Jeffrey Schillinger

Dave, This is an interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing it. I'm not sure the difference between manager and leader is clear cut in a classroom. We do want teachers who are innovators and who inspire trust, but we also need to keep them on task and managing student progress toward the objectives.

Dave, Good post! How do you determine if a candidate has the "personality" traits that you are looking for?

Tony, Thanks for this post. You are right on target here. The lack of the minimum stated formal requirements like education or years of experience is a deal breaker. Meeting these requirements does not mean someone will be effective in your school. Ypu have to hire to the culture of your school. If team is important, you need to determine if the candidate will fit in on your team. What are your strategies for determining if a candidate will be a good fit for your team?

Thanks, Tammy! Well said! Instructors are indeed managers. Faculty have to have excellent classroom management skills in order to be successful. Many members of career college faculties do not have extensive teaching backgrounds, though many have management backgrounds. The trick for academic leaders is to help them transfer their management skills to the classroom.

Thanks Tammy! Well said.

Tammy, Thanks again for taking the time to post such a detailed and helpful response. Your questions will definitely make the candidate think. One of the best ways to predict future behavior is to look at past behavior. The theory here is that a person will generally react to a new situation in a similiar manner to how he or she reacted previously. "Behavior-based interviewing" focuses questions on what people have done in the past instead of asking them to respond to hypothetical scenarios. Most of the questions start with "Tell me about a time when you ...."

Thank for the reply Dave. Your approach will help you identify the type of instructors you are seeking! Keep up the good work.

Tammy, Thanks for recommending Faculty Forum. It has a lot of great strategies and recommendations for both resident and online instruction. Communication skills are vital to an instructor's success. What types of things do you look for during the hiring process to identify the candidates with the best communication kills?

Dave, Thank you for your insight. I agree that a team approach is the best way to serve our student customers. What do you do in the interviewing and hiring process to measure how much of a team player a candidate is?

Tammy, Thank you for this post. You show a lot of insight. How do you measure organizational skills and/or leadership ability when considering an applicant?