Interview prep starts now while you have time off
In this video, Dr. Justin Baeder discusses why aspiring principals should start interview prep early and use structured answers to stand out.
Key Takeaways
- Start Early - Summer is the ideal time to begin preparing application materials and practicing interview responses for next year's openings.
- Treat It Like a Competition - Principal jobs can attract huge applicant pools, so strong preparation is what helps you rise above the crowd.
- Preparation Beats Prestige - You do not need more experience or a better college name if you put in the work to answer clearly and confidently.
- Use the Rule of Three - Organizing every answer into three parts makes your responses easier to deliver and easier for the interview team to follow.
- Respect the Interview Team's Time - Well-prepared answers prevent rambling or overly short responses and help you come across as polished and credible.
Full Transcript
If you're going to be applying for principal jobs next year, this summer is a great time to work on your application materials and your interview prep. A lot of people think they just need to, like, look over some questions or just think through them a little bit, uh, in order to be ready for interviews. But I gotta tell you, the more time you put in now, the more effort you put into preparation, the more you think through your answers now... The more competitive you are going to be.
And this is a competition at a level that most people have not experienced, right? There might be a hundred people applying for one job, so you have to be really ready. Now, anybody can do that practice. Anybody can do that preparation. You can put in the work and get really good at interviewing for a principal job or an assistant principal job or whatever the job that's coming up that you're going to be applying for in the next year is...
If you put in the work now, you will be much more competitive. It does not take years of experience. It does not take a better resume. It does not take going to a better college. It takes putting in the work so that you come across coherently. You know what you're going to say.
You're not wasting the interview team's time. And you're not wasting your time with answers that are too short. So make sure you put in the time this summer when you have some time off. Yeah, read a book, go to the beach. But look over some interview questions. Jot down some notes.
Think through your answers. And I like to use the rule of three for any answer. Any answer you give in an interview should have three parts. You know, beginning, middle, and end. Point one, point two, point three. Three beliefs.
You know, it could be a list of any three things. But that's going to organize your answer. It's going to help you keep track of it better. And it's going to help the interview team make better sense of it and think, wow, this person really knows what they're talking about. So even if interviews seem like they're almost a year away, even if it's at least eight or nine months before interviews start for you, start now. Put in the work now, and it will pay off.
I promise.
