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Spring Cleaning: 4 Ways To Fix Your Job Search

Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.

In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organizedâa practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.

For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.

Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach

Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:

How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?

A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:

Negative Trends

You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.

The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.

One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.

The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.

This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.

Positive Trends

You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.

The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.

The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.

Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.

The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.

Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention

Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.

Let's start with resumes!

Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.

The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.

Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.

While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.

As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.

If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.

Build Your Personal Brand

Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.

Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"

Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.

By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.

You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.

Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search

Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.

There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:

Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!

Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job searchâand watch your career blossom!

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Spring Cleaning: 4 Ways To Fix Your …

The concept of "spring cleaning" also extends to your career. In fact, it's the perfect time to take a look at your resume and see what needs updating and what you can get rid of entirely. When was the last time you cleaned up your resume?

If it's been a while since you've updated your resume, don't wait any longer! Here are three easy ways you can spring clean your resume so it's ready for your next job search.

1. Update Your Skills (And Get Rid Of Irrelevant Ones)

One of the most important parts of your resume is the experience summary, which is a list of 6-8 skills at the top of your resume. (You can find resume templates inside Work It Daily's FREE community.) This helps your resume get past the ATS and stand out from the competition, allowing hiring managers to quickly see how you're qualified for the job.

When spring cleaning your resume, it's a good idea to update your list of skills, adding new ones and removing irrelevant ones. What skills have you developed? Which skills do you want to highlight in your job search? What skills do you need for the jobs you want to apply for, and how many of those do you currently have? Which skills are no longer relevant in your career or aligned with your career goals? Think about these questions as you decide which skills to include on your updated resume.

2. Quantify New (And Old!) Accomplishments

If you haven't done so already, when you clean up your resume, you should also quantify your accomplishments. In the bullet points under each position you've held, you don't just want to list your job duties. You need to talk about your accomplishments, what you achieved on the job. You need to quantify your work experience so employers can see exactly how you add value as a business-of-one. Each bullet point should include at least one number. For example, a car salesperson might write: "Sold an average of 12 cars per week."

Once you've quantified your accomplishments on your resume for your previous positions, it's time to think about your current job. What have you accomplished lately at your current job? Are there any past accomplishments you haven't quantified yet? Have you completed a certificate or received any awards? Whatever you achieved, chances are it can be quantified, and it definitely belongs on your resume.

3. Clean Up Your Formatting

The easiest way to spring clean your resume is to simply clean up your formatting. A resume with an updated, simple format will be easier to read and have a higher chance of getting past the ATS. A resume with an outdated format will likely get tossed by hiring managers because it gives them the impression that you're old and/or out of touch.

Your resume should have a simple, clean format with consistent styling throughout the document. Bullet points and white space are also important. Choose a clean-line font like Arial or Calibri (11pt.), not a script font like Times New Roman. Also, make sure you have one-inch margins and no bold, italics, or underlining except in very specific places where you want to focus the hiring manager's eyes. When in doubt, a simple resume is the most effective.

We hope these tips help you spring clean your resume so it's ready for your next job search! If you need more help with your resume or with anything else in your job search, we're here for you.

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3 Easy Ways To Spring Clean Your …

Spring Forward! And gain insights to help you find a job faster with this week’s Summary Sunday articles and posts! In this week’s collection of curated articles and posts, you’ll find information about: Always be sure to follow the talented people who author this content! JOB SEARCH Recruiters hold an important role in hiring. But […]

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Summary Sunday: Issue 548

Recruiting Tips For Hiring Leaders In 2024

The recruitment landscape is poised for continued transformation in 2024, shaped by technological advancements, evolving workforce expectations, and global dynamics. To stay ahead of the curve, organizations must adapt their recruiting strategies.

In this article, members of Duffy Group will explore pivotal topics that are reshaping today's workforce landscape. Discover effective succession planning strategies to help you navigate the challenges of an aging workforce, uncover insights into managing the influx of younger talent, learn techniques to keep your team connected to the company culture in an era of remote collaboration, and find out how to use AI to complement your recruiting strategy.

