Interviewing Gen Z teachers: A candidate told me I was in a bidding war for her

“Have you anything to add?” is a question most principals pose at the end of interviews for prospective teachers. “I like the colour of your nail varnish” is one of the more unusual answers I have heard. The teacher interviewee, lacking polish of any kind, was unsuccessful on this occasion. When I first became a principal, I asked principal colleagues for advice around conducting interviews. In essence, I interviewed principals on interviewing. “Always ask if they going to take the job,” came the first piece of advice. “But that’s absurd!” I cried. “They have gone to the trouble of applying for a job and attending an interview. Of course they are going to take the job if they’re lucky enough to be offered it.” I have since discovered that no question assessing a teacher’s subject knowledge, sense of our school, general investment in education, ethos nor involvement in extracurricular activities is more critical than this question. Recruiting Gen Z teachers during this recruitment crisis is a speed-dating game where the principal is the one with the sweaty palms and dry throat, in cases where we are lucky enough to have an applicant. For the Gen Z apathetic applicant, the question is not “To be or not be” it is rather “For me or not for me?” I have learned experientially the importance of checking if the successful applicant would deign to accept the job they applied for. And I have refined my approach to the aforementioned question itself. I come armed with a dramatic level of pregnant pause and poise. I lean in towards the candidate, maintaining a level of eye contact that were the meeting on Zoom, the candidate would assume we were “frozen”. [ Secret Principal: ‘There is no training that could equip you for this role’Opens in new window ] I signal with all I can muster that this is the question. Once the question lands with the candidate, I study their body language, facial expression and level of eye contact. Looking away from the principal is a nonverbal “no”. I listen for their pause, which also signals the “sweet sorrow” of “goodbye”. I stifle internal expletives when I hear Gen Z candidates say: “I will keep you in mind.” “I’m exploring a number of options at the moment.” “I’ll need time to consider.” “I have already taken a job this week.” “It’s between you and one other school.” Principals, not teachers, are being interviewed for jobs during this recruitment crisis.