The Present Teacher Podcast

Haven’t Heard Back From Your Last Teacher Interview? Here’s What To Do

• Helena Hains • Season 1 • Episode 92

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Haven't hear back from your last teacher interview and not sure what to do?

Here we break down 5 steps to complete before following up after your teacher interview. Plus a breakdown of what your follow-up email should look like.

These teacher interview strategies will help you confidently follow up after your  teacher interview, come off as confident while you send your follow up email, and know with confidence how to continue on during the interview process.

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//  ABOUT

I’m Helena, a coach for new and first-year teachers sharing knowledge on how to have a thriving career and personal life.

The Present Teacher Podcast is a resourcefor teacher interviews, classroom setup, classroom management, and time management. Follow along and learn how to thrive in the classroom and in life.

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Speaker 1:

So you've just completed your last teacher interview and you're wondering why haven't I heard back from them? Maybe it's been a week or two weeks. Whether you're a first teacher looking for your first job, or maybe you're looking at switching districts, it can be really hard to navigate what you should do and how you should move on from here. Well, today we are going to be talking about what you should do when you haven't heard back from your last interview. So, with that being said, let's dive in. Hey, teacher Bestie, my name is Helena and I'm the creator of the Present Teacher Podcast. I'm a first-year teacher coach and in this podcast you are going to learn everything from simple, actionable classroom management, social learning and teacher wellness strategies. You know that impact you want to make in the classroom. We're going to make it happen here.

Speaker 1:

Thinking about what you want to do next after not hearing back from a district, what you should be doing in the meantime. The first thing is you should reflect on how it went. When you have clarity on how your last teacher interview went, it can help you figure out what went well and what you want to continue doing and what didn't go so well, so that way you can tweak in the future. So, when you haven't taken the time to reflect on how your last interview went, there can oftentimes be some leftover feelings and energy when you don't have that closure as to how it went. So, that being said, here are some questions to ask yourself when it comes to reflecting on your last interview. The first question is what went well during your interview? What are some things that you know for a fact that you can confidently say went well? What are some things that you liked that you did this time? So that way, you know what you want to continue doing in the future? The second question I have for you in regards to reflecting on your teacher interview was what am I going to continue doing in the future? So, taking whatever you answered in question number one, think about which one of those that I mentioned earlier can I duplicate and make sure to include in future interviews. For example, my first interview, I made sure to incorporate the district's mission statement in my interview. So that way, when I went to my second interview, I made sure to research that specific district's mission statement and incorporate it into my next interview, because I felt like it was a good touch and I could tell that it felt like the district knew what they were. I knew what they were looking for and how I aligned with what they were looking for. So doing stuff like this is really going to help you learn and get better and better as you go.

Speaker 1:

The third question you might ask yourself is what didn't go well Now? I know it's super easy to be super critical of yourself and hard on yourself when things don't go well. That's why we focused first on celebrating the wins, on what went well, and now we're going into what didn't go well. Now I don't want you to think, because I didn't do this well, the whole thing was terrible. Oftentimes we make a bigger deal out of the smallest mistakes, more than anyone else will notice. But taking some time to figure out what you didn't like about this interview so you can tweak it in the future will help you get better and better as you go.

Speaker 1:

Thomas Edison, as they say, it took him over a hundred times to light a light bulb. Therefore, when they asked him why it took him so many times, he said I didn't fail each time, I didn't make a light bulb or light the light bulb. I just learned how not to do it. The same thing goes with the interview process. It's a lot like teaching Once you've done it enough, you get better and better as you go, until it becomes natural.

Speaker 1:

So that's why the third question is what didn't go well? So, for example, my first interview I forgot the materials to my mini lesson at home, for example. So in this instance, home was Oregon, I was in New Mexico and there was no way I was getting those materials back. Therefore, I knew that for my next interview, I really wanted to make a checklist ahead of time on my materials and make sure it was in my bag the night before and bring extra. So think about what didn't go well this time. And then the fourth question is what can I adjust for next time? Maybe there are some things that you wanna completely get rid of, eliminate. Maybe you wanna tweak it a little, or maybe you wanna add it all together. So take some time to think about what things do you wanna tweak for next time? That way you can come off more confident and you can have a better interview experience your second time around.