Read on to unlock the best tips for elevating your recruitment strategy in 2024.

Colleen Neese

January is a time of year when we all get a chance to start the new year with new perspectives, renewed energy, and the lessons learned from the previous year. It's a time to reflect on what has worked and what hasn't, and an opportunity to focus on what's proven to work in the past to create a better future. It is vital to look towards the future as well. Succession planning is something that has been proven to help organizations be more successful.

What is "succession planning"? It's the process of identifying the critical positions within your organization and developing action plans for individuals to assume those positions. The critical steps of succession planning include:

Identify key positions â This includes knowing which are the most critical positions in the company and knowing if there are any upcoming changes to those roles. Are there any upcoming retirements? Are there signs that a person may be leaving? Which roles are the hardest to fill? Which positions would cause an issue if the person were to leave unexpectedly?
Provide professional development opportunities
Cross-train employees â Providing cross-training to employees can help with immediate unexpected openings and can help to develop employees' skills for continued growth. Providing leadership training and coaching helps prepare the future leaders of your organization.
Build a strong talent pipeline â It's important to build that pipeline now so you have candidates in case of an unexpected critical opening.
Conduct ongoing assessments of the succession plan â This is an ever-changing area that needs to be reviewed regularly to identify gaps and needs.

Proactive and effective succession planning can bring many advantages, including reduced risk of leadership gaps, better culture of engaged employees, and an overall improvement in organizational performance.

Colleen Neese is a practice leader at Duffy Group. She specializes in recruiting executives in non-profit and healthcare.

Sharon Grace

Young professional at his first job out of college

Bridging the Workforce Gap: Navigating Development for Incoming Youth Amidst the Departure of Experienced Workers

A common theme I experienced from 2020 to 2023 was the influx of experienced workers, primarily baby boomers, Generation X, and some Generation Y, leaving the workforce and the growth of the younger population or Generation Z entering the workforce.

For the most part, Generation Z was welcomed with open arms. Depending on the industry, the range of open arms varied based on the shortage stemming from retirements, re-careering, and people stepping back from working full time to take a break and care for their families.

I have not experienced this trend in my two decades of recruiting. There also hasn't been a focus on work-life balance until now, and I am thankful for how accepted it has become. We all worked and worked more to learn and grow with a steady path to advance into management roles.

As an executive recruiter, I have partnered with several clients to help them hire leaders to replace incumbents in the past few years during this recent shift. What I have experienced over and over is how anemic the leadership tool pool is overall, regardless of demographics or geographics.

Why is this? Have we missed the mark on the continuous development of young leaders? Has work-life balance taken a priority due to caregiving needs at home? Did baby boomers and Generation X paint a gloomy picture, deterring interest? Is the current young generation focused more on a job today than a career path journey as prior generations did? I think yes, yes, yes, and yes.

What do you do? I believe excellent career path opportunities are available now, and many more to come in the next several years. When I was young in my career, we didn't have leadership coaches and training classes and seminars to the level we have today. For this, I think it's an excellent opportunity for young professionals to raise their hands and ask for continuous development. If you are a leader, this is a great time to pay it forward and mentor and develop.

I changed professions in 2000 and took off my manager hat for a while to learn a new career from a mature young woman in her late twenties, Jill, who was ahead of her time. I was lucky, and to this day, I can say that she was the best manager I have ever had. She made learning hard things fun and easy. She was inspirational, and everyone wanted to follow her. We didn't feel like we were working, while our work was challenging. She was identified as a top performer on a fast track to leadership. She was given additional tools to continue growing as a leader, and her team grew alongside her.

