How to Impress in a Teacher Interview With No Experience

As a school administrator since 2014, interviewing teachers is part of my job.  Although I try to put candidates at ease, the reality is that job interviews are intimidating.  The task gets even tougher if you don’t have much time in the classroom.  If you’re a new teacher, there are several ways you can impress in a teacher interview with no experience.

Let’s start with a bit of good news: If you’ve gotten to the interview stage, the interview panel already knows that you lack experience.  They are still interested in you.  

Interviewing for a job when you lack experience takes special care and preparation.  I’ve interviewed many candidates who are either in the process of becoming teachers or still deciding whether this is the career for them.  Some I hired, others I passed on.  That is to say, I have hired inexperienced teachers over veterans in several instances.

Successful candidates were typically strong in four areas.

Four Tips for Success in a Teacher Interview with No Experience

1. Show how well you fit the opening and their school.

Regardless of experience, if the interview panel feels like you don’t fit their school, you’re unlikely to be offered the position.  

What do I mean by “fit”?

Look at the school’s website or talk to someone who works there. What is unique about the school?  What special academic programs do they offer?  Are they proud of their athletics?  Their performing arts?  Their STEM program?  Take a look at the school’s mission and vision.  Does it align with your teaching philosophy?  

Look for genuine ways to show that you have bought into, and can add to, what that school is doing.   

Inexperienced candidates score big interview points if they seem to understand or believe in the priorities of the school.  This is a perfect area for candidates with little experience to distinguish themselves.

2. Highlight your content knowledge.

I’m happy to support teachers with instructional practices and curriculum planning.  But, and I believe most administrators would agree, I can’t teach you the content.  

If you haven’t taught before, interview panels naturally wonder if you know your stuff.  They’re looking for reassurance that your subject matter knowledge is solid.  You can somewhat overcome a lack of experience by presenting yourself as a true expert in your field.

Make a list of relevant talking points: Advanced degrees, in-depth knowledge in a subsection of your field, special coursework, or conferences attended.  For added impact, cross-reference with your state’s subject matter standards.  In the interview, emphasize how your knowledge directly supports what you’ll be teaching the students.

Another tip: When you provide references, include someone (usually a professor) who can attest to your content knowledge.  

3. Frame your interview answers in pedagogy.

You’ve probably experienced this yourself as a student in high school or college: You have an instructor who is unbelievably smart  However, they aren’t always able to impart that knowledge to the class.  

Plenty of reasons might explain this.  Too much lecture or failure to connect the material to the lives of the students are two explanations.  When I observe classes like that, the disconnect between what the teacher knows and what the students learn is painfully obvious. 

This is where pedagogy comes into play.  One typical interview question is, “Tell us about a typical lesson in your class.”  In your interview, describe how you design, or would design, lessons and instructional experiences to reach students.  How do you get them excited (as excited as teenagers can be) about the content?

Here are a few ideas to get you started talking about pedagogy. 

• Reflect on your own educational experience and which types of lessons were effective and memorable.  
• If you’re currently in a teacher education program, share some of the methods that stood out.  
• If you’ve read any books or articles about curriculum development, feel free to reference those. 

4. Be confident, yet self-aware about your lack of experience.

If you lack experience, be honest about it but don’t dwell on it or engage in negative self-talk. 

A question I ask candidates–whether they have experience or not–is what type of support they think they will need in their first year on campus.  This question gives me a sense of the teacher’s self-awareness.

You might think, “I won’t need any support” is the best response.  In reality, a new teacher who feels they’ve got everything figured out is a potential concern.  When I ask this question, I’m interested to hear what area(s) of growth the candidate has identified.   

On the other hand, if a candidate has a laundry list of necessary supports, they risk coming across as needy, dependent, and high maintenance.  With all things, balance is key. 

If you’re given the opportunity, share one or two specific areas of growth for yourself.  It’s typical for newer teachers to need support in, among other things, classroom management, building relationships with students, and designing curriculum.

The bottom line: Don’t walk into an interview trying to present yourself as the perfect teacher. It’s more impressive when new teachers demonstrate a mature, yet confident approach to professional growth and continued improvement.  

A final thought on approaching teacher interview with no experience.

Don’t let a lack of experience sabotage your interview.  New educators often come with tremendous positives: fresh energy, new perspectives, and innovative teaching practices to name a few.

Interview panels want to hire the best candidate for their school and their students.  Spend a little time getting to know the school before you walk into the interview.

Finally, focus on your content knowledge, your passion for teaching, and your desire to teach at their school.  Those traits are not dependent on experience, yet will go the farthest in impressing an interview panel. 

Amanda Melsby has been a professional educator for 20 years.  She taught English before working as an assistant principal and later as a high school principal.  Amanda holds an Ed.D. in Educational Practice and Leadership and is currently a dean of teaching and learning.