principal-job-interview-questions-and-the-answers

"I'm looking for many things when I hire a teacher," said Patricia Green, principal at Cedar Heights Junior High School in Port Orchard, Washington.. "I also seek someone who has chosen

Principal Job Interview Questions and The Answers

Prepare for principal job interview questions and the answers in order to ace your next education job interview Apart from being able to administer the school well, school principal interviewers want to see somebody that has good human relations and can relate well with other members of staff Going through a school principal interview is a different ball game compared to interviews for other school staff You have to prove that apart from a decent teaching record outlined in your resume that you have the capacity to control and manage every situation that may arise under your supervision

During the interview, there arecertain questions that are somewhat routine, yet there are others that will require you to really dig into your bag of tricks to answer Below are a few such

questions and sample answers to each

• Question One: If the school’s drive towards self sustainment and the community ethos

and standards clash, how will you respond?

• Answer: The school is an integral part of the community and as such cannot

dissociate itself from the activities of the general populace My job will be to create a workable synergy between both parties I will endeavor to meet with community leaders and try to make a case for the school’s position All in all, I will make sure the matter is resolved amicably in the shortest possible time

• Question Two: In the event of a Teachers’ protest for better welfare, will you align with

them or the management?

• Answer: As a teacher too, my first constituency is the teaching aspect; however,

my job will be to make the management see reasons how teachers’ better welfare conditions affects better output, which makes the students benefit in the long run

I will endeavor to start these discussions even before the agitation commences

• Question Three: How will you attend to the complaints of an aggrieved parent whose

child has been disciplined?

• Answer: No matter who the child’s parents are, I believe discipline must be

sustained or else the school goes under My job will be to educate the parents as best as possible on what happened and why the child had to be disciplined I will not allow mediocrity all in the name of profit or maintaining the status quo

• Question Four: Considering your age, can you put in extra-hours to your job even when

you are not paid for it, if yes how many?

• Answer: Yes I can put in extra-hours if need be A maximum of four hours extra

should help me finish the day’s task

• Question Five: How will you handle a sexual or child abuse allegation brought on by

one of your teachers?

• Answer: A thorough investigation would be sanctioned involving at least three

other staff from other departments; if the teacher is found guilty, he/she would undergo all necessary criminal and work-related charges and would be forced to resign to maintain the school’s reputation

• Question Six: Would you allow students to participate in the decision making process of

the school?

• Answer: Yes A select body of students drawn from the senior classes would be

allowed to air their opinions on how they think things should be done to move the school forward Be that as it may, there will still be some visible limits

After reading through these questions, is there anything you would add to any of them?

Are there any other important questions that you’ve come across in an interview that you’d like

to share?

For more help preparing for administrator specific interview questions take a look at A+

Principals’ Interview Edge In today’s competitive marketplace, you need to be fully prepared and nothing will have you more prepared to ace an interview than knowing the questions in advance!

What questions to expect in an interview?

First of all, they will test your communication skills, values and opinions with couple of typical interview questions To such questions belong:

• What is your motivation to do this job?

• Why do you think you can be a good assistant principal?

• What are your strengths and weaknesses?

• Why should we hire you and not someone else?

• What are your goals in five years time?

The answers to these questions are very important, because this is the moment when the first impression is created If it is a good one, you can count on it for the rest of the interview and it

can carry you towards the finish line – a coveted job contract

After this “introductory” part of an interview, behavioral questions typically follow These questions are focused mostly on your past experience with teaching, or with managing the others You can expect to hear the following questions:

• How did you deal with upset parents whose child complained about you?

• How did you deal with lazy students?

• How did you cope with stress at school?

• Did you supervise any school event in the past? What problems did you face? How did you handle the problems?

• How did you motivate the students to do their homework, or to prepare for an exam?

As you can see, these questions are focused on your past experience Employers believe that

once you took certain action in situation A, you will most likely act in a similar way in a similar situation in the future What more, asking you these interview questions, they can also verify if you really have some practical experience with doing a job, or not Many people write nice

things on a resume However, you can hardly fool anyone, if you can not remember on some work related situations from the past.

Situational and personality questions

Needles to say, right personality is very important for a good assistant principal Your values and opinions interest all the interviewers They will give you

different questions in order to assess if you have right personality for this job, or not They will also outline some dilemmas to see your opinions and ideas of improvement Once answering the following questions, do not forget to have the interests of school at the first place, the interest of students at the second place and your own interests just at the third place

• Can you describe yourself?

