How to find a teaching job

Is it OK to send resumes to companies that have no job openings posted? If so, to whom should they be addressed?

Starting Monday, for the five days of Jobs Week, we'll run some of the questions and answers in the paper and online.

Here's one dilemma from Leslie Seilback, 29, of Commack, who took a year off to stay home with her baby and recently received a master's degree in education.

Send us your questions and our all-star jobs panel can help.

Question
My name is Leslie Seilback. I am 29 years old. I graduated from SUNY Albany with a degree in psychology and continued on at Hofstra for an M.A. in industrial organizational psychology. After spending four years in the human resources industry, I had a baby and took a year off to raise him. I returned to school (yet again) to change careers (or that was my intent at least- FOR THE LAST TIME) and just received a master's degree in education.

I live in Commack and have been dropping off resumes to school districts, e-mailing them to friends and trying to network as much as I can. Unfortunately, some of the districts aren't even taking resumes for substitute teachers!

How can I get a job teaching if I can't even get a foot in the door subbing?

Answer
Tarek Pertew, marketing director, MyWorkster.com, an online social recruitment site for college educated professionals, based in Plainview.

"So, you just got your degree and you need to put it to use. Right? Well, you've chosen an industry that is tough to crack into right now, so strike one! Just kidding. You have options, but in a tough economy, flexibility, proactivity and persistence are very important and characteristics that WILL land you a job.

You are clearly well educated and qualified for a role in almost any school district. Your background is strong for an entry level teaching position and your confidence should be high. Where do you go from here? Take a minute to read this article.

I have chosen 2 pieces of advice that you may initially find unattractive, but that help define what I mean by being flexible, persistent and proactive. Here is the first piece of advice I choose to pull out:

"If you want to teach and you are passionate about a low-demand subject area, take the time while you are in school to become certified in an additional, high-demand subject area to boost your desirability."

But you just got out of school for crying out loud! Noted, but don't rule out some additional course work just yet...The second point of interest describes how one job seeker, similar to yourself, landed the job she wanted by taking proactive steps:

"She flew off to Washington DC for some real world experience. She took an internship with a congresswoman on the Committee on Education and Labor and was able to sit in on meetings and set herself apart from her peers on her resume."

Yuck! You just had a baby and the thought of leaving is awful. But a stitch in time saves nine! Consider taking on an internship for a few weeks, even if it is outside of the net you cast as possible locations for work. This step will get you the experience you want/need, time will fly by quickly, and before you know it, your options have increased.

Additionally, if your background in psychology is knocking on the door of your memory, screaming, "Remember Me!" Listen! You should talk up your education in psychology at a level equal to that of your degree in education. Right now companies are snagging highly educated talent for less money. You have a specialized background in psychology, and coupling that with a degree in education makes you one heck of a candidate to not only teach your subjects, but manage them as well. Make sure decision makers know this about you.

Think of all those steps above and consider those that you have taken to this point. Dropping off resumes is a dying business, and it should be. You need to get in the face of people, shake them up a bit, and say "look what I have to offer!" A resume won't say that without you standing behind it. Be aggressive. Start networking online. Join education groups on Linked-In. Become part of the conversation. You can do this in one night! You may wake up tomorrow with a totally new game plan!

Answer
Kerry Wilkie, Hampton Bays, former schoolteacher with a master's degree in special education, co-founder of UntappedAbility Job Matching Service, which helps former stay-at-home mothers find employment.

"Sometimes the schools in the top Long Island School Districts have an over abundance of substitute teachers because those are the desirable schools, where someone would hope to land a job. My first piece of advice would be to submit your resume to a school where there is more of a need for educational support. Some districts have more teachers' aides and support positions than others.

If you want to get a foot in the door to one of the schools in Commack, you may have to find a starting position. You can take a job as a substitute student monitor. Also, I suggest volunteering. Become familiar with the district's Web site and contact any committee chairperson on ways you can contribute. Contact the PTA president and by using your background in psychology, come up with a great program to present to the PTA

Some of these ideas may not be what you have planned, but if you start here, someone will surely recognize your talents and realize what an asset you would be to the district.

If you have a Facebook page make sure it represents the type of educator the school district is looking for; they do check them!

You can also visit www.olasjobs.org/longisland, which is an online application for educators.

Answer
Thomas J. Ward, Jr., director of the center for career development, Adelphi University, Adelphi University.

 "The job search is a process, and especially during these times, there are no simple and quick fixes. It can be frustrating, but it is crucial to remain positive and focused on doing something productive each day towards your goal of securing a job. Here are some strategies that can help:

1. Continue to network with friends and relatives, but target your search by

expanding your network in your local school district. If you have not already, join the PTA, volunteer at school events, and get to know teachers and administrators. Generally speaking, employers are not willing to take chances. They are only dealing with candidates whom they are familiar with or who have been referred to them.

2. Utilize your university's career center and connect with your school's alumni relations office.

3. Check out and upload your resume onto www.olasjobs.org. This is a key online application system for educators.

4. Use your detective skills and explore educational opportunities in private schools and nonprofit organizations. A helpful resource for researching Long Island public and private schools is www.longislandschools.com.

5. Consider joining professional associations such as the American Association for Employment in Education - www.aaee.org

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