Interviewing? Here's what I learned

I know this time of year is exciting for many SLPs.  Graduation is (seemingly) moments away, and the real world can finally begin.  The first big hurdle is landing a job- preferably in the field, with CF mentorship, in a setting you want, with a paycheck that might actually support you.  Sounds like a daunting task? Read on for my 9 tips for interviewing for an SLP position.

When I graduated from my program, I applied to EVERY school job within a 60 mile radius.  It amounted to about 90 applications, which was pretty simple, because we are set up by regions (usually counties), and you can apply to multiple school districts that belong to one region/county with just a few extra clicks of buttons.  So it was a matter of scouring the regional sites daily, and making sure that I applied to any new positions quickly.  Around my part of the world, most of the hiring for SLPs happens between early May and late June.  So starting in mid May made me already feel behind.  Although it's been a while, I do distinctly remember some of the things I would have done differently if given the opportunity, as well as some helpful tips I picked up along the way.

From The Graphics Factory

1. Check out the applications EARLY.  I didn't realize most districts around me would want the letters of recommendation before they even scheduled an interview. If you are like me and have two external placements during your last semester, get your letters of recommendation early, even if you aren't sure if you'll end up in the schools.  Better to have them on hand than to watch jobs appear and disappear because you are waiting on that letter.  And check the application requirements.  Mine included essays(!), which aren't huge, but do take time to do.  Seriously, get on that early.

2. Have access to a scanner.  While there are many benefits to online applications, one of the way they streamline is to have you submit everything electronically.  Including but not limited to your transcripts (of which you'll need a second, official copy when you are hired), letters of recommendation, resume, licensure paperwork, etc.  For some things, learning how to save a word document as a pdf is a great place to start.  For things you'll need to scan, the scanner will be your best friend.  Or your worst enemy if you have a finicky one (*ahem*).

3. The suit matters.  When I was in grad school, the career center representative came to talk to us about making a resume and going on interviews.  She said yes, you need a suit for interviews, but as an SLP, it doesn't have to be quite as prim and proper as a suit might be for, say, a business major.  We can add some tasteful color, especially those who were looking to go into the school setting.  But for the love of pete, a fitted suit does matter.  Plus, there's something about it that makes you feel confident. So even if it's the place you did your placement at, and you know the dress code is "don't look like a student," still wear a suit.

From The Graphics Factory

4. Be on time.  Boy, this should go without saying, right? Being a few minutes early is even better.  You don't want to blow in and look frazzled because you just ran from your car.

5. Be prepared for more than one interviewer.  In my interview meeting, all of the SLPs in the district were in on the interview, along with the Director of Special Education. One interview had only 2 people, but that was pretty atypical.  Usually, I saw 5-9 people in the room. It can be a bit intimidating, but it's better if you expect that. Those people can include other SLPs, SpEd Director, principal(s), coordinators, special ed. teachers...pretty much any member of the special education and related services team. 

6. Smile. Remember, inherently, we are a caring profession, whether it is in the medical setting or the school setting.  Even if you are nervous, a warm smile will give off the appearance of confidence, and make you appear to be a good team player.  Which I'm sure you are.

7. Prepare yourself for the interview questions.  There are, of course, the standard questions, like identifying your strengths and weaknesses.  But as SLPs, there are a few role specific questions that I was asked on EVERY interview.  Those were:

• How would you assess a bilingual/bicultural student?
• What populations do you have experience with?
• What assessments are you familiar with? Which is your favorite? Why?
• How have you applied the Common Core to speech goals?

At one interview, I was also given a scenario regarding students with varying needs in the same group, and asked to devise an activity that would meet all goal areas (thank goodness for barrier activities!).

Additionally, if the position works with a specific population, research the population (no brainer, right?).  When I worked at a therapeutic day school for individuals with autism, you wouldn't believe how many applicants had no background knowledge on kids with autism.  Be prepared to talk (without going into specifics) about clients/students/patients you may have had in the past that relate to an experience or population.  You may not have a chance to bring it up, but most interviews I was on asked which populations I felt comfortable working with/ experience in.

