黑料情报站

Hannah Plimmer is a Senior Recruitment Adviser at 黑料情报站. She joined 黑料情报站 in 2016 and has worked across the People and Communications teams supporting schools to attract the best teachers. She has always worked in education having spent four years at an education recruitment agency and two years working for a group of international English language schools.

Having worked in education recruitment for 10 years, I have seen more than my fair share of CVs 鈥� the good, the bad and the very bizarre. From listing 鈥減ersonal hygiene鈥� as a skill to including 鈥減oultry鈥� as a hobby, I鈥檝e seen it all.

Getting a new job can be a daunting experience. It鈥檚 not just about being a great teacher, it鈥檚 about being a good job hunter and knowing how to sell yourself.

Here are some stress-free tips to guide you through the process.

Searching for a new role

You鈥檝e decided you鈥檙e ready to change roles 鈥� now what?

1. Use your networks

As well as doing Google searches and looking on job websites, try hunting for a new role a bit closer to home. Speak to friends in other schools, see if they know of any interesting opportunities. Or use social media 鈥� have a look on LinkedIn or Twitter to see if any of your contacts are sharing roles. By going through someone you know, you might discover a job you wouldn鈥檛 have come across otherwise

2. Think outside the box

Especially when it comes to job titles 鈥� there are some weird and wonderful roles out there (Head of Happiness anyone?!) and education is no exception. While there are still plenty of standard 鈥渕aths teacher/teacher of maths鈥� roles, don鈥檛 be put off if something sounds a little out of ordinary. Take a look at the job description and you might be pleasantly surprised. As a network of schools, 黑料情报站 has a number of roles working across a region or as part of our central team that might sound a little unusual but are unique opportunities to support multiple schools

3. Be proactive

Fed up of searching? Make the jobs come to you. Most job boards allow you to sign up for job alerts for particular roles or keywords. You can also get alerts from many school websites, especially if they鈥檙e part of a group. Identify a couple of schools or groups you鈥檙e interested in, submit your requirements and wait for the jobs to come straight into your inbox.

Writing a great application

You鈥檝e found the ideal role, now you鈥檝e just got to craft a perfect application and cover letter to go with it.

1. Don鈥檛 be generic

When it comes to application forms, don鈥檛 just write a list of generic responsibilities that would be the same for every teaching role. Instead, talk about what made your role different and highlight any duties that are particularly relevant for the role you鈥檙e applying for. As for the cover letter, it can be very easy to keep it generic, especially when you鈥檙e submitting multiple applications, but that鈥檚 a big no-no. Write about why you鈥檙e interested in this particular role at this particular school 鈥� what appeals about it and why you鈥檇 be great for it.

2. Avoid clich茅s and buzzwords

Using buzzwords to show you鈥檙e up-to-date with your education trends? Be careful 鈥� they can be more off-putting than impressive. It can be hard to work out what you鈥檙e actually trying to say and people often use them in the wrong context. Stick to plain simple language and avoid overcomplicated words or clich茅d sayings, you鈥檒l just lose the real meaning of what you want to say.

3. Proof-read!

It may sound obvious, but you鈥檇 be surprised how many mistakes we see. Always re-read your application before hitting submit. Typos, spelling mistakes or writing the wrong school name (yes, it really happens) all give a bad first impression.

Impressing at interviews

1. Do your research

Visited the school鈥檚 website, look at their social media profiles or recent newsletters, ask anyone you may know who has a connection there. Not only will it give you better insight into the school, it also shows that you鈥檙e really interested in working there. It鈥檒l make you stand out at interview if you can reference something you saw online or heard from a colleague.

2. Be specific

Make sure you talk specifically about the impact you had in previous roles and how you achieved it. Give concrete evidence and use relevant examples. At interviews, it鈥檚 important to talk about the difference you made and how you got there, rather than just listing responsibilities

3. All your interactions matters

Obviously you鈥檒l put your game face on when you鈥檙e in the interview panel, but don鈥檛 forget about all the other interactions while you鈥檙e at the school. From greeting the receptionist when you arrive, to talking to pupils on a tour of the school and chatting to other teachers in the staff room. Make sure you鈥檙e presenting the best version of yourself throughout the day.

No two job searches, applications or interviews are the same, but following these easy guidelines (and avoiding mentioning poultry in your CV鈥�) should help you to find and land that dream role.

Find out more about careers with 黑料情报站.