I know other young Jills are starting their careers today, and we missed some over the past decade. Let's all look for a Jill beginning with the interview process. Let's explore, be curious, and be more of a career coach instead of someone who only asks standard interview questions. Changing our mindsets to find skills and traits for a future leader to groom, instead of for today's open job, we should have many new Jills in the talent pool to fill the continuous open leadership roles in the upcoming years.

Sharon Grace is a veteran search executive at Duffy Group who helps hiring leaders hire great people because of her proven track record as a strategic partner and advisor to recruit, identify, and assess talent.

Kristin Pozen

Woman leads a virtual meeting with her coworkers

Welcome to the forefront of modern recruitment practices in 2024. We are marked by unprecedented technological advancements, the evolution of hybrid work environments, and a need to emphasize creating meaningful connections within the workforce.

AI won't completely replace you as a recruiter, but recruiters who use AI could. 2024 will witness more recruiting and staffing firms turning to automation to simplify repetitive tasks and reduce administrative work.

Recruitment automation solutions can parse resumes, manage candidate and client pipelines, post jobs on multiple job boards simultaneously, and much more. Many software solutions also help efficiently engage candidates at various hiring stages while improving important recruitment metrics like time to hire and submittal.

Automate candidate screening â Screening a massive quantity of candidates is a tedious task. With automation, pre-screen your candidates. You can, for example, send them the set of questions you want them to answer. You can also introduce language assessment tests if your job requires language frequency. You can then watch the pre-recorded interviews at your convenience and easily compare candidates.
Automate tracking applicants â Use staffing automation to post job listings automatically to relevant job boards and on social media sites, including LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, etc. Automate tracking the applicants throughout the process of hiring with an ATS (applicant tracking software).
Automate communication â Not being able to communicate timely with the candidates is the main reason behind a poor candidate experience. For the candidate, a new job hunt is stressful and taxing, and they expect transparency during the process. Instead, automate your communication with campaigns and trigger-based emails/texts to reach out to your candidates and keep them updated with their status in the recruiting process.
Automate interview scheduling â Use staffing automation to simplify interview scheduling and allow candidates to schedule interviews at their preferred time. With software like Calendly, you can offer candidates the available time slots. This will allow candidates to schedule or reschedule interviews at their preferred time without interrupting your team's workflow.

In 2024, the stabilization of hybrid work takes center stage, prompting a reevaluation of workplace structures and the adoption of innovative ways to support remote collaboration. Remote-work numbers have dwindled over the past few years as employers issue return-to-office mandates. But will that continue in 2024?

In Spring 2020, more than 60% of the workforce worked from home. By 2023, that number had dropped to about 25% â much lower than its peak but still a significant increase from 5% in 2019. Work-from-home numbers have held steady throughout most of 2023.

Though several companies issued return-to-work mandates in 2023, most allow employees to work from home for at least part of the week. That makes 2024 the year for employers to figure out the hybrid model.

Expect remote work numbers to remain flat in 2024, then pick back up â Hybrid work will become the new normal. But hybrid work will not be a one-size-fits-all-all. Each company, position, and employee may have performance standards to meet to make hybrid sustainable.
Better work-from-home technology â Improved technology also will help remote work figures rebound. Ensuring your remote workers have the tools at home to do their jobs, fast internet, and quiet space to focus are essential. More companies are investing in remote-work-enabling technology this year, like state-of-the-art rooms built for Zoom meetings, with privacy glass that hides the screen from passersby. We might even see holograms and virtual reality devices to help remote employees connect.
Redesigned office spaces â Companies may use the new year to redesign office space to make employees' time in the office more efficient. Utilize building spaces to facilitate brainstorming sessions and enhance collaboration and social interaction.
A new take on office building continues â More cities may look at easing zoning laws and other regulations to make it easier to convert empty office space into apartment buildings, which could help revitalize city centers and ease the national housing shortage.

