Beyond them, Baltimore hosts many big employers: The Johns Hopkins University and its hospital, Under Armor, Black & Decker, the Social Security Administration, and technology-related startups. Down the I-95 corridor toward Washington are the National Security Agency, the National Institutes of Health, Lockheed Martin, and other government contracting firms, which potentially employ more than 100,000 professionals.
Given the challenges of being smack in the middle of one of the nation’s largest employment hubs, we’ve broadened our talent searches in many ways. As a result, we have found non-traditional faculty and staff who are rising leaders in our school community.
Reaching Beyond Traditional Networks
When we advertise open positions now, we consider where non-independent school teachers are looking and target specific communities with job seekers who match our needs. In the Baltimore area, many local public school districts advertise both internally and on Indeed.com. We use the site to reach public school teachers in counties surrounding Baltimore and regularly draw high-quality applicants. We’ve hired former public school teachers looking for a change — expressing excitement about trying new pedagogical approaches and developing their curriculum with autonomy.
Recently, we posted an opening for a technology professional on several online job boards. On one popular job board, we received more than 400 applications, but only 2 percent were qualified and warranted a follow-up conversation. Conversely, when we posted the open position on Indeed.com, we received far fewer applicants, but they were of higher quality. Ultimately, we hired someone who first came to us through the site.
We also turn to national organizations and online and local communities used by professionals seeking work in a particular discipline. Recently, we had trouble filling a position for a Latin teacher. We only had a few applicants and realized we were not looking in the right places. Then, we posted the position on The American Classical League, and quickly received more applications than our previous attempts. From Latin to Computer Science, discipline-specific job boards have helped us to fill challenging openings. For example, we’ve advertised with the Computer Science Teachers Association and EdSurge, and plan to use Ed Tech Recruiting for future technology-related openings.
Appealing to More Professionals
We now focus less on a candidate’s experience and more on his or her potential for contributing to our school — thus increasing the numbers in our talent pool. Our job descriptions no longer center on having X number of years of teaching experience in a particular discipline, or requiring a specific degree. Instead, we frame our descriptions around the qualities that our school values. We start by thinking of a current faculty member who possesses these qualities. We ask ourselves: “What is it about this faculty member, other than their experience, that makes them a key part of our community? What would a general job description for that faculty member include?”
Taking this approach, we’ve hired candidates who have proven to be dynamic, thoughtful, and devoted faculty and community members. Here’s a PDF with a sample job posting.
Assessing Candidates on Campus
After using effective recruiting strategies, we rely on the campus visit, the teacher demonstration lesson, and the live interview to spot signs of a true innovator. We ask ourselves a few key questions when meeting candidates.Is the candidate curious?
For true innovators, the world consists of asking “Why?”, “What if?”, and “Couldn’t we try?” Touring campus provides a casual yet ideal opportunity for us to gauge this. Imagine the conversations people have in the car when they’re not looking at each other; somehow, they feel freer to say or ask more.
When a math teacher candidate was touring our Innovation Lab, he asked if students could use the lab for independent projects separate from class projects. But it was more telling when he asked with a smile, “How about faculty? Can they tinker around in there? What if I had a project I wanted to work on?”
It was not surprising when he shared his collection of hand-crafted wooden pens over lunch that day. Now a faculty member at Bryn Mawr, he has brought constructivist, project-based learning to enhance our traditional math curriculum based on his unabashed interest in making.
Is the candidate intrinsically or extrinsically motivated — and better yet, how about both?
Intrinsically motivated people want to make a difference in the world. They study humans like a science project! After teaching a demo lesson, we see them reflecting on students’ questions and participation. They are already sorting out which students were asking foundational questions that required more instruction, and which ones were asking questions to make true connections with previously learned material.
The intrinsically motivated share their love for the subject and are gratified when they see a light bulb go off for a student. Extrinsically motivated people seek external rewards, including money, recognition, and praise.
While it seems intrinsically motivated people would be best suited to and more satisfied with teaching, “true educational innovators, which are huge assets to a school, are both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated,” argues Jennifer Galambos, head of Kent Place School (NJ), who authored the 2006 study “Independent School Teacher Satisfaction: A Study of Commitment to Stay in the Profession” at Teachers College Columbia University. They are internally motivated to learn for pure enjoyment and to connect with students. At the same time, they are drawn to the kind of disruptive innovation that fosters financial sustainability and pushes the school to the forefront of the industry.
Is the candidate authentically growth-minded?
Innovators are not content with the status quo (even if it has worked!). They continually look for better ways to approach their craft. After completing a demo lesson on basketball skills recently, a physical education candidate immediately asked, “What could I have done to improve the lesson?” It was not as if the lesson went poorly — it was actually really good! But this candidate was clearly open to taking a risk — enough for her to ask for critical feedback during a job interview! We hired her because she understands that a sincere resolve to approach her work with a growth mindset goes hand in hand with a healthy enthusiasm for taking risks.
Is the candidate energized by a challenge?
Innovators step up to tackle a puzzle and can perform under pressure. They are invigorated — not intimidated by it. We recently asked a dance teaching candidate: “What is your elevator pitch for why teaching dance is important?” She immediately responded: “Wow! What fun! OK, so I have just 30 seconds to convince you?”
She delivered a pitch that was probably the equivalent of a short cab ride rather than an elevator ride. Nonetheless, she talked about core muscle strength, coordination, appreciation for the arts, and the confidence with which dancers carry their bodies in all aspects of life. Predictably, her willingness to play along with a challenge and her enthusiasm for the subject have been contagious on our teaching team this year.
