Recruitment: Fair or Fracas?

For the heads of several hundred international schools around the world ~ the clock is ticking to fill the remaining staff vacancies for August. The long series of recruitment fairs which began last winter are nearly over. With the pressure mounting, the final fairs are more like a fracas.

To use a baseball analogy ~ it’s the 9th inning. To use a soccer analogy ~ it’s the 88th minute. To put it bluntly ~ time is running out.

I had the chance to watch a recruitment fair close up last month while attending a meeting in London. The meeting and fair were two side of the same coin: promoting international education and working with the many schools that provide valuable services to students and parents around the world.

Here’s the drill! Recruiters arrive on Wednesday. They review resumes and references on Thursday (despite advances in technology and e-communications, many recruiters still want to see candidates in person ~ or press the flesh as it were). Friday morning is the “round-robin” sign-up when candidates scramble around a big room to set up meeting times.

The remainder of the weekend is spent in interviews, confirming job offers and praying (for the recruiters) that potential candidates accept the positions.

Then there is the dreaded envelope under the door...

...Dear Sir: thank you for the stimulating interview yesterday. Your website is brilliant. The curriculum is dynamic. I know I could take the Mandarin program to new heights and I've always wanted to coach a sled-dog team. However, I've just signed a contract to teach in Xanadu. Thanks a lot.

Oh, dear! Three positions filled this weekend ~ four more to go. Four more to go … four more to go.

It’s going to be a sleepless night.

Sleepless in Seattle
Sleepless in Singapore
Sleepless in Santiago