Need advice on how to master a Texas Teacher Job Fair.?

I have recently moved to Texas from out of state. I have attended two district job fairs with over 200 applicants. With this many people crammed into one building all trying to get their resumes to as many principals as possible, has proven very frustrating. I have over 8 years of teaching experience and have never seen a form of hiring like this. I am just hoping there is someone who has gone through a similar process and landed a job who can give me some advice on how to get noticed at a big job fair.Need advice on how to master a Texas Teacher Job Fair.?
In cases like this, it is very important to have evidence of the wonderful lessons you've taught (we all have one or two of them a year) and to portray the passion that you have for teaching. I personally love teaching in the inner city and I love teaching the most struggling students. I guess that makes me a high commodity. Find what makes you special and convey that.Need advice on how to master a Texas Teacher Job Fair.?
I just went to a fair last year...boy are those fun!





Anyway...go online and see what schools are going to be at the fair. Find the ones that you are interested in. Bring around 25 resumes. Most fairs grab at a chance to have an experienced teacher as yourself. I would definetely sell yourself having experience. Research any of the new teaching ideas that are going around. I have had the pleasure to sit in on 10 interviews these past few weeks and have been really impressed when the applicant knows HOW to plan for a lesson. Objectives, Standards, adding Multiple Intelligences, reteaching, assessment and having closure activities. Using student interaction.





Just Sell, Sell, Sell yourself. Majority of the people that go to these are new teachers or teachers with only a few years experience. Just make sure you research the schools that your looking at and know stuff about the schools!





You will do great! Good luck!
Some people just love job fairs... others are extremely disappointed.





Truth is-- usually at a job fair you're only going to participate in a meet-and-greet setting. Sometimes you'll get a 10 minute screening interview. If you do get a screening interview, a recruiter will sit down with you and if you're a worthwhile candidate, you'll be invited to a ';real'; interview at the school district.





Very seldom do recruiters leave a job fair with ';special'; candidates on their mind. Instead, they're using it as a forum for attracting large numbers of applicants to their district so they have more people to choose from when hiring.





To stand out-- have a powerful teaching resume and cover letter on-hand. Make sure your cover letter is excinig and is not missed when they're looking through the pile. Include bold faced words and bulleted points. Add some color or graphics to your letterhead. Why? Because they will be flipping through scores of cover letters-- you'll want them to stop, pause, and think when they get to yours.





If you do interview with a school recruiter, be sure you leave a positive impression. With 8 years of experience, you have a definite edge over 95% of the other candidates. Use it to your advantage. Whenever you're asked about something, make it seem like you've been doing it throughout your career (you probably have!)





Example-- A recruiter asks, ';How would you teach writing?'; Don't say, ';I would...'; Instead you should be saying, ';This is how I teach my writing lesson every week! .....';





Another example-- A recruiter asks about your classroom management philosophy. Don't say, ';I think it is important to...'; Instead you should be saying, ';Over the 8 years I've been teaching, I've found the most effective ways to avoid discipline problems are......';





In your case, I'd say your experiences is your best assett. Use it to your advantage-- be sure the interviewer knows that you're already a successful teacher.





I hope this helps you! Good luck!
i dont know about tx. but b/f you go check out the schools you are tryn to work out. %26amp; go straight to their booth %26amp; interview. then do a check list %26amp; make calls the following week to follow up. i actually landed my teachin job this way.





most of the principals are actually at the fair. which is good. %26amp; take about 25-30 resumes.