Hybrid work, the Great Resignation, and the pandemic can all take the blame for an increase in unconnected employees in today's workplace. Workers with lower levels of connection have a stronger intention to quit and a higher chance of job-seekingâwhich is expensive for a business's bottom line. If embraced by the executive team and developed by the general workforce, reconnection is possible.

Ensure that everyone has the opportunity to connect, regardless of where they are located.
Make connecting easier through interactive technologies (i.e., Slack, RingCentral, MS Teams, and other messaging apps).
Be intentional about connecting employees outside of their teams. Make it a once-a-week event for casual connection and a once-a-quarter or annual event for more formal L&D or strategy planning.
Are your mental health benefits being utilized? If not, ensure your employees know they are available and confidential. Do they need to be enhanced to provide more coverage or more access?
Make onboarding more experiential. Onboarding is a critical first opportunity to facilitate friendships at work. Since the pandemic, millions of employees have started new jobs and have never met one of their colleagues in person. Especially for early career employees, this can be incredibly challenging.
Make recharging a reality. We must take employee health seriously for human connection and friendship to thrive. We can start by supporting more generous family leave policies, child care, and elder care. Also, ensure that when taking time off, employees recharge by not answering emails and phone calls. They can truly check out for a week at a time.

Taking a step to build connections within the workplace can be done by any employee. Reaching out to a co-worker through a call, email, or text message to check in makes an impact. Letâs make 2024 the year to build stronger connections within your organization.

Kristin Pozen is a research recruitment recruiter at Duffy Group and a former HR recruiter.

Need help recruiting talent for your organization? Check out Duffy Group today.

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Recruiting Tips For Hiring Leaders In 2024

Informational interviews are an essential part of a successful job search. Not sure what you need to do? Marcy Twete, author of You Know Everybody! A Career Girl's Guide to Building a Network That Works, offers some great tips for nailing your next informational interview.

1. Give Them Some Options

"The good news is, most people will want to help someone new to the business world," says Twete. "The bad news is, people are busy!"

When you reach out to a potential networking connection, be respectful of his or her time by providing more than just a handful of dates you might be available to meet.

Instead, offer to come to their office or a coffee shop near them, even if it requires a long drive or a train ride on your part. Or ask for a quick 15-minute phone call.

"Someone is much more apt to give you 15 minutes on the phone than an hour in person," says Twete. "If you come to the table with great questions on that call, they'll be more likely to want to meet you and mentor you."

A virtual informational interview is another great option, especially if the company's employees are remote.

2. Do Your Homework

"No one wants to dedicate an hour to a meeting and spend the first 20 minutes talking about things you could learn from a LinkedIn profile," says Twete.

Come with questions that are pertinent to that individual's background and be curious about how that relates to your own potential career path.

Not only will it make you feel more confident, but it can give you topic ideas. Twete suggests finding the answers to these questions before you meet with someone:

Where did he/she go to school?
What does his/her company do?
How long has he/she been in his/her position?

"When a college student or recent graduate meets me armed with great questions and it's clear she has done her research, that's when I'm ready to open my network and help her grow," she says.

3. Keep Your Social Media On Point

"Your online persona introduces you to anyone you're meeting well before you do," says Twete.

In this day and age, you should expect to be googled by employers, recruiters, and other professionals, especially if you're meeting with them.

Make sure your social media profiles are either private or 100% appropriate for business consumption. The last thing you want to do is show off that infamous picture from Spring Break 2010. Not a good look.

In addition to managing your social media presence, consider creating an online portfolio with a .com in your name. Start a blog. Upload your portfolio. Showcase your personal branding statement. This will help you control your online reputation and make you look super professional.

Nothing can help your job search quite like an informational interview. By following the tips above, your informational interview will surely be a success!

