Thursday, July 7, 2011

Applicant Pool

The Teacher Quality Partnership Team is seeking to hire a Field Placement Coordinator. I have often wondered what it would be like to have the opportunity to screen, interview and hire someone . . . and now I am living that moment.

For the past two days I have been reviewing materials from twenty-seven applicants. Reading letters and resumes has given me a new perspective on communicating and promoting one's self. When you rely only on the written word to allow others to get to know you, every word counts. Each word and how it connects to others is critical. Whether the word is spelled accurately or used in the proper context also leaves an impression. This reinforces the value and importance of proof reading your materials before submission.

Today I was able to make some phone calls to check some details for clarification. This made the people almost materialize off the paper. It made me excited to be able to make decisions about which ones to interview and be able to meet in person.

This is an exciting time . . . one that has caused me to pause and reflect. The reflection is on things that have gone well and the challenges of working for a grant project as well as what type of person will work well with the current team. What skills are the ones that we most need? Currently I see those as
  • comfort with ambiguity
  • ability to be flexible
  • demonstrated skills with working with a variety of people and infrastructures
  • collaborative demeanor
  • experience with supervising, mentoring, or coaching