You are receiving this email because you either created a WorkTogether Talent Consulting (formerly WorkMonger) Career Platform Account,
applied to a job opening at one of our client organizations, or registered directly to receive Leaders in Education.
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A Publication of WorkTogether Talent Consulting (formerly WorkMonger)
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Ready for your first interview? This edition of our Job Seeker Toolkit brings you practical strategies and expert insights to help you prepare, present yourself authentically, and make a lasting impression on potential employers
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Video interviews are everywhere now, and you can ace them with the right prep! Test your tech so everything runs smoothly. Find a well-lit spot with a clean background, dress professionally, and look at the camera to create connection. Lastly.. practice, practice, practice! With solid preparation, you'll feel confident and ready to show employers your authentic self.
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Interview preparation starts with developing your professional narrative. Ask yourself: What's the thread through my work? What problems excite me? AI tools can help brainstorm options and refine materials, but shouldn't replace your voice. Use them as collaborators, not ghostwriters. The most valuable preparation happens when you reflect on your journey and practice articulating it authentically.
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What We’re Writing Right Now
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Interview prep doesn't have to be overwhelming! Start by researching the organization's mission, the role itself, your future team, and recent sector news. Use the STAR method to organize your examples ahead of time. Prepare thoughtful questions that show you're genuinely curious. Remember, this is a two-way conversation about fit. Your preparation reflects the dedication you'll bring to their mission.
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Career Corner: Ask a Recruiter
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Prepare for interviews like a pro
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Over the course of my 10 years as a recruiter, I conducted hundreds if not thousands of phone, virtual, and in-person interviews. Here is what the strongest candidates consistently demonstrated in their interviews:
- These candidates had a clear understanding of the employer’s mission and the role for which they were interviewing.
- These candidates clearly addressed the interviewer’s questions. They didn’t go off on tangents or speak in generalities that required me to probe for actual details or context.
- These candidates had reflected on their past experiences prior to their interview, and were ready with solid stories shared in the STAR interview answer format.
As a career coach, my work is informed by my experiences interviewing real people for real roles. Informed by that experience, here’s the framing I share with my clients during our prep:
- Every job represents a problem that an organization is attempting to solve. Every answer you give in an interview is a chance to connect the dots for the interviewer about your capacity to solve their problem.
- Don’t assume that an interviewer has a strong understanding of your previous employers or jobs, even if they’ve reviewed your resume. A strong interview answer provides quick, relevant context about the scope of the work you did and the problem you were solving.
- You can typically anticipate interview questions you’ll be asked by using ChatGPT. Copy and paste the text of a job description. In ChatGPT input the following prompt: “Create a list of possible technical and behavioral interview questions based on the following job description: [enter the job description text].” No guessing games needed - it will get you pretty close to what you’ll experience in your interview process!
- Help the interviewer imagine you in the role. When you practice answering the interview questions that ChatGPT generates, use the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Essentially - set the stage for the interviewer about the relevant context in your example (who/what/where, etc), the actions you took, and the end result. I always add an extra T at the end - STAR-T, which stands for “Take-away”. Basically, what was your takeaway from that experience and how would you apply it in this new position if hired? Time yourself answering questions and set a goal for finishing each answer in under 2 minutes. If you’re taking longer, you probably need to tighten the story.
- As you’re practicing, reflect on the stories you’re planning on sharing in your interview. Why do you believe these examples are relevant to the role you’re targeting? What do you hope the employer will believe about you as a result of these examples? How do these examples demonstrate your capacity to perform this job well?
- Reflect on previous interactions with the hiring team (if you’ve had them). Were there aspects of your experiences they seemed especially interested in learning more about, or did they probe statements you’ve shared before? That will give you insight into the areas you’ll be expected to expand upon in a future interview.
- Reflect on past interviews you’ve had with other organizations - what kinds of questions make you nervous or do you feel like you need to rehearse in advance? Make a list and take some time to prepare some talking points!
- Lastly, don’t underestimate the power of practicing your answer to the question: “Tell us about yourself.” Instead of sharing the chronological story of your career or even your whole life (please don’t do that!), answer with the following:
- This is the kind of work I do (i.e. “I’m a recruiter who has spent my career in the education and nonprofit sector.”)
- Provide some proof points (i.e. “For the last few years, I led the recruitment team at Employer A. That work followed my individual contributor recruiting roles at Employers B, C, and D.”)
- Share any relevant professional experience outside of the scope of your major job function (i.e. volunteer work that fuels you, consulting projects you take on, or something non–personal that is a big headline in your life like a board that you sit on).
- Connect the “About me” answer back to this target employer (i.e. “So when I saw this role overseeing talent with your organization, and organization which I have been following for years, I saw a very unique opportunity to apply my years of experience to advancing your work. I’m so excited to be here with you today.”).
- Practice! Use the voice memo on your phone, tablet, or computer. Play it back, give yourself grace, and continue to practice!
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The New TrulyHired Job Board is Here!
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The Legacy Fellowship (startaschool.org) is a paid two year training program for education leaders and entrepreneurs interested in starting a new charter school in Colorado. Fellows work full time to open a new school that embraces serving the whole student and provides an educational model with a compelling vision for the community they intend to serve. The ideal candidate has 5-7 years of PreK-12 school based experience and a strong connection to Colorado with 2-3 years living or working in the proposed school region.
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Democracy Prep Public Schools currently operates 15 high-performing schools in New York, Las Vegas, and San Antonio educating 5,300 citizen-scholars. Their mission is to educate responsible citizen-scholars for success in the college of their choice and a life of active citizenship. Democracy Prep is searching for a new Senior Director of People Experience to lead the development and implementation of strategies and enhance the overall employee experience across the charter school network. This is a hybrid position in New York City, NY. The ideal candidate has 6+ years of experience in HR or people leadership within a charter school, CMO, or K-12 setting.
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TrulyHired is a quick, easy, and tailored job board that specializes in providing job seekers with educational equity roles at impact-driven education organizations. Here are a few of the amazing jobs we have available. Check them out and apply if you're interested!
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You don’t have to be a job seeker to take the next step in your professional growth.
Our tailored career services—like resume reviews, interview prep, and personalized coaching—help leaders like you gain clarity, align with your goals, and stand out.
Ready to level up?
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You are receiving this email because you either created a WorkTogether Talent Consulting (formerly WorkMonger) Career Platform Account, applied to a job opening at one of our client organizations, or registered directly to receive Leaders in Education.
Don't want to hear from us? Let us know by clicking here.
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