I never really thought about the hiring process from the perspective of the one hiring. In any interview, I was always attempting to get the position rather than making sure I am picking the best candidate to hire. 

It also seems like picking someone to hire is getting increasingly more difficult due to the shrinking candidate pool. Because of that shrinking candidate pool you as a principal has to attempt to advertise your school as the best option for the soon-to-be teacher. 

To be able to advertise your school as the best option I didn’t realize just how prepared a principal needs to be. To be honest I honestly thought that when applying for the position of a teacher you are mainly just hoping to be hired by anyone. But to be fair I like that the principal needs to be just as prepared. As a candidate for a position, you can just as well look at how professional the principal is. If he or she was to have a rather disorganized office and was very late to the job interview it doesn’t leave a good first impression for the candidate. 

Because of the idea of leaving the first impression, I enjoy the thought of a principal having to prepare for the interview just as much as the one attempting to get hired. When hiring you to want to have a welcoming environment and one way to do that would be with a friendly staff. I know from personal experience that when I walk into an interview and I meet the staff that doesn’t seem very welcoming I very likely won’t work there. While I am not sure if the best idea is to have people fake a more positive personality it is still a better option than a rude staff.

All in all, I didn’t realize the pressure Principals can be under when hiring a teacher. They have to be able to ask the right questions in a short interview and be able to show focus on the candidate. If you don’t do this then the one wanting to be hired may want to go elsewhere.

Jumping to a different topic for a bit from the “Hiring Good Teachers” paper there is something I don’t know if I agree with. It mentioned the technique based on the idea that the best predictor of a candidate’s future performance is their past achievements. I don’t feel that needs to be the main indicator. Some people adapt and mature over time and could be much better suited than their previous moments have made them out to look like. I feel it is best to look into the now and pay attention to the answers they give when you are interviewing them about their future position.

At the end of the day, the hiring process is a very important moment for not only the soon-to-be teacher but for the Principal as well. You obviously wouldn’t want to hire someone who doesn’t look suited for your school and the candidate wouldn’t want to work in an environment that they don’t like. I feel this equal share of importance can lead to better hires for the individual school.