School Administrator - help me get the job!!

[mrsdaz]

I have applied for a position as a School Administrator, this is the perfect job for me as it is term time and what i enjoy.

I have an interview and really want to ensure i get the job...can anyone give me any tips??

My last job before baby was in Sales so i want to ensure i make them realise i do want an admin role.

Thanks in advance

They are not in the least bit bothered what YOU want, and there is no way that you can change that.
They want an efficient administrator.
You need to be able to show them that your knowledge and experience makes you the ideal candidate for the job.
Think what the job ad is asking for, then think what examples you can give of how you have acted/reacted/responded in the past.
Think what the job ad doesn't say - what qualities/attributes are expected? What can you offer on that front?

Well done on getting the interview - hope this helps a little - and Good Luck!!

Your sales experience should be useful as hopefully you will have excellent customer service and communication skills - if you are the 'link' between the school and parents this is essential. Good luck with the interview.

I would make the effort to find out what computer package is used and express familiarity with it or at least a willingness and the ability to learn.

Schools can be picky as obviously these sort of jobs are very sought-after. I'd try to offer that little bit extra: eg I'd love to run the netball team or I can help with the chess club or I'm very interested in first aid.

I agree, they're looking for someone who can fulfil their idea of the job not yours. So, make sure you can demonstrate your suitability by providing an example for each point on the person specification.

For example if they want excellent organisational skills then they may ask a question on how you would prioritise your workload. It's not enough to say 'I would do this or that'. You need to give an example of when you did this or that. Try to follow the STAR system.

S: Situation - background
T: Task - what you had to do
A: Action - how you did it
R: Result - what were the consequences (hopefully positive from your point of view!)

It's a good system to follow as it is logical and concise and helps avoid waffle.

There are more resources around this on the internet.

Good luck!

Sometimes it can be difficult translating your skills and experience into employer friendly language. What terminology are they using, and can you package your 'transferable' skills up into a neat bundle for them so it's what they want as well as what you want?

Have a go at this (free) 10 min online test for starters: www.venturenavigator.co.uk/skills

Good luck!

They'll probably also want to know about your understanding of safeguarding children (and may ask you some scenario questions about that), and that you can deal tactfully with a wide range of people from children, to parents, to Ofsted inspectors, as well as school staff of course. They might also ask if you have any cash handling/finance experience.

Good luck with the interview!

What sinkingfeeling said. They usually want to know how you would react to a distressed child or rude parent (keep calm, stay polite, refer to manager if necessary), whether or not you have used the school software (no but you have used x and y systems and learn very quickly) whether you can cope with the distractions and background noise (it's a school and you've worked in environments where there was a constant hum and a buzz which you like).

Some interviewers want to be sure that you don't hate kids and you understand that it's all about supporting the teachers and managers in creating an environment to secure the best outcomes for young people by ensuring that admin tasks are done on time, to a certain quality and efficiently. If you have ever worked with difficult customers, you should talk about that.

if you have a job description, try to give examples of when you have done those in the past (or at least used similar skills which feel are transferable like handling difficult customer, taking minutes, organising events and using software)

Read up about the school !! and have an answer ready for 'why do you want to work at this school'