The 5 C's of Hiring

Over the last three weeks I've participated in a webinar series with the Bobby Dodd, Dr. Neil Gupta, and Craig Vroom, where our goal has been to assist educators during hiring season. We've got 77 years of combined experience, and we put together the series so that others can learn from our successes and failures. 

Part I of the series was for pre-service teachers looking to get hired, and Part II was for teachers making the transition into administration. In Part III, we shared our insights on hiring the best candidate to our target audience of school and district leaders.

If you’ve ever been involved in the hiring process on the hiring side, you know that part of the process is interviewing candidates. The questions that are asked should really get to the heart of what a leader is looking for in a candidate.

When crafting questions to use in an interview, make sure they fall in the following categories.

The 5 C’s of Hiring

Character - I consider this to be one of the most important areas and requirements for hiring a candidate. You need to insure that the person you hire to teach and influence students is a person of high character and someone you can trust.

Compatible - I hear school leaders say that they are looking for a “good fit.” This is when the school leader follows instinct. It’s knowing and understanding the personalities of the team, department, or group that the candidate must mesh with in order to be successful.

Competent - The candidate must be skilled at what is required of them. They should be knowledgeable in their content area, excellent instructors who use solid instructional strategies, and relationship-builders with students, parents, and other stakeholders. Ask candidates to share evidence of their skills and successes.

Committed - Hiring new candidates takes time and money, resources that are short on supply in education. You want to be sure to hire a candidate who is passionate about being an excellent educator. The candidate must understand that effective teachers have reputations and longevity in a school, where they can positively influence students, colleagues, and culture.

Culture - Find out what the beliefs and values are of the candidate. They should align with the school and district’s beliefs, values, and goals.For example, if a core value of a school is risk-taking, you want to hire a candidate who is willing to learn and try new things in their role. Hiring someone who is confident in what they’ve always done and doesn’t see a reason to change could not be in alignment with a culture of risk-taking.