Speaker 1:

The second thing you're going to want to do when it comes to figuring out what to do after an interview. You never get a call back. You want to be mindful about what you're thinking. So oftentimes there's these things called limiting beliefs that come up. Now I like to think of limiting beliefs as those non-helpful thoughts that kind of stop you from getting from point A to point B, aka where you are now, to what you desire, in this case, a job. So, for example, I like to think of these as roadblock, or traffic when it comes to getting from the school to home, or traffic when it comes to getting from the school to home. What happens is, as you're driving down the road, you suddenly have maybe this road traffic and it takes you longer to get home. Those are what roadblocks are.

Speaker 1:

There's these interesting thoughts that come up that are not helpful for you and stop you from getting from point A to point B. That's why, when I personally have these limiting thoughts or limiting beliefs that come up, I always think, hmm, that's an interesting thought and then I ask myself does that thought serve me? So, for example, let's say that I had an interview two weeks ago and I haven't gotten a call back. I might have a limiting belief that says, hmm, I didn't get a call back because I'm so young when I first started teaching and I can ask myself hmm, that's an interesting thought. Does that thought serve me? Does that help me get to where I want to be, aka have a job? I can then answer yes or no. If it's no, then I can look for evidence that that's not true. So, for example, going back to it, maybe I have the limiting belief. Hmm, I didn't get the job because I'm not experienced enough, or I'm a first year teacher, or I'm too young to have a job. I might think, hmm, that's interesting. Does that thought serve me? No, not really.

Speaker 1:

I wonder how I can see things differently. What evidence is there out there in the real world, in the world, that shows me that people my age are getting jobs? I might think you know what? This is a silly thought of me. There are first-year teachers all over the world that are getting jobs. I am no different. I'm not, you know, the exception to the rule. If they can do it, I can too. So it's that thought that comes up for you and you want to be the gentle observer. Notice that I didn't judge myself for having that thought. I simply said, hmm, that's an interesting thought, and then I moved on.

Speaker 1:

So take note of any limiting beliefs that are coming up for you at that time and then typically they start off with I can't get this job because, or I didn't get this job because insert here that's your limiting belief. Then, like I said, you want to reframe that thought. I can't land the job because I am so young turns into people who are young like me get jobs all the time. So this is an example of reframing a thought and this will keep you in a positive mindset. It'll help you be in the energy to continue the interview process, moving forward. You know that saying what you focus on you create more of. Well, that's what we're talking about here. You want to make sure that you're thinking of positive thoughts on why you get the job, so that you do end up getting the job, so that you do end up getting the job.

Speaker 1:

So the next thing you wanna work on if you haven't gotten a call back from your interview yet is to remind yourself that your worth is not measured. An easy thing to do is think, since you didn't get the job or hired right away, that must mean something negative about you. Maybe that means you're a bad teacher, you're not enough, you're too young, etc. But the truth is, you not getting the position means nothing about you. It's just the universe's way of saying that wasn't the right fit for you and there's something better out there for you. So whether you believe in God, the universe, so, whether you believe in God, the universe, whatever you believe in, the truth is, the world wants good things for you. So if that opportunity didn't work out, I like to remind myself and the teachers I work with that that just means that there's a better opportunity out there for you. And also, as a reminder, your worth is not measured by getting that specific position or not so, or that specific position or not so, or getting that position right away. So here's a great example of this.

Speaker 1:

I want you to think of your favorite teacher growing up, whether that was in preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school. Picture that teacher in your mind teaching your class. Then imagine that that teacher came up to you and told you that they didn't get hired for the first one, two, three, four, five, six, however many interviews, they didn't get the job. Now would you suddenly hate them because they didn't get their first, second, third job offer, etc after their interview? Well, obviously no. Instead, you're going to be grateful that they went to your school and you were their student. You are going to be somebody's teacher one day that they're going to be grateful that you're at their school. Your worth is not measured by which position you get. It is completely unrelated. You are worthy regardless of what position you get.

Speaker 1:

The next step you're going to want to take when you haven't heard back from a district is letting go. Letting go of the results will help you reach out with clarity. We just separated your worth from the whether or not you got the job position. You want to do this with the position, because that way you open up space for good opportunities to come your way. Know that you will find a district that you will feel aligned with one day, whether it's now, tomorrow or the next day or the next interview. If it's not now, remind yourself that's okay. I'm wanting this kind of district or something better. So remind yourself letting go of the result of this district and taking a step back is really going to help you move forward and have some closure to that interview, knowing that you did your best at the time and now it's just. You're just waiting for things to play out.

