by Miguel Guhlin - mguhlin@gmail.com

A slim, young lady is sitting outside. She is wearing a sharp, dark blue pin-stripe suit, paper and CD-ROM portfolio clasped loosely in her hands. As I move forward to shake her hand, she stands up and smiles nervously, “Mr. Guhlin?” As I nod my head, and welcome her to the interview, in a confidential whisper I share with her what I tell every candidate. “Be sure to speak up and tell us more than what the question asks. Push the envelope.” And, then, the door shuts behind us, the interview begins.

You already know the drill. The well-dressed, firm handshaking candidate walks in, you ask a few questions, each interview committee member taking turns, and then it’s over. As the you wish the candidate well, you can see they know…they are not the chosen one. After a day of interviewing, the interviewers can tell which candidates will make it…and which will not. As a veteran interviewer, at the end of the day, I can tell in less than thirty minutes if the interviewee is worth the full hour granted him/her.Whether you have been on an interview committee or participating in the interview, something just failed to materialize.

Interested in getting a job in instructional technology field? So as to avoid being like interview candidates who missed their chance, here are four tips you might put into practice.

Tip #1: Your story sells you.

The best paperback story I’ve ever read is the one I can’t remember too well. The story flows so well that I honestly don’t remember what happened from the time I began and the last sentence on the final page. I only know that it was darn good and worth the trip.

This is how you must share your story. Did you coordinate a grant? Don’t talk about the amount of the grant, but what impact it had on the lives of the grant recipients. Did you manage staff? Share with the committee how you overcame the challenges of setting a vision and yet completed the everyday tasks that made your hair turn gray. Better yet, share how the job required 18 hour days because the technology was stubborn, not working, or people needed help.

When interviewing for a position, avoid getting excited to appear excited. The strident quality of our voices, the desperation that leads to a breathless excitement worries people, especially if you are interviewing to be an administrator or trainer. Stay calm, letting the story build the intensity. To excite people, find that story which relates closest to the question an interviewer asks, and then lose yourself in the experience of that tale. If you’re excited and caught up in the rush, so will the interview committee. Your story will sell you much better than you will. Just remember that the story has to have a destination and be relevant. Be sure to accentuate the points of the story that are relevant to the question asked.

Next time you’re in the hot seat, remind yourself that you are sitting down for a conversation. Forget that the conversation will change the course of your life. Instead, focus on the fact that the words you speak will transform the position you applied for. Focus on the essence of your story, and don’t be afraid to lose yourself in the story. Let the story speak for itself, let yourself be the ever-present narrator who does not get in the way of a good story.

Tip #2: Make the Connection.

For my first few job interviews, my idea of preparation was to find out everything I could about the school district. But, I continued to lack the confidence I needed. The nagging doubt was that maybe I had missed something. While I might have gotten the job, I felt like I’d won the lottery. “Whew,” I’d laugh to myself, “I sure lucked out.” After many interviews in different places, I found that confidence comes from knowing yourself.

But, while you may be supremely confident in front of your family, how can you ensure that you will be confident in front of a tough interview committee? The answer is so simple, I was astonished I did not discover it until late in my career. The answer is “Research yourself first, then the district.”

As an interviewer, I try to ask questions that will reveal a candidate’s attitude and thinking rather than technology aptitude. For example, one of my favorite questions for a district instructional technology facilitator is, “Online professional development has become a popular trend for school districts. What are the characteristics of successful online professional development? Use your own experience to illustrate those characteristics.”

Now, the fun part about this is that most candidates have given little thought to answering this question. As an interviewer, I can see them thinking hard. Typically, there are three types of answer to this question. The first involves the candidate trying to recite everything they know about “online professional development.” The second involves the candidate requesting clarification. With these first two types of responses, after a tense pause, the next question is asked—and the next, waiting candidate is ready to be called in.

The third type of response is my favorite. Even if the candidate does not get the question right—to be honest, the characteristics of online professional development are up for philosophical debate—they have shown what they can do in a tough situation. What’s their approach? They simply start with a meaningful, personal experience of professional development. For them, it’s less about the technology and more about how the technology facilitated a human connection.

