Embarking on a job search for a teaching position can be overwhelming, to say the least. Write a top-notch resume, cover letter, philosophy of education statement before you even get started.
In today’s highly competitive job market, you must have a job search plan mapped out. Knowing your plan of action will be beneficial to keeping organized.
The days of just dropping off a resume and cover letter are pretty much over. A planned job search will begin with a lot of research and hard work. This solid plan will allow you to tap into hidden job markets, network, find advertisements and job listings and work with third-party recruiters.
First, you will need to map out your job-hunting strategy to increase the chances of landing a teaching job quickly. A positive attitude during your job hunt will be paramount to keep your momentum going.
Submit an eye-catching and efficient resume and cover letter focused on the position you wish to secure. All your job search documents will need to showcase your accomplishments and competencies within the classroom and highlight what you can offer the school’s students and their school community.
Once you have this in place and are satisfied with your documents, you can sell your skills and talents. It is important to set daily and weekly objectives as a concrete way of evaluating your progress. Identifying weekly targets will hold you somewhat accountable for your actions and, in a sense, push you to achieve your goals.
If you plan on doing something related to your job search, chances are you will make it happen if you have written the task down.
There is nothing better than being able to check off your job search accomplishments at the end of the week; you will have a record of everything you did.
Next, it is essential you determine the amount of time you are willing to allocate to identify target districts/schools, research job openings, make contacts, and complete follow-ups. Setting a timestamp will ensure you find the hours in the day for all these steps.
This method will keep you organized and structured. It’s wise to invest in a day planner to record all of your appointments, activities, and results. Using technology such as your phone or laptop is useful, but in technology failure, an old-school day planner could be your saving grace. Many clients have told me that the “old fashion” method of journaling and planning holds them more accountable.
There are many phone apps or job search apps available for job searching that others find amazing.
Lastly, you should organize your job search days just as you would a regular workday. Looking for a job is your full-time employment until you land that fantastic teaching job. Keeping your job search plan on track by staying organized will help you accomplish more, and it will feel as if you are making positive strides.
Schedule at least one job search-related activity away from home each day, as this will get you out into your community networking and will energize you, which will keep you motivated.
