| If you have ever attended a teacher job fair then you | | | | teacher job fair are the ones who will get called. |
| know how depressing the experience can be. | | | | So how is it possible for a teacher to stand out at a |
| Thousands of teachers all in one place all with the | | | | teacher job fair amongst thousands of other |
| same goal in mind...getting a teaching job! | | | | teachers? |
| Unfortunately, despite the rumors, the fact is teaching | | | | This is not an easy thing to do...hundreds of teachers |
| jobs are extremely difficult to secure these days. As | | | | must stand in line for hours just to talk to someone for |
| one quickly discovers at any teacher job fair there are | | | | 3 minutes. |
| literally thousands of teachers searching for very few | | | | The key is to leave something with each person you |
| jobs. In fact, at the Lee County teacher job fair in | | | | interview with so they can remember you. There are |
| Florida just a couple of years ago the county was not | | | | several ways teachers do this...the most common is to |
| offering a single social studies contract in the entire | | | | leave your resume, philosophy statement, and/or cover |
| county. And, just last year at the Great Florida | | | | letter, but these are things everyone does and what |
| Teach-in, I witnessed teacher after teacher walk into | | | | you want to do is do something that stands out, |
| the Tampa Convention Center with the hopes of | | | | something different, something that NOT every other |
| getting a teaching job only to walk out depressed and | | | | teacher there is doing. |
| despondent with no possible prospects. | | | | What you want to do is leave a professionally |
| However, teacher job fairs are NOT a waste of time. | | | | designed "teacher brochure". This is not some "cute" |
| The trick is to NOT think you are going to walk out of | | | | brochure with clipart pictures all over it. Instead you |
| a teacher job fair with a signed contract, but rather | | | | want to create a very professional looking tri-fold |
| think of the job fair as an opportunity to make | | | | "about me" brochure. You will want to highlight |
| contacts that may very likely pay off in long run. You | | | | important aspects of your resume, teaching philosophy, |
| see, what happens at many of these countywide | | | | add professional pictures, and some quotes from your |
| teacher job fairs is that the county does not know | | | | letters of recommendation. Of course, make sure to |
| exactly how many positions are going to be available. | | | | use quality brochure paper and professional printing. |
| So instead of hiring too many teachers, they hire too | | | | By handing each interviewer a professional looking |
| few or in some cases none at all. However, as | | | | brochure you will make yourself stand out as well as |
| teachers retire, transfer etc. teaching jobs will open up | | | | give them something physical to hold on to with your |
| and those teachers who made an impression at the | | | | contact information. |