The International Schools Review Forum

Hi there, and happy new year!
I've never been to a job fair before but will be attending one this year. How does one go about getting an interview with a desired school? I know you line up and then have - what, a minute? - to convince the person that they should grant you an interview. What are you supposed to say, or what's best practice?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hi. Well basically you say, "Hi, I'm _________. I see that you have an opening for an XYZ teacher. I AM a certified and experienced XYZ teacher and I would love an opportunity to ,,,,talk with you about how I could be a great asset for your school, convince you to hire me to teach XYZ, tell you about how I transformed the XYZ department at my current school, etc depending on your situation.

Basically, the schools will have looked at all of the the candidates qualifications and generally know ahead of time who they REALLY want to interview with. If you are one of those people they will put a note in your mailbox folder asking you to stop their table at interview sign ups or possibly even try and schedule an interview before sign ups.

If not, you can still convince some schools to give you an interview if they have an open slot and then you have to sell yourself. This is much easier if you have the relevant certifications and experience and/or have certifications in a high needs field like math, science, SPED or other relatively hard to fill positions.

I recommend the shorter approach. Start with something like "Hi, I'm a maths teacher and find your school quite intriguing. Would you consider an interview?" Then hand over your CV, and let the recruiter read it for a moment. They may ask you one or two questions, and you should answer directly. I recommend this because the recruiter knows three dozen things they're looking for, and eighteen non-negotiables, most of which you cannot guess, so it is a waste of your time and theirs to have a long spiel. Let them get to the heart of the matter quickly, and move on. If there is no possible match, you want to be able to move on to the next table quickly. If there is a possible match, most recruiters will give you the opportunity to interview.

Thank you kindly for the replies :)