work environment, a very competitive salary, and benefits. Teachers beginning salary starts at $56,690 per year. The beginning salary for teachers with an MA degree is $65,810 per year. Top-earning teachers may earn up to $100,000 per year. Opportunities are available right now. To learn more, or to apply, please visit our website at westminsterpublicschools.org or at 6933 Raleigh St., Westminster, CO 80030, or call (303) 428-3511. Diverse and bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.