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Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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3 Things You MUST Do Before Your …

If you are looking to gain more autonomy, respect, and professional responsibility as a nursing professional, you should consider becoming a family nurse practitioner. As an FNP, you can provide preventative and advanced primary care for patients from infancy to old age. You will also perform many of the same tasks as a doctor, enabling […]

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How to Become a Family Nurse Practitioner

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Catering Assistant

Anyone who's ever been unemployed (or looked for a job while employed) knows how stressful and exhausting the job search process can be. So, during your job search, should you feel guilty for taking some time for yourself?

The short answer: No. Of course not.

If we're not spending every waking moment applying for jobs, sometimes it's easy to feel guiltyâlike we're not doing EVERYTHING we can to land our next job. This strategy of applying for as many jobs as possible and hoping for the best actually doesn't help anyone get a job faster. In other words, choosing quantity over quality. This is the wrong mindset to have, and it does more harm than good.

The job search process is about working smarter, not harder.

Think about a normal work day. It's pretty balanced, right? You get up, go to work, come home, and still have hours left in the day to do whatever you want. Your job isn't the only thing you have going on in your life. That's why it's called work-life balance. To sum it up...

Your job isn't your whole life. So, your job search shouldn't be either.

Here are some ways you can take time for yourself as you look for a new job (because you deserve it!):

1. Exercise

via GIPHY

When you're unemployed, here at Work It DAILY we like to say this is an opportunity for you to get in the best shape of your life.

Taking care of yourself is important and regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for both your physical and mental health. It's a great way to relieve stress and it may even help you sleep better.

Take advantage of the free time you have after applying for jobs and get moving! Chances are, you'll walk into your next interview with more confidence and an extra spring in your step.

2. Read

via GIPHY

Nothing helps us detach from our busy lives like reading a good book.

Quiet those racing thoughts by readingâany genre will do! Reading may help you learn something new, gain new perspectives, and help with empathy (all things that will benefit you at your next job).

Knowledge is power!

3. Network

via GIPHY

Although you may dread networking, think of it as a necessary evil. Sure, it sucks having to step outside your comfort zone and you'd rather be doing other things. But nothing can produce positive career results quite like networking. There's no substitute for it.

If you're between jobs, you should devote some of your time to networking. You'll meet new people in your industry and connect with those who have similar interests and career goals. If it doesn't help you get your next job, it may help you get a job down the line.

4. Visit Family & Friends

via GIPHY

Sometimes all we need when we're feeling down is a visit with our family and friends. They've supported you through tougher times, and they'll support you through this transition too.

When you're starting to doubt yourself, they will remind you of your strengths and accomplishments. They'll give you that confidence boost you need. At the very least, you'll have quality time with the people you loveâtime you don't always have when you're working every day.

5. Learn A New Skill

via GIPHY

One of the best ways you can spend your time during the job search process is by learning a new skill.

Whether it's getting certified or taking a class, this skill should be applicable to your new job. You can add it to your resume, and it shows employers you've been doing something productive for your career, even when you weren't employed.

If you try these five things (or just one!), you'll transition to your next job with easeâand it won't feel like you're just waiting out the clock. Be proactive and take ownership of your career like never before! You may be looking for a job, but don't let that stop you from living your best life.

Need more help with your job search?

Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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5 Things You Should Do While Looking …

6 Things To Do To Prepare For Your Classroom Observation

Is it spring yet? Just observe any school hallway to figure this out. Each spring, there is usually a flurry of activity among school administrators as they hurriedly shuffle from one classroom to the next desperately trying to record/file all their required observations by their state deadline.

In New Jersey public district schools, for example, untenured teachers are evaluated formally at least three times a year with tenured teachers being observed at least once each year. This is a similar practice in other states as well.

So, what can you as a teacher do to prepare for formal observations besides downing an entire bottle of Maalox antacid tablets?

Announced Observations

Teacher gets evaluated before a classroom observation

If the observation is announced in advance, teachers can sit down with their evaluator to discuss the upcoming observation and review both their upcoming lesson plan as well as any student assessment data that will impact the amount of student differentiation and/or scaffolding of learning. Whether announced or unannounced, teachers should also be provided the opportunity to debrief their observations afterward so as to improve teaching practice moving forward.

