Unlocking Success: Instructional Coach Interview Strategies

Congratulations! If you are reading this post, you are either taking your first step toward becoming an Instructional Coach, preparing for an interview for a coaching position or searching or Instructional Coaching Interview Strategies. The transition from a classroom role to an Instructional Coaching position is an exciting journey. For many, it begins (and unfortunately ends) during the interview process.

In this post, we will examine common Instructional Coaching interview questions. We will help you prepare to answer them in a way that aligns with an administrator's expectations and by using standards-aligned artifacts. These artifacts will get their attention and help you advance from the interview stage to the final negotiations round.

I began my Instructional Coaching career in 2012, taking on a role as the sole coach for five buildings. The interview process at the time was straightforward, consisting of a 15-minute phone interview and a video interview with a panel of teachers, administrators, and the Superintendent. My Google Certification and my background in creating TeacherCast distinguished me from other candidates. However, many educators applying for coaching jobs today, both within and outside the school district, have similar or even more advanced edtech qualifications.

How do you help yourself stand out in an interview?

What made me stand out then, and what makes my interview stand out now is that I come to the interview table with three things:

1. I do my homework on the school district before the interview.
2. I am prepared to answer several standard interview questions.
3. I am prepared to back up any number of answers with artifacts that not only explain what I am speaking about but show the value that I can bring to a school district.

By having these three things in mind before you step foot in the interview, you automatically put yourself ahead of others in the interview process.

Let’s take a look at what this could look like for you.

The Secret Lies in the Search Engine

Let us assume that you are applying for a coaching position in your own district. This has many advantages.

• The administration already knows you and has seen your work.
• You have a proven track record with your administrators who may be able to speak on your behalf.
• You already know everything there is to know about the district.

Having the home-field advantage against candidates that come in from the outside certainly has its pros but what happens if those on the interview committee do not see you the way you think you should be seen? What happens if they have their own internal candidates going through the process? How do you win them over?

It is for this reason; you should always think of yourself as an outsider while going through the interview process. The only real advantage that you may have when applying for an internal coaching position is that you know of the job before any external candidate will.

This is why it’s important to do your homework on your school district and on your school building.

Where do you search for information about your school district?

There are several places to turn to when searching for information about your school district. Some places are more obvious than others but each of these places are easy, free, and will help you create your artifacts to showcase when tricky questions come up during your interview.

Always Start with your Staff …

No source is more important than your teachers. You may not have access to teachers in the particular school that is hiring the Instructional Coach, but it is your teachers who will be able to help get you inside information about why and how the coaching position could work in your district.

When working with teachers, I would start by asking questions such as:

• Are you currently using your building's Instructional Coach? (Why/Why not)
• What types of things do you do with your coach? (Is it effective?)
• What would you like to have help with in your classroom?

By getting an idea of what your teachers WANT to see from their coaches, you will be able to formulate the answer to one of the most important questions in the interview process. (More on this below.)

It's all about the Data!

Another place to search for information on your school district for a Coaching Interview is a website called EdSight. EdSight is a database that collects a ton of information on each school district that is easily broken down into smaller chunks. If you have ever gone through an Administrative training program, you have probably used something similar to EdSight on multiple occasions.

Through EdSight, you can learn about school demographics, size, budget, and other key metrics to help you speak clearly and intelligently about your interviewing school district. (Note: One question you should never ask in an interview is about the total number of students … questions like this are easy to be found online through websites such as EdSight.)

Don’t Forget the Obvious …

One last place that I always dig around before entering an interview situation is the school's website. Look at the website, search through the curriculum site, and learn what policies they have recently updated. Take time looking through the Technology section, even if you are not applying for a Tech Coaching job to learn if they are Microsoft or Google focused and what Learning Management Systems they are using. This will give you a good idea of what to research before you arrive for the interview in case thre may be questions about your competency on the application.

What type of information do you search for about your school district?