• Why do you think you are suitable to work with young people?

• What do you think are good topics to talk about with young generation?

• What do you consider the main challenges for school principals and their assistants?

• How would you win the hearts of the students at our school?

• Would you let someone with bad marks to organize an event?

• If there is a conflict between student and a teacher, on which site will you stand?

• What do you think are the main duties of an assistant principal in our institution?

• Would you let students to give their opinions before making a decision?

• If you are reported about a sexual or child abuse case under your supervision, then how will you handle it?

• You probably know something about our school by now What can you improve about it?

• Have you ever thought of becoming a school principal?

• Can you define your philosophy of teaching?

So, that’s it General questions, behavioral questions and technical questions Is not easy, is it? However, that’s not all!

Personal preferences matter a lot

To be objective, many principals, members of internal HR committees and Departments of Education, or whoever is going to interview you, are not real HR professionals They are not

going to use any scientific methods to analyze your answers to interview questions They are just human beings with good interest to help the youngsters to find their way in life and want to do a good job themselves And as everyone else, they are looking for good colleagues, for colleagues they feel good with, for nice people they can co-operate with when achieving

Can it be you?

Personal preferences are really important That’s why you should do your very best to create a

good relationship with the interviewers I know it’s not common in many other interviews But in this case, it is a must if you want to succeed Smile, be friendly and easygoing Try to tune yourself on the same wavelength as the interviewers are tuned on

Do not forget to ask questions Be active!

Good applicant for assistant principal position should

be creative, responsible and active man You should present your ideas in an interview Tell

them what you would like to improve, what actions you would like to take, what you would like

It is also strongly advisable to inquire the interviewers about the activities of school and the overall situation there You can inquire also about the challenges they face, etc

More questions you give, the better your chances of getting a job are.

Listen more, talk less

However, a good employee in education field should be a good listener at first place That’s

why it is more than important to present this ability in an interview Listen carefully, do not interrupt the interviewers and speak to the point Use rather short, but to the point answers Do not forget to be positive Schools are full of negative people…

As you can see, it’s not easy at all to ace this interview However, we believe that with help of

our website, you can end up being the best one in the eyes of the interviewers But it’s up to

you… We can give you a helping hand, but it is you who must do the first step, who must

We wish you a lot of patience and good luck in your interview!

PS: Once you read other articles on this website, do not forget to have a look at our Assistant

Principal Interview Guide from Glen Hughins, where you will find multiple brilliant answers to

all interview questions presented on this website, as well as winning interview strategies And

much much more… Thank you!

With most of the country still struggling economically, many

principals tasked with filling open positions over the summer will

actually be facing the problem of sorting between multiple quality

candidates Separating the good from the bad can be a question of,

well, asking the right questions.

We asked our "Principal Files" principals to share their

favorite questions to ask as they screen potential candidates for

an opening The questions they provided get to the heart of an

applicant's skills and passion Included: Thirty great questions

for future teachers.

This month, principals everywhere are sharpening their questioning

techniques and taking another look at the questions they ask job

candidates as they ready for the interviewing marathon

So what kinds of questions are principals preparing? Interview

questions cover a wide range of topics "I'm looking for many

things when I hire a teacher," said Patricia Green, principal at Cedar

Heights Junior High School in Port Orchard, Washington "I seek a

candidate who can truly communicate with students, parents, peers,

and our community I'm looking for someone who understands

human growth and development, knows how to respond in

age-appropriate ways to students, and realizes that the behaviors we

teach our students are oftentimes equally as important as the

subjects they learn

"I also seek someone who has chosen teaching as a passion rather

than as a job; if I find people who truly love teaching, then I know I

have found folks who see each day as an opportunity to help others

learn and grow instead of people who think about coming to 'work.'

"Finally, I seek team players who are able to relate their subject

areas to the world around them in order to help students understand

the why's behind the what's they are learning."

