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Not Your Average Teacher Candidate<\/strong><\/p>\n GET GOING<\/strong><\/p>\n There I stood at the Top Research University recruitment fair, hoping to attract teacher candidates while positioned next to Big Oil Company and Big Tech Corporation, both of which paid salaries at least double of what my small school could afford for a new teacher.\u00a0 They had huge booths and cool swag, and most college seniors passed me by without a second glance.\u00a0 But not all.\u00a0 Two of my students had accompanied me that day and they told our story better than any glossy foam board or brochure.\u00a0 With the 2-minute marketing video on loop on my laptop and our \u201cproduct\u201d by my side, we found a number of solid applicants at that fair, two of whom I hired.\u00a0 They were not certified teachers, but that was easy enough to fix.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t know that they were going to enter teaching when they showed up at the fair that day but were drawn in by a novel, relationship-centered approach.<\/p>\n Last week in this space we discussed energizing your marketing strategy.\u00a0 And I know many of you probably think \u201cSure, but we don\u2019t have a corporate budget for wining and dining.\u00a0 Our swag consists of cheap ballpoint pens and stress balls.\u201d\u00a0 The disparity in marketing funds does put education at a disadvantage in the recruitment game, but it is a relatively minor one. No one expects a school to fly them out to corporate to schmooze with a vice president over sushi. \u00a0The real issue is that we recruit only the people who know they want to be teachers and have already initiated the teacher certification process.\u00a0 And there are fewer of them every year.<\/p>\n There are also missteps and missed opportunities.\u00a0 We attend college job fairs in the spring instead of the fall when the best and brightest college seniors are still available and undecided.\u00a0\u00a0 We fail to hold meet and greet sessions in the evenings for potential candidates to allow for face time with school leaders and learn more about the schools at a time that works for them.\u00a0 We don\u2019t take our recruitment to where people are \u2013 online.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n GET SOCIAL<\/strong><\/p>\n From your website\u2019s \u201cCareers\u201d page to your social media accounts, to your face-to-face marketing (think billboards, signs on school buses, etc.), you need to tell your story.\u00a0 What makes your school great?\u00a0 Why would someone want to work there?\u00a0 Education as a whole doesn\u2019t do a good job with this.\u00a0 According to Glassdoor<\/a>, 79% of job applicants use social media in their job search. \u00a0What\u2019s more, social media serves as a window into your school culture, as potential recruits browse pictures and content to get an idea of what you value.\u00a0 A quick scroll through some Large ISD Instagram accounts does not reveal any marketing targeted at teacher recruitment.\u00a0 \u00a0Visits to a selection of district websites rarely turn up a marketing video or highly visible link for open positions, despite some of these districts having 5 plus pages of positions needing to be filled.\u00a0 It is, frankly, uninspiring.<\/p>\n No budget for a social media specialist or professionally produced video? Convene a focus group of your younger teachers or even your high school upperclassmen.\u00a0 See what attracts them.\u00a0 Chances are they have a keen eye for inventive and effective social media marketing.\u00a0 \u00a0Partner with a local college\u2019s business department to hold a contest for creating social media posts or a marketing video specifically aimed at recruiting teachers.\u00a0 A small cash prize and the opportunity to list this on a resume are great incentives.\u00a0 Never underestimate the value of social media marketing.\u00a0 In one year as a school director, I found a business manager through a Facebook post, a STEM elective teacher through Instagram, and a music teacher through an online news article.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0We got our story out there, we piqued interest, and we found great people. In-post links to job descriptions and online applications streamline the process for your potential applicants and serve to spur them to action.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n GET INSPIRED<\/strong><\/p>\n If you are looking for inspiring examples of recruitment marketing, check out this SodaStream Recruitment video<\/a> or Social Talent\u2019s \u201cWhy do you hate your job?\u201d<\/a> video.\u00a0 Both take a quirky, heart-warming, and appealing spin on a traditional recruitment video. \u00a0After watching them you know what these companies value and why people like to work there.\u00a0 They are from the corporate world, but they do away with the stuffy corporate image.\u00a0 \u00a0Schools can\u2019t offer Big Company money but can offer community, fulfillment, and a chance to work in a creative and exciting environment.\u00a0 Teachers \u2013 good teachers \u2013 want that.\u00a0 You have to find your own engaging way to show them how a job in your school or district can provide these less tangible benefits.<\/p>\n Salary is important, but job satisfaction doesn\u2019t end there.\u00a0 We all know people who turn down larger salaries for more support or better working conditions.\u00a0 In my prior position, I didn\u2019t share salary with a recruit until I knew I had his or her interest until I had seen them fall in love with our school and our mission.\u00a0 I still lost a few to more lucrative job offers at other schools, but I kept the ones with the passion and heart that I needed in a teacher.\u00a0 Teaching, unlike heart and passion, is a set of skills; it can be taught.\u00a0 Alternative certification programs like Teachers of Tomorrow have the curriculum and resources to impart these skills and set newly minted teachers up for classroom success.<\/p>\n There are potential teachers of the year working in all sorts of other industries, just waiting to be inspired to teach.\u00a0 Will you be the one to find them?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Skaggs, C. (2018, April 2). Going Inbound for Talent Acquisition. Glassdoor for Employers.<\/em> https:\/\/www.glassdoor.com\/employers\/blog\/going-inbound-talent-acquisition\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n About the Author: Laura Henry<\/p>\n The former Executive Director of Chinquapin Preparatory School – a college prep boarding school for low-income students who are able and motivated – Dr. Laura Henry has worked in both public and private education for 30 years as a school leader, college professor, and alternative certification coach and trainer.\u00a0 Laura also serves as the Chair of the North American Boarding Forum for the Boarding Schools\u2019 Association (BSA), and mentors underserved youth.\u00a0 Laura\u2019s doctoral and master\u2019s degrees are both from the University of Houston\u2019s education department and her B.A. in History was earned at Rice University.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/media-tx\/Laura-Henry.jpg\")
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