Decrease Stress: Remind yourself that the interview will be more of a conversation rather than an interrogation. Primarily, it will be an opportunity for you to engage others in a discussion about your skills, interests, experiences, and philosophy and how they mesh with the position and the school. If you know yourself with regard to these issues, much of the work is done. Envision yourself smoothly shaking hands with people. A good way to generate confidence within yourself during the interview is to smile when shaking hands with people and say, perhaps before the questioning begins, "I would like to begin by thanking you for the opportunity to interview for this position. I hope by the end of our conversation I will have given you many reasons to see me as the ideal candidate."

Take a Trip Down Memory Lane: Since the interview will be a conversation about you, refresh your memory about your experiences and skills. The act of taking inventory for the resume and elucidating in the cover letter is helpful and can actually reduce stress. Further prepare yourself by looking at the resume and asking yourself if you have a very brief anecdote/short story from your experiences you can share in the interview to illustrate anything you have mentioned on the resume. Also, if you have a portfolio of artifacts, see if you have a specific part of an artifact that can be used to illustrate something on your resume during a job interview. (Showing and telling is more compelling than just telling.) Brief stories from your work experiences make for interesting discussions, which make you appear to be a more interesting and compelling candidate.

Know Thyself: Many interview questions will be posed to learn more about you, i.e., your working style, preferences, personality, etc. And, often these are the questions students find most difficult to answer. A good way to prepare for these questions is to develop some vocabulary for describing yourself. To do so, start by completing the brief Typefocus.com personality/preference inventory, which will yield a four-letter code that captures your personality type. Once you have the four-letter code, read your career profile and personality profile. Highlight the statements in these profiles that you believe best capture your personality and preferences. Now you have some vocabulary for describing yourself (e.g., "I can work for long periods of time and put tremendous amounts of energy into doing any task, especially if I understand its meaning and importance toward fulfilling a goal," or "I prefer to work alone and enjoy accountability for my work, but I can also well in teams when the situation demands it.")

Watch the Use of Labels: Since much of the interview will focus on your experiences with people, make sure that you never use negative labels to describe people you have worked with, especially those whom you found to be unprofessional or annoying. Refer to past colleagues, supervisors, clients, students, etc., with great respect and preserve their anonymity.

Turn a Sow's Ear into a Silk Purse: Some interview questions will focus on how you have handled setbacks and adversity, and with good reason since the potential for personal conflict and conflict resolution exists in every job. Don't shy away from discussing an incident that went badly as long as you are prepared to explain what you learned from the situation and how you will respond differently if you encounter the situation again. (Be judicious in your selection of the story to share. Something truly disastrous could reveal very limited judgment on your part.) Discussing a succession of troubled times obviously isn't advisable, but if the vast majority of your interview is about success stories, a set-back story can lend authenticity to you as a person.

Use the Teaching Portfolio Sparingly: The instinct to show and tell during the interview is a good one, but make sure that what you have to share is meaningful and accessible to your audience. Prior to the interview select pieces of your portfolio you anticipate using to exemplify your skills and experiences. (If you need inspiration for trying to imagine which pieces will have relevance in the interview, look to Common Interview Questions for Teachers in the drop-down menu above and see which pieces of your portfolio most relate to the questions.) Have those pieces ready for the opportune moment in the interview to show and tell. Pulling out the entire five-inch-thick portfolio during the interview and trying to find just the right artifact could be cumbersome for you and overwhelming for your audience. Instead, consider having a few, easily handled pieces at your fingertips (in a separate folder) during the interview. And, be prepared to leave copies of what you show rather than expect to have the principal or superintendent mail materials back to you. Doing so creates a sense of obligation on their part, which doesn't work in your favor.