Speaker 1:

Now the final step, if you haven't heard back from the district is to actually follow up. So the reason that we do this last is because we want to make sure that you're emotionally separated and you've had some emotional closure to the interview before you follow up, because the last thing you want is you don't want your emotions to take over in how you follow up and come off as a way that you don't mean. So after you let go, you can start following up Now. I recommend, in general, following up anywhere between one to two weeks after an interview or after an application. So I'm going to give you a prompt on what this follow-up could look like. So, dear insert name, I hope this email finds you well.

Speaker 1:

I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to interview for insert position at insert school district two weeks ago. It was a pleasure to learn about something you remember from that interview that they're going to remember too or that really stood out to you. After reflecting on our conversation, I remain enthusiastic about contributing to the school's mission of insert. The mission here, my experience as a enter, your experience here and passion for insert position here align closely with the goals and values of insert, the school or district you applied to. I understand that you may still be in the process of evaluating candidates and I want to assure you of my continued interest in this position. If there are any additional materials or information you require from me at this stage, please do not hesitate to reach out. I am more than happy to provide whatever assistance you may need. Thank you again for considering my application. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to contribute to the academic community at insert the school or organization name here and I'm eager to hear any updates regarding the status of candidacy.

Speaker 1:

Sincerely warning, so you can feel free to pause this and use this template to follow up. But following up in this way it's sincere, but you can also tell there's a neutral tone to it. Sure, you're enthusiastic, but there's a desperate not a desperate need in there and you're emotionally separated from the result. After you've followed up, the next step and final step is to Live your life. After you followed up, continue living your life and taking inspired action. If you feel called to apply somewhere else or a dream school comes up for you and you feel called to apply there, I highly recommend that you do.

Speaker 1:

You don't want to stop applying for other positions or taking inspired action simply because you're betting everything on this one district. Instead, listen to what you feel is right and continue to take that action. You would rather have a lot of options and different job offers than have none. So make sure that you are continuing to live your life. Make sure to go out and keep yourself occupied as well. Go hang out with friends, family, pick up a hobby, enjoy your summer or graduation or finishing off the school year or, you know, student teaching, whatever it is and remind yourself that you were naturally born enough and worthy, and revisit the previous steps whenever you find yourself running into those limiting beliefs I talked about earlier. So that wraps up everything you should do if you haven't heard back from a district in regards to your interview or application.

Speaker 1:

So, as a quick recap, here are the steps you should be taking after not getting a response from your latest teacher interview or application. Step number one reflect on how it went. What went well, what do you want to continue doing, what didn't go well and what do you want to tweak for the future. Step number two think to yourself that's an interesting thought. Notice what thoughts are coming up for you and, if need be, go ahead and reframe those limiting beliefs so that you can get closer to having your next teaching position. Step number three remind yourself that your worth is not measured by whether or not you get this job. Number four make sure to let go of the results and emotionally disconnect your emotions from whether or not you get this job. Now I'm not saying don't be excited when you do and don't you know. Don't just ignore your feelings if you're sad about it and make sure you give yourself time to process, but when you are in a neutral place, that's when you can do the next step, which is to follow up with the district. After you followed up with the district, continue living your life, whether that's distracting yourself, taking inspired action and playing elsewhere or a combination of both.

Speaker 1:

Here at the Present Teacher, I have a lot more tips, strategies about learning your upcoming teaching position. So if you want to take this journey a little bit further with me, I want to invite you to download the Ultimate Teacher Interview Guide. It's a free guide that I just updated that answers the top 10 common questions I get asked about the interview process, plus different reflection prompts, journal prompts and other resources you can refer back to to answer all your questions about the interview process. If you want to take this a step further, I want to invite you to join us inside the Land your Dream Job mini course. So this mini course was set up specifically to help you prepare for your upcoming interview in a single weekend. So if you find yourself taking inspired action and continue to apply to other districts and you wanna learn how I teach other teachers to stand out from the crowd and to incorporate their mission statement and their it factor to make them stand out from others, I wanna invite you inside this program. I'll make sure to put a link in the description down below.

Speaker 1:

As always, remember we are stronger together and thank you so much for hanging out with me and I will talk to you soon. Teacher Busty Bye. Thank you so much for joining me on today's episode. I hope that you were able to take away some value that will help you thrive inside and out of the classroom. It would mean the world to me if you could take five seconds right now and leave a review on this podcast. And if you found this podcast especially helpful, make sure to take a screenshot of this episode right now and tag me on your socials to let me know you're listening as always. Remember that we are stronger together with all the love in the world. Helena, aka the Present Teacher, see you next time, teacher Bestie.

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Helena Hains-Daubenspeck

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