Samantha Hillgarnter

October 20, 2014

Unit 2 Reflection
Week 7 topic held a lot of value to me as a member of my schools hiring panel for the History
Department. I had never been trained in any practices of good interviewing skills when I was asked to
join the hiring panel two years ago. I remember turning to the internet and reading dozens of interview
source websites offering tips, tricks, and sample interview questions. I took several questions geared for
the business-world, re-worked the questions for the field of education, and joined the hiring panel early

Comment [MJH1]: This is a good idea as

questions can be adapted.

one morning to start the first of twenty interviews.

My Principal and Vice Principal complemented me on my great interview skills and quickly began
to see me as a valuable member of their hiring panel. Together we spent over two weeks interviewing
twenty candidates for the position of Freshmen History teacher. As a newbie, I thought having twenty
applicants and interviews for one teaching position was normal, and taking our time and working

Comment [MJH2]: That was quite a process.

Interviewing 20 candidates seems like a lot.
Normally, I suggest not interviewing more than 8
10 candidates. However, I hoped this worked for
you.

together as a team to hire the best candidate for the job was the natural interview process. I was very
mistaken. At the end of the twenty interview process we hired a man from Florence, Alabama, who had
recently graduated from Auburn with his degree in Secondary Education. Turns out he was the perfect
fit for our history department at St. John Paul II Catholic High School. Fast-forward three years, he and I
are the best of friends. Together, we and our other history colleague make-up one of the closest-knit
teaching departments in our school. Without a doubt, this is an example of the interview process done
right. This positive outcome is the result of careful consideration and thinking.
Recently our school population has increased. The need to hire a part-time history teacher
arose, and once again I was called to participate in the interview process. Our Vice Principal position
had been vacant for the past year, so the interview panel consisted of me and my principal. Under the
pressure of soon having to report to classes at Notre Dame, my principal worried that I would not be

Comment [MJH3]: I am glad this was a good

experience and a good fit for the school. As you
mentioned, in this case interviewing the large pool
worked for this position.

able to complete the interview process before leaving for the start of graduate classes. Consequently he
rushed the process, failed to allot adequate time for ample candidates to come forward, and hired a
woman based on preconceived notions about her personality and teaching capabilities. Unfortunately,
she is not the perfect fit for our current history department. Though a pleasant person, she has a

Comment [MJH4]: While I understand the

concern of the principal, I find that rushing does not
often result in a good hire.

radically different outlook on the process and manner in which to teacher history, and often clashes
with the other members of the department.
As I read through our Week 7 materials, this example continued to swim through my mind. I
believe this example truly illuminates the joys and hardships which can arise from an effective and
ineffective interview process. Though Im not entirely sure if this reflection truly presents an issue which
I can correct or solve, I suppose my final statement of reflection would be that I hope that I will
always have the time to do the job right, whatever that job may be. I hope that I will always remember
that all of the faceless applications I receive are connected to real, living, breathing people with unique
and different personalities, and that it will be my responsibility as an administrator to find someone who
will fit into our family and help us better ourselves and our school.
5/5
Your experience in being involved in the interview process, Samantha, gives you great
background to reflect on the readings, etc. Youve learned quite a bit from the involvement in the
process and I hope will be able to integrate some of what was presented in this unit.

Comment [MJH5]: Excellent insight, Samantha.