But how do principals discern whether candidates for teaching positions possess those qualities they seek? They ask thoughtful and challenging questions, such as the ones Education World's Principal Files team members have been polishing as they get set to schedule interviews We asked our "P-Files" team members to share some of their personal favorite questions with us so

we might offer you

TWENTY GREAT QUESTIONS TO ASK FUTURE TEACHERS

Once the meeting-and-greeting is done and everybody is settled in, the first questions in an interview usually fall under the category of "tell me more." Tell-me-more questions give

everybody a chance to relax a little as they provide job candidates an opportunity to put their best feet forward

Enthusiasm!

In interviews assistant principal Chris Vail conducts,

he looks for one primary

characteristic enthusiasm "If the candidate can't get

me excited about what they are doing

in the first five minutes of the interview, then I assume they can't get their students excited," said Vail, assistant principal

at Groveport Madison Middle School South in Groveport, Ohio

"For me, the questions and answers aren't as important as the way they are answered."

I've read your application and resume, but what are the most important things I should

know about you, your life, your experiences? Who is the real [insert applicant's name]?

"What I'm looking for when I ask that question is whatever the person really wants to share with me," principal Tim Messick told Education World Besides the basic responses, "I'm looking for candidates to get away from the 'canned' responses I'm interested in hearing what the candidates feel is most important I'm looking to learn how they see themselves and what they value about themselves."

"I have found that folks are often very candid and straightforward very insightful in their responses," added Messick, who is principal at Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina

"This question generates a wide range of responses," added Bridget Braney, principal at Orchard Hill Elementary School in South Windsor, Connecticut "There are no right or wrong answers, but the answers can be very revealing."

"Although much of what they have accomplished is listed on the applications, this opportunity to share tells me a little about them and makes them feel welcome," said Betty Peltier, principal at Southdown Elementary School in Houma, Louisiana "It's good for me to know about their background and interests when I am introducing them to teachers on the staff Additionally, this informal chatter gives me insight into how the candidates present themselves I am looking more for their composure than for any particular answers."

The typical introduce-yourself and give-your-qualifications questions lead to answers focused on what the interviewers might want to hear, but Patricia Green likes to add a little twist to the traditional question by asking

You have been hired as the newest member of our teaching team In fewer than five

minutes, how would you introduce yourself to a group of parents, students, and teachers from our school? The only thing you want to be sure to do is to indicate how your

education, training, and work experiences have qualified you for your new role.

"That question adds a new twist; it challenges candidates to address their qualifications to the parents, students, and their peers," explained principal Patricia Green

Green is looking for candidates to share their specific qualifications for the job, but she also is looking for other things "Often, their passion for this career, as well as their ability to build rapport with others, is evident in their responses," she said "I also get a chance to see how the candidate acts in an impromptu situation and how well he or she communicates under pressure."

At Irving Elementary School in Kewanee, Illinois, principal Ellin Lotspeich uses her opening interview questions to try to get to see what is in a teacher's heart One of her favorite questions

to ask is

Who has most influenced you to become an educator, and how did they influence you?

"I believe that personal life experiences in education relate directly

to the type of teacher someone will be," Lotspeich told Education

World "The candidate's response to that question should come

from the heart, and it will give me insight into the 'heart' the

candidate will draw on as he or she relates to students."

ARE THE TEACHING SKILLS THERE?

With the background information out of the way, it's time to dig a

little deeper It's time to get a sense of what kind of teacher the

applicant will make Some principals, like Les Potter, prefer to

interview candidates who have teaching experience "I am fortunate

I can get experienced applicants," said Potter, principal at Silver

Sands Middle School in Port Orange, Florida "I can get a better

read on them because I can check references I will probably need

to spend less time working with them one-on-one, plus experienced

candidates know what they are getting into."

Whether the candidate is experienced or not, Potter always asks one

question:

Describe for me a lesson you taught that went very well Why

did the lesson work so well?

"That question helps me get a sense for how the teacher plans,

thinks, and reacts," Potter explained

Don Finelli, principal at Catskill (New York) High School, also

wants to get a read on a candidate's lesson-planning abilities "I feel

the most important times in class are the first moments and the

closure of a lesson," Finelli told Education World So he poses a

specific situation and topic "I say, 'You are going to teach this topic

this period, and the bell has just rung to begin class Describe what

the next 15 minutes are like What are you doing? What are your

students doing?'"

That question helps Finelli see if the candidate can think quickly "I look for knowledge,

confidence, and passion," said Finelli "Does the candidate visualize what a classroom should be like, and already know what he or she is doing?"