In addition to the surface information about district demographics, their choice of operating systems, or SAAS products, there are other important bookmarks that should be organized.

Data Points are King (It helps districts move one step at a time)

First on the list are standardized test scores. By looking at standardized test scores, you will be able to have a data-driven conversation with any curriculum leaders at the table to help them understand how you will fit into their plan. Their job is to raise scores and your job will be to help with this process. By knowing what you are up against BEFORE sitting down at the table, you will automatically have an advantage over your competition.

The Budget is the Queen (It goes EVERYWHERE)

If data drives the school district, the budget certainly can be seen as following it. Where school districts put their funds is a critical piece of information. For example, does the district support only one, or multiple instructional coaches? This is a key thing to know when figuring out what your coaching position will look like.

How is Central Office Organized? (Are they pawns, knights, bishops, rooks … or all of the above?)

One final thing to investigate is the way a district organizes its leadership team. Do they have a team of senior leaders who move chess pieces around all day or is there a level of leadership created to do every job all day, every day? Knowing this information will help you figure out how your day-to-day role with the district will look and again … help you answer one of our key questions below.

How do you use this information about your school district to your advantage?

Now that you have found all this information about a district, it is important to have it organized. For me, I create a bookmark folder in Chrome and organize all the districts information inside of it. This way I can quickly pull it up during an interview if given the opportunity to highlight my knowledge of their district. Having information like this well-organized will make you look like the professional that you are and again … put you at a major advantage over your competition.

The Ammunition is not in the Artifacts … it’s How You Use Them

Anyone walking into an interview situation knows that it is important to bring along something to show off and share with others. These visuals are great but when you only have 15 minutes to make an impression, it’s important to be able to use these artifacts to tell not just your story but their story and how you fit into it.

Making the panel feel like you are already apart of their team is one of the best ways to keep your foot in the door during the interview process. (Example: Instead of saying “I could” … I use “together, we could”)

The Interview Portfolio

Every time that I walk into an interview, I create a customized portfolio for the school district. One that clearly walks the district through who I am and how I can support their district. This is a great place to also bookmark and add your data points that have been collected so that they know you are extremely interested in working for their district.

Again, the portfolio should focus on the school and how you fit into it. There is no need to explain parts of your career that do not align with their goals. One example of this would be to showcase how you can help support their Google Classroom environment because you are a Google Certified Innovator or Google Trainer.

Remember … you are the answer to their questions so … create a portfolio that shows you being the ultimate answer that will get the job done.

Communication Samples

I cannot remember an interview where I was not asked about my communication style. If you have emails or correspondences with teachers, administrators, or parents… put these in your portfolio. They are great to not only talk against, but to have handy if the topic comes up … and it WILL come up.

Badges, Awards, Recognitions … Oh My!

I remember being on a Coaching Interview where I (i guess) spent too much time speaking about my accomplishments, my ISTE speeches, and my global PLN … let’s just say, I didn’t get that job. But I learned from this.

What I learned is that where these badges, awards, and recognitions will help you get into the interview, they don’t always help you win the interview. For this reason, I make sure to have these things listed, but I downplay them during the process. They are nice to have but if the term ISTE doesn’t mean anything to those you are speaking to, you are just wasting your breath.

Now that you have done your research, created your artifacts, and prepared for your interview, it’s time to plan your responses to some of the most common questions found in Instructional Coaching interviews.

Common Instructional Coaching Interview Questions

There are always a few standard interview questions that will come up during an interview:

• Tell me about yourself.
• How has your year been so far?
• What brings you to our school district?

These are standard questions that are meant to help everyone get comfortable with each other. Candidates have the opportunity to massage the conversation towards topics that will be brought up later in the interview. When aswering these types of questions I always find it best to bring up a few “wow moments” that will be referenced later in greater detail. These are usually not the meaty questions that will come in the official interview round so keep the answers short.

Tell me about yourself.

