How to use technology to attract & hire the right candidates at teacher hiring fairs

Teacher hiring fairs have grown more competitive as the teacher shortage worsens. K-12
districts in states across the USA are leaving thousands of teaching positions vacant because there just aren’t enough teachers available. Creating a solid strategy for quick & efficient hiring at teacher hiring fairs is one element to filling those gaps.


interviewstream & Oregon School Personnel Association (OSPA) recently partnered to make hiring easier for K-12 districts in Oregon, Washington, and a few other states at the Oregon Professional Educator Fair (OPEF). All the candidates attending the fair were asked to answer a set of questions via video before the hiring fair, and the day before the fair all districts exhibiting at the fair were able to view these interviews and bookmark their favorite
candidates.


Each district that used the software walked into the fair already having screened applicants
and ready to have a second conversation – saving them time while at the fair. The districts
involved could complete secondary interviews and ask in-depth questions that would normally be saved for after the hiring fair, cutting out a step in their hiring process. Over the course of the fair and the days following, candidates completed over 1,200 interviews.


This kind of effort requires buy-in from hiring fair organizers, but even on your own, you can
mirror the experience.

 

Include a pre-screen in your job board posting


If you’re attending a hiring fair, make it known in your job board post! If you can post on the
hiring fair’s website, even better. And in your post, add a link to a video interview or a set of
questions with space for the candidate to respond that you normally ask in a screening
interview.


You can even ask the candidate to upload a short video of themself as a kind of “about me”.
Even the answers to these few questions will give you an early glimpse at candidates.

 

Show off your school culture with a video


People like working where they fit in, and although all schools have the same end goals, each school culture is different. Wasting your time looking at candidates who don’t fit your culture or have the same values gives you less time to focus on the top candidates you want to work with.


One way to narrow down the search pool is to create a video showing off your school & school culture. The right candidates will be attracted to your core values and mission, and candidates that don’t fit in as well will search for other opportunities. For example – a school like Boston Green Academy, which is based around sustainability, would want to hire a teacher who also values sustainability and has an interest in environmental sciences.

The video could be an open question and answer with current teachers, or something more
creative. It doesn’t have to be insanely long - a few minutes should be enough to show what
you stand for.


Get creative to hire the best teachers


Teachers who are looking for new opportunities are often on the younger side because older candidates are normally tenured in their position. Younger candidates want a fast and
transparent hiring process where they will feel comfortable and secure that their new position is the right one for them.


Showing your school culture helps attract the right candidates and incorporating the right
interviewing and hiring tech helps screen and hire them ASAP to avoid unfilled positions at
your school.