Unannounced Observations

The process for conducting announced observations is straightforward and often provides teachers with an opportunity to prepare a lesson to the best of their abilityâi.e., âthe dog and pony showââsince they know when their administrator will be coming to observe and might also know what the observer wants to see.

However, it also is important for administrators to assess the quality of everyday teaching and learning; hence why many observations of teacher practice are unannounced. While unannounced observations preclude the opportunity to discuss evaluator expectations for the lesson upfront, teachers need not lose sleep over not knowing what to expect in terms of administrator expectations.

As a former administrator who regularly evaluated teaching practice, here are six things that I looked for when observing teaching practice and that you might keep in mind when preparing for an unannounced classroom observation:

Teach Bell To Bell

Teacher calls on a student in her classroom

I can tell you that one of my biggest pet peeves when observing instruction was lost instructional time. I hate when students enter a classroom where there is no introductory task posted on the board (The Do Now); I also become frustrated when class ends early and students are milling around waiting for the end bell to ring. This lost instructional time compounds when added up across classrooms/periods each day.

Instead, plan with timing and transitions in mind. Have students enter and complete an introductory task (5 minutes). Then, engage in a mini-lectureâusually the new information and/or directions for the upcoming student activity (no more than 10-15 minutes). After this, allow the bulk of class time to be used for student practice/peer discussion (20-25 minutes) and then follow up with a culminating/summary activity (10 minutes). To help yourself, set a timer for each section and consider posting the agenda/flow for the class from section to section on the board. Before long, students will come to recognize where they should be within the flow of the lesson and, often, will let you know if you are running behind.

Know What You Want Students To Know And Do

$Empty classroom with math written on the chalkboard$

Every teacher and student action within the lesson should be driven by the learning objectiveâi.e., what we want students to know and be able to do at the end of the lesson. This needs to be made clear to students at the beginning of the lesson. Have the learning objective posted on the board when students enter. Discuss the learning objective with students at the beginning of the lesson. Also, consider having students reflect on whether the objective was met during the lesson summary/closure such as by engaging in a brief popcorn discussion and/or in writing through an exit ticket activity.

Even when teachers are mindful in posting and discussing learning objectives, they might not consider the cognitive lift in which they are asking students to engage. Consider using the Hess Cognitive Rigor Matrix when designing learning objectives/activities that have students both deepening their depth of knowledge as well as synthesizing, evaluating, and creating knowledge as opposed to merely identifying it; Bloomâs Taxonomy meets Webbâs Depth of Knowledge Theory.

For students not academically ready to meet the demands of such a heavy cognitive ask, do not âdumb downâ the expectation for these students. Instead, provide scaffolds and supports so students can meet the expectation.

Check For Student Understanding

Students take a test/quiz or complete a worksheet during class

Assessment is much more than quizzes and tests that come at the end of learning. Show your administrator that you are constantly taking the pulse of student retention of learning using ongoing checks on student understandingâi.e., cold calling, signaling, and/or choral response. Equally important, when students demonstrate a lack of understanding, do not charge on with the delivery of instruction. Stop. Reteach that point. In other words, show your administrator that you can pivot in the moment to meet immediate student needs.

Anticipate what you will do when students fail these checks on understanding. Again, do not just push on. Instead, ask a few students until you get the correct response and then have those who did not know the answer repeat the response of peers who did. Have confused students âcall on a friendâ to help them respond. Checks on understanding are particularly important to implement before students are released to practice their new learningâin other words, during the introduction as well as the mini-lecture phase of a lesson.

