Land Your Dream Teaching Job

It's that time of year again, you're looking for a job. Of course you're thinking to yourself "How do I stand out?" Well I've got some ideas for you! 

You've seen a million teacher portfolios on Pinterest and they're beautiful little binders and you're ready to tackle it! You're going to make 15 of those beautiful little binders and drop them off with principals all over the area. But I've got to ask...

You'll end up spending way too much money, and really ask yourself...what happens to your beautiful little binder when you don't get the job? The principal THROWS IT AWAY! All of your hard work and money are now in the trash.

So let me show you the 21st century alternative - a digital portfolio! 

• it's FREE
• it shows your "tech-savvy"
• they can be emailed to a million people
• it's FREE
• less intrusive than a bulky binder

To start your digital portfolio you'll need an account at Wix.com (or other website builders - but I love Wix the best! Then, it's as simple as picking a theme and you're off to plug in all of your information.

I made sure to include a fun picture (with a photo release of course), links to my pages, more highlighted links under the big picture and then a quick "Who I Am" at the bottom of the page. You'll notice at the bottom of every page I have all of my contact information along with links to my Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin account.

Click the images to enlarge. 

Here's where you want to give them your background. Be sure to include anything and everything that might spark a connection or a reason to follow-up.

Click the images to enlarge. 

Here's your chance to include all of those great things you've done in your previous positions or during your student teaching. Each picture on my "Our Classroom" page took the viewer to another page with a more detailed description. 

Remember, principals are BUSY people. If they don't have time to explore your whole portfolio they should be able to look quickly and get a glimpse of what your classroom is like. Pictures can be very beneficial here! 

Click the images to enlarge. 

Next, you'll want to include your Philosophy of Teaching and your Resume. I also included links to some of my reference letters. More than likely you've already uploaded all of these things on an online application, but it doesn't hurt to have them here too. 

Finally, I included a "Feedback" page. As part of my professional responsibilities in my 1st year I had my students and parents complete surveys for feedback. I highlighted some of the positive answers on my Portfolio and linked the full results as well. 

After securing my most recent teaching position my teammates filled me in on the "research" that happens during the hiring process. Employers WILL Google you! They will. They will look at your Twitter, your Pinterest boards, your Facebook, your high school schedule, your blog, your dog pictures, whatever they can find - they will look at it. One of the compliments I got was on my organization of my Pinterest boards. I felt so nerdy to hear that, but they I realized that my OCD was paying off! If you can organize and clean up your digital footprint - do it! It will absolutely pay off.

I hope this post has given you some ideas on where to start! To see my complete digital portfolio, click here.

I would love to see your take on a digital portfolio! Post your link below - who knows, maybe a prospective employer will bump into it one day. 

Good luck on your job search.