Remember that you are the human connection in the technology puzzle. Like a co-facilitator Aurelio Montemayor from the Intercultural Development Research Association said once, “Let’s stand in a circle and hold hands. Let’s not forget that we’re people in the midst of all this technology.” Always research your work and how it accomplishes the goals of the position applied for. And, remind the committee—composed of more than just instructional technologists—that people, not technology, are more important.

Tip #3: Find Yourself in the Job Description.

It’s easy to read the job description and realize, “Hey, this is the job for me.” Sitting in on interviews, I have seen candidates walk in and refer to the job description as they share their unique stories. For the most part, these candidates are stronger because they have made some effort to match the job description to their experiences. I suggest you do much more than this.

To find yourself in the job description, copy-n-paste it into your word processor. As you take each point, one by one, re-examine every experience you have had in the field. List all relevant experiences and write a narrative, much the same way you would share those experiences during the interview.

For example, in preparation for a job interview I had for my current position, I noticed that the job description stated, “4. Experience in curriculum development.” Most people see this and are unsure how to proceed. They tend to undervalue their experiences, even though their experiences, both the quality and depth, speak exactly to what is sought after. For example, my response to the curriculum development experience encompassed the whole of my work, philosophy and approaches I was familiar with. When I began, I knew that I did not have any curriculum development experience. Really, that was my reaction. This type of self-depreciation happens in our modest society. Yet, I managed to find enough to write 6 paragraphs, of which only two are shown below.

Over the last 10 years, my work as an educator has involved the integration of technology into the curriculum. With only an Apple //e to start out with, later graduating to Macintoshes and Windows-based machines, my students in K-12 learned to work in cooperative groups on real life problems. I still remember the first problem-based learning lesson I introduced my students to. They had to solve a problem related to the condition of the roads and water drainage around the school.Later, they sought to use technology to create multimedia products that reflected their understanding of the topic. In a very real way, I am reminded of the ESL Strategies of yesteryear. Audio-lingual, Total Physical Response, Suggestopedia…all these and more served as THE approach to use with second language learners. Until a balance was realized, an understanding that an ecclectic approach was called for. This ecclectic approach calls for educators that know more than just one method or strategy or heuristic. It requires educators who can differentiate instruction matched to learner’s needs and be cognizant of brain-based learning research insights .

Writing out my responses to the job description, a process that took a full day of hard work and years of preparation, made me appreciate myself all the more. As I reviewed what I had written, changing the words to reflect my experience and thoughts, I came to value myself, my work. Whether I was hired or not, the process I went through transformed my hesitancy into certainty. And, in the interview process where you have only a few minutes, my father’s oft-quoted adage, “He who hesitates is lost” is certainly true.

Finally, as you consider your experiences, flip them over on their backs. Take a fresh look at what you have gone through. Look beyond the surface to the reality of your experience. Don’t be afraid to share that reality with the interview committee. They’ll hire you because the journey of finding yourself in their job description has opened their eyes to the possibilities.

Tip #4: Let others introduce you.

A letter of introduction is powerful. As I go through the process of finding myself in the job description, I consider who among my references can best illustrate particular skills. As such, “Knowledge about staff development methods and working with adult learners” might be best illustrated by a quote such as:

Students in his training sessions invariably left with a strong sense of accomplishment and pride. Not only did his preparation contribute to this circumstance, but his deep knowledge of adult learners and the learning process. Because instructional technology is less about technology than instruction, he provides a strong basis for bringing technology to the service of teaching and learning.

This powerful quote from a letter of recommendation says much more than anything a candidate might about their staff development methods. In an interview setting, I keep a one-pager with such quotable quotes to pass out, unobtrusive but powerful evidence of my competencies. And, when an interview is going poorly, the quotable quote is a reminder that someone believes in you.

Job interviews can be harrowing experiences, but they can also be an opportunity to share who you are. Next time the door opens, and you step up, remember. . .push the envelope.