Ask The Right Questions The Right Way

Teacher asks questions while being observed by an administrator

Too often, teachers do not plan, in advance, the questions that they will ask students and, as a result, questions rarely require students to engage in heavy cognitive lift. Administrators observing your lessons will want to see that you prepared your student-facing questions to engage students in both discussion and/or debate as well as to assess overall student learning. During the introductory and/or mini-lecture portion of a lesson, it is acceptable that questions be more factual and/or convergent as these types of questions will help teachers to ascertain student basic knowledge and understanding of key concepts and task directions. Once students are released to practice/engage in their learning, however, teachers will want students to reflect upon more divergent and/or evaluative type questions.

Another way that teachers can get into trouble with questioning is not allowing students enough âthink timeâ to ponder the questions being asked of them before answering the questions themselves on behalf of the students. Embed âwait timeâ of 3-5 seconds after asking students a question so that students can reflect more deeply upon what is being asked of them. This should improve the quality of student responses. Also, allow wait time after a student speaks and before a follow-up question is asked.

Engage Students Throughout The Lesson

Students pay attention to the teacher in the classroom

As an administrator observing teachers, another area of concern for me was when teachers never released students to practice their learning and, instead, held students hostage to a never-ending whole class mini-lecture. If I was bored, I could leave. Students, however, could not. Another missed opportunity for student engagement that I have seen repeated is when teachers release students to independently complete worksheets, during the student practice phase of a lesson, which are then reviewed as a whole class with the teacher leading the discussion one problem/question at a time.

There indeed are times when students will need to learn independently before engaging with peers. However, administrators observing lessons also will want to see how teachers have planned out student pair and small group work as a means through which students can discuss learning collaboratively. I often suggest to teachers that they adapt the National School Reform Faculty Protocols, meant for teacher collaboration, to be student facing. As students work in pairs or small groups, the teacher can/should be walking around the classroom addressing any misconceptions and taking anecdotal notes that the teacher might then want to address with students after the pair or group activity concludes. Administrators also would be excited to see how teachers have planned out student rotation work.

Scaffold And/Or Extend The Learning

Teacher helps a student in his classroom

During the observed lesson, teachers may notice administrators asking students about what they are doing. Administrators are doing this to gain a sense of how well teachers have used student achievement data to place students in groups and how the learning process, product, and/or content is being adjusted, or differentiated, for students with different needs.

Teachers often get scared when they hear the word âdifferentiationâ because they think this means that they need to show their administrator a separate instructional plan for each student in their class. This is not the case. Rather, most administrators observing instruction are looking to see if teachers have considered the needs of the different instructional GROUPINGS in the classroomâi.e., those below readiness, at readiness, and above readiness to meet the posted lesson objective and/or unit of study standards. This last sentence is importantâper posted lesson learning objective and/or unit standards. Administrators want to see that you are routinely considering the needs/supports required by students and then equally considering when students no longer need those supports.

If your school is not already using some sort of formal common diagnostic assessment, such as i-Ready or NWEA MAP, you can determine if your students are ready to meet the learning objective and/or unit standards by giving a brief pre-assessment before the lesson or the unit of study. Then, use that pre-assessment data to place students within their appropriate group and determine how you will adjust content, process, and /or product for each group of learners. At the end of the lesson/unit, you can then reassess studentsâconduct a post-assessment which can be as simple as an exit ticketâto see if and how instructional groupings have shifted; hopefully, there will be increased student growth and achievement after the lesson.

Other Helpful Tips

Teacher looks at her lesson plan during an observation

If teachers really want to impress administrators observing their classroom instruction, consider placing copies of your lesson plans in a folder attached to the wall outside/just inside your classroom that the administrator can pick up without disturbing you/your instruction. Administrators also like to see the literacy connections that students are making, across content areas, as well as how teachers are considering student cultural and background knowledge in their lesson planning. I enjoyed seeing/hearing when teachers were able to make real-world connections in what students were learning.

John Schembari is a school improvement coach. If you would like additional ideas on how to impact student lives without sacrificing your own, and have a life teaching, check out his quick hack teaching courses here. You can also reach out to him on LinkedIn.

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