I am quite excited to be writing this blog post as last week
I got the phone call I had my fingers crossed for… ‘congratulations, we’d like to offer you the position’
Wahoo! I have
secured my first band 5 post and will be working in a language unit and
mainstream schools. I do not start until December but I’m quite happy with this
as I need to find somewhere to live in a new county!
A few things that I took from my interview that I hope might
help others..
·
Get there early,
find where you need to go and then maybe explore
the area a bit. This helped when I was asked why I wanted this particular job. Don’t
get there too early as it can be a bit uncomfortable if they have nowhere to
put you whilst you wait!
·
Re-read
your personal statement and the job description, especially if you have applied
for a few jobs that are quite similar- it is easy to get a bit confused with
how to tailor your answers.
·
If you are asked to take documents for your DBS check have your originals and a
photocopy, that way you save them a job once you are there – it was quite nice
to be called amazing by the assistant before I’d even walked into the interview
room!
·
Don’t
panic if things do not go to plan- I ran out of time on my presentation but
provided detailed but easy to read hand-outs so the interviewers could (hopefully)
see I knew what I was talking about. If you go off track during a question, be
honest and refocus!
·
Don’t just talk about your past experiences but how they have helped you and what it
will help you bring to the role. Talk about things from the perspective of the SLT, MDT and client.
·
Throw in those buzz words.. early intervention, audit, reflection, transferable
skills, CPD etc.
·
Don’t just ask questions about supervision, I asked a question about the new
Education Health and Care plan and whether it could impact on the job role-
this promoted more discussion and gave me an opportunity to show I knew about current
issues and policies and also that I had a real interest in the job.
·
If at the end they ask if there is anything you
would like to add.. do not say no! Use it as an opportunity to sell yourself and reiterate why you
want the job.
And finally..
Go on your gut
instinct.. I loved the area before I’d even got to where my interview was,
the people I spoke to before the interview were lovely and I felt at ease as
soon as I went in. This made me really WANT the job and I fought harder to come
across well and answer questions well. You have to love the job just as much as them
loving you.