8. Have a question or two prepared: it can be about number of SLPs in the district, their RtI procedures, mentoring program, CF mentorship (very important if you are in your CFY!), professional development...basically anything (except salary specifics/benefits), just so you don't have that moment at the end when they say, "do you have any questions for us?" and you say, "uhhh...not that I can think of." 

9. Write the Thank You letter.  In the school setting, this can usually go to the Director of Special Education, a lead SLP, building principal, or whoever else seemed "in charge" of the interview.  Write it that day if you can, because you never know when the decision will be made. Include something relevant to the interview that will make them remember the conversation you had.  Compliment the district in some way, and make sure you include how excited you would be to join the district.  You can Google thank you letters after job interviews if you want to see some fancy wording.

Those are my tips for a successful interview process.  For those who are starting the interview process, I wish you the best.  For those that have already been there, any more suggestions for the courageous souls that are knee deep in applications and listings?

A little bit of structure going a long way

Oh boy! A whole month has FLOWN by!  Somewhere in there, I had Spring Break, which was lovely, 10 IEPs, and LOTS of evaluations.  The weather here has been vacillating between beautiful sunny days and dreary cold rain, which hasn't been very inspiring, and the caseload at my PRN position has been high, so I am spending more time there after school.  Busy busy busy!

With all the testing and the meetings and the end of the year fast approaching, I feel like I have spent much of my time putting out fires.  You know, the student who holds a sit-in in the office because he just doesn't want to be in class today? The student who has been doing fine all year at the end of the day, but suddenly starts having meltdowns about cleaning up and packing up?  My world has been filled with social stories on the go, and attempts at problem solving to figure out why things are the way they are, and what to do next. Most of the changes are relatively small, and usually involve changing the environment and adding just a touch more structure.

Here's what I whipped up today for a student who is struggling with the end of the day.  Last week, we added in a break after cleaning up so that he had the opportunity to unwind a bit.  That helped some, but when I observed him, I saw that he was using his time inefficiently. While many of his classmates made only 1 trip to get their coat and backpack, he made two.  And three trips to his mailbox!  So it seemed like a bigger task because he was doing so much more work!  Enter his end of the day checklist.  For most of us in speech, visual aids are second nature, so this is probably nothing new.  But I always like to see how people are using things in the real world, so I thought I would share. 

Given that it's the end of the day, I didn't want something that he had to write, because his pencil pouch should be away.  However, since I love the feeling of getting to check something off a list, and only imagine that others feel the same, I did want to give him the satisfaction of "crossing something off", which explains the flaps.

As you might have gathered, he's a big fan of a certain web-slinging superhero. 

I started by taking pictures of his afternoon routine.  Then, using powerpoint, I put all the pictures into a table, and added some words at the top (mostly so an adult can prompt him if necessary).  While he can read more than he realizes, written words often increase his frustration, so I wanted him to be able to rely on pictures.  I made another sheet with some webs and Spiderman, so he is motivated to flip down the flaps.  I laminated it.  When he completes a task, the flap comes down and is secured with velcro.

I tried it this afternoon, and it was great! He was the model student- referring to the pictures, doing what he needed to, and then flipping it down all by himself.  He was one of the first to sit back down on the carpet, which is HUGE when you consider that last week, he was 10-15 minutes late getting picked up because he was struggling so much.  Here's hoping that the trend continues.

What I really love is that adding a little bit of structure (in this case, a short break in preparation for a transition and a visual checklist) not only makes things run a bit more smoothly, but it increases the student's ability to be independent and successful, which can be a huge confidence builder. Now that he's learned how to use it, I asked the teacher to just make sure it is on his desk every afternoon so he can start with it (it lives in his seat sack during the day).

I am always on the lookout for different ideas.  What do your visual checklists look like? How do you help with transitions, or dealing with activities/transitions that may be challenging for a student?