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Hundreds apply for five Chardon teaching jobs
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - July 21, 2010)
Hundreds apply for five Chardon teaching jobs
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
The Chardon School District is getting a record number of applicants for job openings.
School Superintendent Joseph Bergant II said last week the district received 746 applications for five teaching positions. "We have not seen that volume before," he said.
Typically, the district may get around 100 applications for teaching positions, so this round clearly broke records, he said. About 95 percent of the applications came from Ohio, he said.
Attempting to choose successful candidates, Mr. Bergant said, starts with building administrators, who sort through the letters and resumes. That initial review narrows the field to about 15 to 20 candidates.
From there, Mr. Bergant said, building administrators invite the candidates in for interviews, which eventually will narrow the field to two candidates. Those two candidates then are asked to meet with Mr. Bergant and the building administrator for another interview.
Mr. Bergant said he likes to be involved in the process at that point to get a feel for the candidate and what they offer to the district.
"It's a matter of if they love children and if they love to teach," he said. "You can teach a person to teach, but not to love children," he said.
Mr. Bergant said he does not get an opportunity often to interact with the teachers in the district because he is often handling the "business end" of the district. The interview process gives him that opportunity to see the person the district will be hiring.
In the six years he has been with the district, he said, he only has rejected two of the candidates that were recommended by building administrators.
Mr. Bergant said candidates often ask what is the best way to get their foot in the door. He said the advice he offers is to send your resume not only to the school board offices, but also the school building they are interested in teaching one.
Persistence also may pay off, he said. If you send a resume in May, he said, you should send it again in June.
He said while no process is perfect the district works to ensure it gets the best and most qualified candidate for its openings.
There are also no-no's in the application process, he said.
If a candidate has an error in spelling or grammar, it is automatically pulled from the process. He said there have been candidates for the principal positions in which principal was misspelled.
Resumes of those who don't get the job are kept in the district's files for two years, Mr. Bergant said.
"The process gives everyone an equal shot," he said.
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