Principal Jim DeGenova likes to see a potential new-hire present a lesson He lets candidates know in advance that teaching a lesson will be part of the interview, but he doesn't get more specific than that "'Wing-it' lessons are a part of life," explained DeGenova, who is an

elementary school principal and an assistant high school principal in Pennsylvania's Slippery

Role Models

Principal Chad Moorehead of Lewis County High School

in Hohenwald, Tennessee, often asks job

candidates, "What role do you wish to play in the lives of your students?"

Moorehead has heard a wide variety of responses

to that question "I

am especially interested to hear applicants say that they consider themselves to be role models I am looking for teachers who know that they set an example in their work and in their personal lives Teachers should never take for granted the impact they have on the lives of their students."

Rock Area School District "Those of us who live in the real world know that things go wrong and unexpected interruptions occur So I ask for a no-prep-time lesson to be taught on a topic in the applicant's certification area Some lessons are only five or ten minutes in length, but they give me a better idea of what I might see when I do observations."

Principal Marguerite McNeely wants to learn during an interview that a candidate is more than a one-note teacher She asks

What methods of teaching, besides lecture, would you use to present material to your students?

"Since that is what I am looking for, I make certain to screen for it during the interview," said McNeely, principal at Alexandria Middle Magnet School for Math and Science

Chris Vail, assistant principal at Groveport Madison Middle School South in Groveport, Ohio, is interested in getting a handle on the ability of teachers to structure a good lesson, but one of the questions he asks is intent on getting a read on whether or not a teacher knows what to do if a

lesson is not working Vail often asks candidates

What if your students don't "get it"? In other words, if a lesson is not working for all your students, do you have a plan for remediation? How do you carry out that plan?

"All good teachers are effective when the students 'get it,'" said Vail "I am looking for those teachers who have several alternate plans in mind when kids don't understand the material."

A TEACHER IN THE MAKING

Some people believe teachers are born But most principals think it takes more than that Even the best teachers are always searching for ways to improve themselves, they say In an interview setting, principals are often looking for candidates who recognize that they have a long way to go

to become the teacher they want to be In order to discern a new teacher's attitude toward

professional development, principals pose questions such as

What would your previous employer or college advisor say were

your greatest strengths for teaching, and what areas would they

suggest were areas that need growth? And do you agree with

those assessments?

That's a question principal Teri Stokes often asks "The question

helps me gauge the applicant's understanding of where they are in

the developmental process to becoming a great teacher," explained

Stokes "Then I always ask what plan the applicant has to grow in

those areas I want to see if they plan to do some reading, attend

workshops, observe a specific teacher who has fine-tuned those

needed skills"

Principal Larry Davis also asks candidates to focus on areas in

greatest need for professional development "This lets me know

where weaknesses may be without being negative or making the

candidate feel uncomfortable," said Davis, principal at Doctors

Inlet Elementary School in Middleburg, Florida

Brian Hazeltine, principal at Airdrie Koininia Christian School in

Airdrie, Alberta (Canada), asks a similar question "I want to see

how honest the candidate is about his or her skills and how

self-aware they are."

Patricia Green gets candidates to tackle the traditional

strengths-and-weaknesses question from a little different perspective She

asks:

If your greatest supporter was in the room with us today, what

five words would he or she use to describe you as a person, a

teacher, or a colleague?

"That question shows whether candidates can think on their feet

and if they can truly sum up themselves using just five words!" said

Green "The question allows us to see if the person is self-confident

and whether or not he or she is willing to share some depth in a

single-word set of answers."

Another way to learn whether or not a candidate might be proactive

in the professional development area is to ask a question Deborah

Harbin often asks:

What have you read lately that led you to change the way you

teach?

Teamwork!

One of the questions principal Diane Petty likes to

ask is How important is collaboration and building

camaraderie with other staff

members? And how would you go about this? "I am looking

for ideas on making connections with other teachers when planning teaching units, or creating projects that will help students make cross-curricular connections to concepts or topics," said Petty But, not long ago, when Petty posed that question to one candidate for a teaching position, she got a short and

to the point response she had not quite expected

"I like to spend a lot

of time in the teachers' lounge," the candidate replied.

"Not exactly the culture the interview team wants to cultivate

in our building!" said Petty.