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AFM Magazine


"What I look for in hiring a coach."

An Administrator's Perspective.
by: Dr. John Laurie
Principal, Shawnee Mission West High School, Shawnee Mission, Kansas
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As I stated in Part one of this article, there are many reasons why one coaching applicant or candidate is hired as opposed to the others. Sometimes it is because he is the best applicant, many times because of a favorable first impression. In Part one, I covered some of what I believe are the critical factors in getting hired:

1.) The importance of being a good teacher.

Never underestimate how important it is to be an effective teacher. Make certain that this comes through in your resume and self-description.

The bottom line: if the committee does not bring up teaching responsibilities and assignments early in the interview, you should bring it up yourself. This will show your priorities and focus, and that for you, classroom work is not simply an afterthought.

2.) The importance of coaching experience.

There is no question that successful experience, at a similar position, puts a candidate on the inside track to being offered the position.

The bottom line: study the position and how you fit it, compare your strengths and weaknesses to those required for the job, articulate your strengths and defuse any potential weaknesses.

3.) Be prepared for a "successful" interview.

First, list your three greatest strengths that are related to the position for which you are applying, Become very familiar with your three strengths and think about how these strengths can be interwoven into your answers to questions that will most likely be asked.

The bottom line: be prepared to express your strengths, from several different angles without being repetitive.

I also covered the interview format and some frequently asked questions. Make certain you review this article the next time you have a chance to interview for a position. (See AFQ, Volume 5, First Quarter, pages 79-80)

In this portion of the article I will focus on some things that I have discovered will help you "stand out" during and even before getting an interview. The following items will help set you apart from the masses and allow you the chance to "put your best foot forward."

The Cover Letter (the letter of interest)

The effective cover letter, one that will clearly articulate your qualifications for and interest in the position, is an absolute "must." Make certain that you make no grammatical, punctuation, or spelling mistakes. It is always best to have an independent, objective, third-party review it for you before you send it out. (Remember, it is always easier to catch someone else's mistakes than it is your own.)

The letter should include:

• your desire and intent to "apply" for the position;

• your reason for applying for the position, with specific emphasis on a match between you and the job, school district, etc.;

• your expectation for a forthcoming inter- view; and

• your acknowledgement of enclosures (if applicable).

You should use a traditional letter format. Do not buy into that thought-process that states, "if mine is different, it will get noticed. . ." This is nonsense. (Walking down a mall naked will get you noticed and arrested!) You should send the letter on personal and not your current employer's stationery. Address the letter to the person your research has uncovered as "the contact." The letter should include: proper heading to the contact person; date; greeting; body (see above); closure; signature.

The bottom line: limit the letter to one page, be thorough and succinct.

Some questions you should ask

When given the chance, asking appropriate questions can be very important not only for you, but also for the interview committee. In reality, the quality of the questions you ask will reflect on the final opinion they have of you. Remember, you can exercise some forethought and have these questions prepared before you ever set foot in the interview room. Some questions that you may want to ask:

• Where is the football program now and where would you like for it to be in the next few years? (Be careful, because you should have some knowledge of where the program is because you have done your homework. You do not want to come off as unprepared and looking as if you "just want the job.")

• What major issues is the school facing now and what issues are on the foreseeable horizon?

• What are your expectations of me as the head football coach?

• What resources (personnel and equipment) will available for us at this time to improve the program?

Questions you should be ready to answer

One of the ways that interviewers attempt to get some type of read on candidates is to ask some generic and/or hypothetical questions. Br ready for them and you can create a permanent impression that will get you hired. Here are a few of the ones I have heard over the years:

1. Why should we hire you as our football coach?

2. You have just been hired as our new football coach, and your selection was not popular with certain segments of our fans and school community. How will you address this issue?

3. An athlete breaks a team rule and, by definition of the rules, he is supposed to be dismissed from the team. This information is given to you by the school administration and they are 100% sure the information is accurate (for example, drug possession). What steps would you take? Later, the local newspaper contacts you and wants a quote as to what has happened. What would you do and how would you handle it with the team?

4. Outline briefly what you believe is necessary to develop a successful football program at our school.

5. Give or describe your first speech to your new team.

6. Give or describe your first speech to your booster club.

7. Describe on a chalkboard your basic offensive and defensive philosophy, using a few diagrammed plays as examples of an overall scheme for each side of the ball.

8. Describe briefly how you would develop a kindergarten through 12th grade football philosophy in our school.

9. Describe how you would work with youth league coaches and administrators in our community to create a "feeder" system for our school.

10. What is your approach to developing your coaching skills?

11. What is the last book you have read (football and non-football)?

12. What is your philosophy about mandatory weight training?

13. What is your philosophy about athletes participating in more than one sport?

14. How do you recognize and reward successful student-athletes?

15. Describe a situation where you had to remove an athlete from your squad.

16. How would game officials describe your on-field behavior?

17. How would former players describe you?

18. Describe your teaching style.

19. Describe a parent confrontation that was stressful and how you handled it.

It is my hope that the pointers I have laid out will help you in your next job search. Who knows, maybe I'll be the one asking the questions.Good luck.






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