smartMatch: meet Krystle De Guzman
Over to Krystle….
I’ve more than 10 years education recruitment experience covering both international and UK schools. I previously oversaw the strategic resourcing for one of the UK’s largest Multi Academy Trusts and I currently serve on the Board of Governors for an all-through UK academy.
Outside the office I enjoy keeping active; everything from barre, gym, dancing (I’ve practised ballet since I was three) horse riding and recently I completed Tough Mudder. I also have a passion for travel and my next stop is Tel Aviv. I also enjoy eating out.
Do you have any advice for schools that receive a last-minute resignation or urgent vacancy?
Assess if there is anyone who can be hired internally. There are also options available to train good staff for teaching roles. Tes Institute provide training for TAs and unqualified teachers who'd like to gain QTS without leaving your school through their Straight to Teaching programme.
Look to your current staff network - ask teachers if they know anyone they can recommend for the position. Great people know great people and they’ll often be able to offer you advice on who will be a good fit for your school if they already work there.
Review candidates who’ve applied for roles at your school recently as they may still be available.
Reach out to a trusted and reputable recruitment agency or smartMatch, as they can help you reach teachers who are interested in new opportunities and those that are available to start ASAP.
Most importantly, don’t take any of these approaches in isolation.
What are your top three tips for schools looking for their ideal candidate?
- Make sure that the right people are involved in the screening and interview process. Those who know the department and its staff inside and out will know the potential challenges a new employee may face and will therefore have a good idea how a person will fare in their team.
- Skills, knowledge and qualifications will help place the most experienced candidates in the interview room but are not always indicative of whether someone will succeed in a role. Assessing if a person has true heart for the school’s mission and is the right cultural and behavioural fit is equally as important. When a candidate has an authentic desire to join your school because their personal values align with your culture and mission, the potential is limitless.
- Focus more on accomplishments when interviewing rather than experience and knowledge. Your questions should help candidates share their personal career story, so that you have an understanding of how that person reached their achievements and how much impact they have as an individual. A stand out candidate will be able to articulate their failures, successes and learnings for the future.
What makes smartMatch unique?
We’ve the biggest audience of teachers; more than 310,000 have let us know they’re interested in hearing about new opportunities. It’s not just the biggest audience, it’s an engaged audience – they download more than a million resources on a peak day.