• Keep this to a tight 30 seconds.
• Be positive
• This question is often a disguise for the question “Why are you here today?”

How has your year been so far?

• Obviously if you are looking for a new job … something has happened … tread lightly.
• “My year has been amazing … my students have done …. (thing 1, thing 2, thing 3)
• My year has been great … how has yours been? (Turn the table to see who starts talking first)

What brings you to our school district?

• I have always wanted to become an Instructional coach and after learning more about your districts (add something from your research) I knew that I wanted to be a member of your team to work with outstanding staff and students.

After the “get to know you” questions where are usually a half dozen or so questions that are asked by each member of the panel. Each of these questions needs to be asked of each candidate so the rule of thought is to not go into a ton of detail but tell a story that will be able to stick in their minds after you leave that can also be backed up with your artifacts. When going through these questions, have your computer up and ready to highlight your artifacts. Remember that each question is an opportunity for a short presentation about how you can fit into their strategic vision.

How would you define the role of an Instructional Coach?

• You could already have the answer to this after doing research on the district.
• Give them multiple answers for this and then allow them to tell how their would like the district using their coaches … then expand from their answer to make sure you are giving the best answer.
• Use a personal story to support. “When working with a coach as a teacher … we did this … and this is why I enjoyed working with a coach and for this reason … I would like to do something like this for your staff and students.”

The Experience & Relationship Questions

• Can you share an example of a successful coaching experience you had in the past?
• How do you build relationships and establish trust with teachers?
• What strategies do you use to support teachers in improving their instructional practices?
• How do you handle resistance from teachers who are hesitant to change?

Instructional Coaching is all about building and supporting relationships. Each of these questions has a good chance of showing up during your interview. I find that it is best to back these questions up with stories and personal growth opportunities.

This is also where your artifacts come in. Instead of pulling out your Google Drive and sharing things that you have done with others, tell a story about how you built a relationship, how it was successful, and what you learned through that relationship. Then show the artifact to demonstrate what a result of that relationship looked like when it was in front of students.

The Administrative Questions

After being asked a number of questions about classroom pedagogy, relationship building, and your communication skills, your Instructional Coaching interview may end with a number of questions about your administrative and organizational skills.

• Can you describe your approach to data analysis and using data to inform instructional decisions?
• How do you stay up to date with current educational trends and research?

For me, this is where I show off my data tools, spreadsheets, and other artifacts that will help set me apart from other candidates who may be inexperienced. The more you can show that you are not just an entrepreneur in the classroom, but also able to support district leadership the better.

Remember that data is everything to your job and the more you are able to support your position and your actions through easy to read data points the better it will be for someone to eventually determine if they want to keep funding your position for many years to come.

Tips for Answering Interview Questions

When going through the interview process, no matter on the phone, on video, or in person, there are several things to keep in mind.

• Be clear and concise in your responses.
• Provide specific examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points.
• Highlight your ability to collaborate and build strong relationships.
• Emphasize your expertise in using data to drive instructional improvement.
• Demonstrate your commitment to ongoing professional development.

Suggestions for Artifacts

During the interview, consider using the following artifacts to showcase your skills and knowledge:

• Lesson plans that demonstrate effective instructional strategies.
• Data analysis reports showcasing your ability to use data to inform instruction.
• Professional development materials you have created or facilitated.
• Examples of student work that show growth and improvement.

The Superintendent just Called You … Good Luck!

The phone rings and you learn that you have an interview for an Instructional Coaching job. Good Luck! The process is a wonderful journey. No matter if you are accepted for the postion or not, it is one that you want to grow from and use to learn more about yourself.

If you have any questions about an upcoming interview, or if you would like to meet with me to go through your artifacts, please feel to reach out to me through my contact page. I’m always happy to help you on your Instructional Coaching Journey!

Remember, the interview process is your opportunity to shine and highlight your potential as an Instructional Coach. Good luck!

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