Congratulations! You’ve landed that coveted teacher interview. Now it is extremely important that you impress in your interview and large part of that is coming prepared.

Items to bring:

• Copies of your current resume: If you need to distribute them to the panel, you should have enough to do this. Most likely they will have a copy, but they may be testing your to see if you are prepared.

• Copies of your letter of intent/cover letter: This should be brought alongside your copies of your resume in case the interview panel doesn’t have a copy with them.

• Copies of your Philosophy of Education Statement: Again, although you may have submitted this with the rest of your application package, it is always good to come prepared with extra copies. Even if you have handed it in, the interviewer may ask you for an extra copy or may ask you a question regarding your philosophy so it may be handy to have a copy handy to site in your answers.

• Copies of degrees, transcripts, licenses, and certifications: This is a very important group of documents to bring with you to the interview. You need to be able to back up all the claims you make in your resume regarding your education and qualifications. Even if you photocopied these and sent them through email, hiring managers may want to see them in the flesh to ensure that they are indeed authentic. It is also always better to be seen as proactive in these instances.

• A listing of professional development courses taken: If these were not included in your resume you definitely need to bring this information with you to the interview. You want to be able show the interview panel your latest accomplishments in your professional development and show that you are dedicated toward remaining current in the teaching profession.

• Certifications/paperwork to confirm awards or honors earned: As with the copies of your degrees and other qualifications, you need to back up the authenticity of any awards or honors you’ve stated that you’ve earned in your resume.

• Copies of letters of recommendation: You should bring two or three great letters of recommendation if you have them. Letters from supervisors, cooperating teachers, and principals are all good choices. The more specific they are in covering your instructional techniques, creativity, collegiality, and classroom climate the better.

• Copies of References: This is the time that the hiring manager will request your references information. Have your typed up sheet ready with extra copies in case the panel requests copies for each of them. As always, ensure that your reference information is correct and up-to-date that your references have approved being used.

• Your teaching portfolio: If you have one, bring it. Don’t bring it if they specifically stated on the phone or in a confirmation letter that portfolios are not allowed. Try to avoid jamming your portfolio full of examples. It should contain just a few of your best samples of lessons and student work. What you choose to include reflects what you think is important.

• A Can-do attitude: It may sound cliché, but you cannot forget to bring your enthusiasm and positive attitude with you to the interview. Your energy, vitality, and passion about teaching need to be clearly evident in your attitude. Principals are looking for teachers with self-confidence and enthusiasm; someone who they can trust with a room full of students.

Candace Davies, President of A+ Resumes for Teachers, is a Certified Resume Writer, Interview Coach Strategist, and Author of 9 popular educational job search eBooks. She is dedicated to assisting teachers, administrators and other education professionals to advance their careers quickly, easily and with less stress. Visit her website at resumes-for-teachers.com/a/main.htm or sign up to receive FREE weekly teaching job search tips, interview questions and answers, and other priceless career advice: resumes-for-teachers.com/a/sign-up.htm