An Administrator's Guide to California Private School Law

Chapter 3 – Hiring

 How would you respond to a situation involving potential sexual misconduct or abuse of the children you interact with?  Discuss the school’s policies on child safety and emphasize that it has zero tolerance for sexual misconduct.

C. A NSWER Q UESTIONS A ND A DDRESS A NY C ONCERNS Interviewers should also provide applicants the opportunity to ask questions and clear up misunderstandings which might have arisen during the interview. Doing so maintains a free flow of communication and trust between an interviewer and applicant. Interviewers should also be able to describe and answer questions regarding the school, the division or department where the vacancy exists, and the future work group the applicant will be a part of if hired. If the job has attributes that are less than desirable, the interviewer should discuss these openly as well. If information provided during the interview suggests that an applicant fails to meet a minimum qualification for the position or has a manifest inability to perform essential job elements, the interviewer should express concern to the applicant and provide him or her an opportunity to share any additional information. The interviewer should also make clear that his or her comment is a tentative assessment, not a “final” decision. D. A FTER T HE I NTERVIEW The interviewer should use all of the information available to assess the candidate, validate information supplied, compare the applicant with others, and check all references. When assessing an applicant, in addition to considering the verbal responses given by the applicant, the interviewer may also consider:  Did the applicant arrive early, on time, or late?  Was he or she dressed sloppily, overdressed, or underdressed?

 How did the applicant relate to the support staff who may have been the applicant’s initial contact when the applicant arrived at the interview site?  Was the applicant sociable, conversant, retiring, aggressive, antagonistic, shy, or non-committal?  Did the applicant seem genuinely interested in the school and the interviewers?  Was the applicant forthright and direct in response to initial questions?  Did the applicant have an overbearing demeanor or convey appropriate respect to the interviewers.

An Administrator’s Guide to California Private School Law ©2019 Liebert Cassidy Whitmore 89