Recently I had the opportunity to be a panel member for an Assistant Principal role at my school (for context, K-12 central school in rural NSW public system). I put my hand up to be on the panel as I always enjoy reviewing applications to see how people approach the process and to ensure I have a voice in the selection process, particularly when it will be a role that will work closely alongside mine. In my previous role as Principal I was responsible for ALL recruitment, and truth be told, that’s the way I like it.
To our surprise, of the 6 classroom teachers in the primary school, 4 of them applied! My executive colleagues and I were shocked to realise that 2/3 of the teachers were aspirant leaders seeking promotional opportunities, when we only expected 1 or maybe 2 of the team to consider applying. This was a timely reminder to all leaders that if you don’t directly discuss leadership aspirations with your team, you might be surprised at just who is wanting to seek further challenges and promotion.
The applications received by the school came in various shapes and sizes, as the advertisement for the role was basic as per the temporary EOI positions advertised in NSW public education, and did not have set criteria. Unfortunately, most of the internal applicants did not seek advice on their application during the writing process, and none were selected to interview. I immediately offered to the Principal and Deputy Principal that I would like to lead a professional learning (PL) session on how to write a strong school leadership application, which they were highly supportive to ensure we continue to build the capacity of our team and support them through the disappointment of their rejection.
Over the following weeks I developed a 90-minute presentation as optional PL for all staff K-12 that I divided into 2 parts. Part 1 was focused on supporting each participant to have a stronger understanding of their own leadership style leaning on my previous Masters studies, while Part 2 focused on how they can incorporate this into a successful leadership application and show them what a good one looks like (WAGOLL).
Below is a summary of my presentation outlined in 5 clear steps, in the hope that you might take something valuable away for your own future educational leadership applications, or for those you mentor and support.
- Be clear on your own personal leadership philosophy. What do you believe in, what do you stand for, and what type of leadership will you bring to the role? Recognise that leadership is a distinct field of its own, and if you aspire to be a leader you must develop a sound understanding of leadership.
- Be prepared. In terms of the application itself, ensure you do the following: read the ad carefully, confirm your referees, have a critical friend or colleague proofread your application ahead of time, backward map the application timeline, and review necessary supporting documentation such as the role statement, school plan and annual report.
- Identify your key achievements to include. Determine which of your recent (last 3-5 years ideally) professional achievements should be unpacked in the application to best address the criteria or role statement. Tell a story.
- Impact statements and outcomes for students and staff – When discussing your achievements, ensure you clearly describe the impact and/or outcome of your initiative using strong professional language. If you can include data that demonstrates improvement, even better.
- “I believe, I have done, I will do”. There are many variations of this framework for responding to criteria and speaking in an interview, however this is what was shared with me early in my career which I have been using consistently for over a decade with strong results. “I believe, I have done, I will do”, it really works.
Try following these 5 steps next time you are applying for an educational leadership role, and let me know how you go! If you’d like more information about the presentation I gave, or the handouts I created and used to guide the participants, feel free to email me at chris.english3@det.nsw.edu.au
Yours in education,
Chris English
Chris English 