Acing Your Interview

Interviews can be nerve-wracking, but remember, they’re two-sided: “The school is looking to find out about you, but you need to also find out about them,” says recent job hunter and Collegiate member Meredith Higgins.

MENC National Collegiate Chair Jill Sullivan recommends the following as you prepare for interviews.

Research the district and school, including policies and recent history of the music department.

Write out answers to common interview questions and practice them out loud. “Ask yourself some big questions about your career path and personality that you find hard to answer before you interview, such as, ‘why do you want to be a teacher? Why is music important to a curriculum?’” adds Higgins.

Think in 5s. Have in mind 5 informed questions to ask, 5 key points about your background, and 5 interesting points about the school/job. Higgins recommends the following questions:

• What is the parent involvement?
• How frequently do you replace instruments/music/materials?
• How does the school support the arts?
• Are you in favor of the arts program becoming a large part of the community?
• What are your school goals for your arts programs?

Gather your materials. You’ll need a leather folio, your professional portfolio (print or CD), and copies of your resume, references, and transcript.

Resources

McLean, Barbara Payne. A Career Guide for Music Education, 2nd ed.

Sullivan, Jill. “Mock Interviews for Student Teachers.” Teaching Music, February 2007, pp. 22–25.

Find interviewing tips and sample resumes and cover letters on Jill Sullivan’s Resources page.

Discuss this article

Part 1: Getting Started on Your Search
Part 2: Networking and Creating a Portfolio
Part 3: Resumes, Cover Letters, and Applications—Oh, My!
Part 5: Interview Dos and Don'ts
Part 6: Preparing for Your First Year of Teaching

Jill Sullivan, Ph.D. is an associate professor of music education at Arizona State University and National Chair of MENC Collegiate. Read about her student teaching mock interviews in the February 2007 issue of Teaching Music.

Meredith Higgins is a recent music education graduate from Indiana University-Bloomington. She recently accepted a position teaching music to elementary students at the International School of Trieste in Italy for one year.

--Anne Wagener, June 30, 2008, © MENC: The National Association for Music Education