ana eliason, career & internship specialist strommen career & internship center – augsburg...

MN Education Job Fair

Ana Eliason, Career & Internship SpecialistStrommen Career & Internship Center – Augsburg College

Ana Eliason Strommen Career & Internship Center Augsburg College 612.330.1148 [email protected]

Agenda

• Steps to Prepare

• What to Expect at the Fair

• Follow up

• Questions?


Why attend? Interview for opportunities for the upcoming school

year

Learn more information about districts you are interested in

Explore new school districts

Great opportunity to meet with multiple school districts and build connections

Practice your professional networking skills

Steps to Prepare


Do your research! Review the list of registered school districts at:

o www.mcucsa.org/mnedfair/regDistrict/regDistricts.aspx o Search by state or by staffing need (elementary,

secondary, etc.)

Research your priority districtso Know their mission, students they serve, curriculumo Prepare educated questions for the district

representatives

Find out which districts are offering information sessions during the fair (not posted until closer to the fair):o www.mcucsa.org/mnedfair/coming.aspx

http://www.mcucsa.org/mnedfair/regDistrict/regDistricts.aspx

http://www.mcucsa.org/mnedfair/coming.aspx


Who will be there? 91 districts/organizations registered 50 interview spaces 3 presentation rooms

State/Country

Alaska 8Arizona 3California 1Colorado 2Georgia 1Iowa 2Illinois 3Kansas 2Maryland 2Minnesota 48North Carolina 1

North Dakota 1Nebraska 2South Carolina 1South Dakota 1Texas 1Virginia 1International

China 1Korea 1Mexico 1South Korea 2


Work ahead Review the districts interviewing on site:

o www.mcucsa.org/mnedfair/regDistrict/districtInterviews.aspx

o Contact the district representative to pre-schedule an interview

o NOTE: Not all districts schedule in advance

Complete district applications prior to the fair and write to district representatives regarding your qualifications and that you will be attending the fair. o Remember many applications take several hours to

complete and may include essayso Allow plenty of time to complete these applications

http://www.mcucsa.org/mnedfair/regDistrict/districtInterviews.aspx

http://www.mcucsa.org/mnedfair/regDistrict/districtInterviews.aspx


Update your resume Have your resume reviewed by a career

counselor

Emphasis on related teaching experience:o Education & Licensureo Student teaching & Related teaching experience

Use effective skills phraseso Action verb + Skill + Results

Important topics to cover: o Implementing your own lesson planso Working with different learning styles and diverse studentso Collaborating with parents and managing student behavioro Curriculum development


Create an elevator speech

Elevator speech = 60 second introduction to who you are and what you are looking for professionally

Content is career-related, avoid personal information

Organize your speech in 3 parts:1. Who are you? / Where are you now?

o College, city/state, graduation date, major/minor, licensure

2. Where have you been?o Student teaching, related experience, volunteer, study abroad,

leadership, activities

3. Where are you going? / How can you be of assistance?o Your career objective, how you can meet the needs of the

district


Prepare for interview questions

Practice commonly asked questions. Provide concrete, professional examples. Know what is important to the district.

Sample questionso Why did you choose this profession as a career?o Describe a lesson that went just as you wanted and why

it went well.o How have you incorporated mandated curriculum

standards into your lessons and units?o How have you differentiated your instruction to meet the

needs of all students?o Describe in detail your best and worst days in a

classroom.


STARS: situationT: taskA: actionR: result


Dress Professional Dress to impress!

o Suito Dress pants/skirt &

blazero Button down collared

shirto Polished shoes

(something comfortable!)

o Neat & professional haircut

o Professional handbag


Logistics

Arrive early and plan to spend the day at the fair. o 10:00am – 3:00pm o Interviews open till 5:00pm

Know where you are going: Minneapolis Convention Center

Plan ahead for parking and nearby lunch spotso Bring money for parking and

lunch


Checklist Make sure you have everything you need to be successful Know where you are going (directions & parking)

Professional outfit

Multiple copes of your resume, printed on quality paper (you do not need a portfolio at this point)

Writing pad/folio to career resumes, extra paper, and a pen

List of your priority districts with notes gathered on each

At the Fair


When you arrive… Check in at the Augsburg College table to receive

your name tag and final district list/map.o You MUST have a nametag to enter the career fair

Create a strategy to visit the targeted districts. o Expect long lines and be strategic with your plano Before meeting with top districts practice approaching

others first

Use the student lounge for breaks and to stay organized

Break up your day with attending district presentations


What to expect Thousands of students…this is a competitive job

fair. o The wider your options, the more opportunities you will

haveo If possible, consider out-of-state districts

Some districts will only be hiring for specific licensure areaso Make sure you ask about your area early on in your

conversationo Remember opportunities could always come available

later, so networking is still very important

Long lines…be patient and strategic with you time


Visiting Employer Booths

Review your district notes before approaching the table

Use a firm handshake, make eye contact, and smile

Deliver your elevator speech

Offer your resume and discuss opportunities in the districto NOTE: Some districts will have you apply online instead

Thank the representative for his/her time

Collect contact information from the district representative

After leaving the booth, take notes on your conversation to help with your thank you note


Interviewing at the Job Fair

Interview slots fill up quickly Arrive early!

Interviews are short, only 20-30 minuteso Focus on the most relevant information, strengths, and

accomplishments

Be prepared with questions to ask the district representativeo Ask about the hiring timeline and processo Ask questions that demonstrate you researched the district

Schedule your interviews to allow time to reflect afterwardso What went well?o What do you wish you had said?o What questions do you still have?

Follow up


Offers Don’t be discouraged if you are not offered a

position – many districts use the fair as an initial screening.

You will likely attend a second interview before receiving an offer for in-state and local districts. For out of state districts, your may be extended an offer that day.

If you do receive an offer don’t feel pressured to respond that day.o Let them know you would like some time to consider


Follow up

Organize the materials you collected from the fair

Keep accurate records of all the contacts you meto Consider tracking: Representative name, school district,

contact information, available positions, notes on hiring process

Follow-up with thank you notes within 24-48 hours


Recap for Success

Arrive at the fair early to secure interview slots

Complete your research and district applications in advance

Rehearse your elevator speech

Networking, networking, networking

Stretch you boundaries – explore new districts!


Questions?

ana eliason, career & internship specialist strommen career & internship center – augsburg...

Documents

o college

curriculum o

o search

essays o

priority districts o

interview o note

sample questions o

pm o interviews