Hiring Resources and
Best Practices

School Tour Planning Checklist 

We recommend paying special attention to candidate communications to make sure they receive
clear, consistent updates even when circumstances change. Email is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to communicate with candidates. Begin this process by mapping out all
touchpoint areas of engagement with candidates, including:

• identify who will be responsible on your team for specific outreach and follow-up to candidates

• determine what initiates specific outreach to candidates

• decide on the content of the message (and procedures for updating as needed).

• clarify points of contact and establish feedback loops that will be shared with candidates

Consistent email updates can help candidates remain engaged and become aware of opportunities at your school. Create an email list of new teacher candidates from the New Teacher Finder and other
sources. We recommend creating one email to all candidates, bcc-ing them, and letting them
know about the opportunity at your school. Ask candidates to respond with a current resume if
interested. Emails to new candidates should include clear, prominent calls to action. Emails to
candidates that have already begun to engage in the hiring process should be used to keep
them "warm".  To learn more, check out this resource on candidate cultivation best practices. 

Like recruitment, selection events can happen online using Zoom, Google Hangouts, or others. Just be sure to give clear instructions (how to sign on, what to do if you experience technical issues, etc). We also recommend recording video interviews and activities to share with hiring managers who can't join live interviews and with norm selectors. Don't forget to notify candidates in advance that they will be recorded. 

Whether you are connecting with candidates in-person or remotely, social media is a great resource to utilize. You can connect with candidates through Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. Try to post daily and work with someone on your hiring team to plan and schedule posts in advance (here's a list of scheduling tools). 

Step 1: Post your vacancy in Galaxy 

• This should always be your first step with any vacancy. 

• Make sure that the information you provide is accurate and up to date and includes a contact email address. 

Step 2: Post your open position and search for candidates in BOTH the New Teacher Finder (NTF) for new, external teachers and the Open Market Transfer System (OMT) for current DOE teachers  

• Make sure the information is thorough and includes detailed information about your school and the role. If anything changes, or the position is filled, update the posts accordingly. 

• Note that external DOE candidates cannot see vacancies listed in Galaxy and rely on the NTF for their job searches. 

• If you find a new teacher candidate through referral or connections with a school of education, the candidate must still apply through the NTF to complete their Applicant Gateway process. 

• Tutorials on using the NTF (how to post positions and search for candidates) can be found on H.I.R.E. Connections. 

• Remember: OMT is open from April to August each year and then transitions to the Excessed Staff Selection System (ESSS). The NTF is available year-round but has the highest concentration of candidates from March through late July. 

Step 3: Attend an In-person or Virtual Networking Event 

• Events are held year-round and are subject or district-specific. 

• Invitations are sent to schools with eligible vacancies in Galaxy or are posted in P-Digest and H.I.R.E. Connections the month prior. 

• Any member of your school community can serve as a representative – APs, Peer Recruiters, teachers, etc. 

Step 4: Utilize the Resources on H.I.R.E. Connections 

• Find NTF tutorials, information about alternative and additional certification programs, sample demo lessons and interview questions, and more resources and best practices information. 

• Use the Contact Us button to contact the Office of Teacher Recruitment and Quality (TRQ) for help creating a list of candidates or with questions about the candidate search process. 

Step 5: Contact Your HR Director or TRQ for Further Assistance 

• Unsure of your school’s HRD? You can search for your school here. 

• Contact TRQ through H.I.R.E. Connections or this direct link. 

Best Hiring Practices

Hire Early

• The best talent gets hired early. Based on a study conducted in a large, urban school district, 60% of candidates hired in March-May were highly effective teachers. Just 40% of those hired in June-August were equally effective.

• Identify your vacancies early by sending out intent surveys to current teachers asking their plans for the upcoming school year. 

• Conduct follow-up conversations with teachers to retain high performers or push for early notification of separation.  

• Once a vacancy is identified, hire quickly to capitalize on when the candidate pool is strongest.  

Create a Hiring Committee  

• To create a hiring committee or find more information about inclusive hiring practices, please refer to the ITHRI toolkit: https://nycdoetrq.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6061860624795-ITRHI-Toolkit.

Use a Selection Model and Market Your School  

• Schools that use a selection model with multiple measures to assess candidates typically hire better teachers because they see a more comprehensive picture of candidate ability. One study on a subset of urban schools that used multiple measures to hire found that  nearly 90% of their new hires were effective teachers.  

• Identify the most important competencies and traits necessary to be an effective teacher at your school.

• Create interview questions and hiring exercises that assess for the competencies and traits you’ve identified.  

• In addition to an interview, have candidates perform a hiring exercise or sample lesson to enable you to see them in multiple contexts performing the skills they will need to demonstrate  in the classroom.  

• To recruit top talent, it is imperative that you market the strengths of your school, treat your interview as a two-way process, and find innovative ways to attract candidates. One national study, for instance, found that 92% of companies use social media to attract talent.  

• Create marketing materials that highlight school strengths to your candidates, e.g. flyers, brochures, school website, etc.

• Identify someone on hiring committee devoted to "candidate cultivation," responsible for developing candidate interests, greeting candidates on interview day, following up with phone calls, etc.  

• Remember - Interviews work both ways, and you should be working to impress the candidate. If your hiring process screams chaotic or disinterested, you will not attract top talent. 

• Begin stay conversations with your current teachers early in the current school year, so that you can take stock of what your team will look like in the upcoming school year. This is an opportunity to affirm and retain your best teachers and gain an understanding of teachers that might be considering resigning or retiring.

• If you have student teachers training in your school and anticipate a need for their subject area, include them in your stay conversations in consultation with their cooperating teacher.

• As part of your stay conversations, encourage eligible returning teachers to apply to Classroom Connect for the opportunity to be a cooperating teacher next year.

• Hiring Team Planning Guide.docx