Getting the 'Big Desk": Administrator Interview

One of the most nerve-wracking parts of the job search for me is the interview. I have a pretty good idea of what kind of program I am looking forward but I still really nervous every time I have to prove to someone that I am the kind of ag. teacher they are looking for. To try and help with this fear, one of our assignments was to have a mock interview with one of our administrators.

For my interview I met with Mr. Hall, the principal at Tri-Valley Jr./Sr. High School and we had a mock interview mixed with a discussion about interviews and hiring in general. Using some of the standard interview questions for hiring at Tri-Valley along with interview questions I had brought along to prepare for an upcoming interview I had, Mr. Hall and I went back and forth with the questions. First, he would ask me a question and I’d answer it as if it was a real interview, but then we’d talk through my responses and what he thought was good and what could be reworded or elaborated on.

When we would talk about a question involving “how would you react to the situation of…” whether it was about parent interaction or classroom management Mr. Hall said that you always have to remember one thing – you have the Big Desk. He said that when answering questions related to those scenarios and or responding to those scenarios in reality, he said always remember that you as the teacher have the Big Desk and you know what you are doing. He said part of having the Big Desk is having the confidence in what you are doing, relating back to having confidence when interviewing.

Mr. Hall also took the time to share with me stories of his own interview experiences, both as the interviewer but also the interviewee. Based on his experiences he said the major thing to remember about interviews is that they should always be a two-way street. The interviewer should be determining if the interviewee is the best candidate for the position while the interviewee should be determining if the placement is the best position for themselves. He said this is where the importance of good questions lies as the right question can sometimes tell the interviewee a lot about what the interviewer is not telling you about the position/placement.

Overall, I had a great time talking with Mr. Hall. We discussed how I was enjoying my time at Tri-Valley and how much he has learned and is still learning about agricultural education. Working in his school has been a joy this semester and I only hope that wherever I decide to teach that I am lucky enough to have administrators who are at least half as supportive of their ag. programs as he is of Tri-Valley’s.