Recruitment season is looming - the dates when teachers can begin handing in their notice of resignation draw near.
This means schools need to start considering their recruitment strategies in earnest - and this year more than ever due to the ever-worsening teacher recruitment and retention crisis, which means teachers very much hold the power in the current market.
This should make schools really start to think strategically about their hiring processes.
Teacher recruitment: the power of brand
Whereas in the past simply posting a job advert may have been enough for a “recruitment strategy” if it led to sufficient applications to fill a post, that just won’t cut it any more.
Perhaps most importantly, when it comes to recruitment, schools must think about their brand and the perception that comes with it.
Brand value is something we are all influenced by - from the clothes we buy to the food we eat and the organisations we choose to work for.
Schools should not think of themselves as somehow being above this or that it is morally or ethically wrong to promote a brand and want to sell yourself to a candidate.
It is simply the reality of how the world operates, and schools that do this well will outperform those that do not.
Be real, be you
Of course, a brand has to be authentic and based on a real sense of purpose - you can’t claim you are a school that is for everybody.
Any business student will tell you that a product or business that says it is for everyone has simply failed to identify its audience correctly.
So how can schools do this? The most important aspect is to work out your unique selling points and what you want people to associate with your school - be that looking after the wellbeing of staff, investment in CPD, community engagement or something else.
If you can decide on what these values are and what you, as a school, want people to think of you when they see a job advert, it should help to ensure that any teacher who subsequently sees a job advert understands if they would want to work with you.
Getting the ball rolling
So how do you promote a brand?
Firstly, you need to understand there is no quick-fix solution here - it takes time and it won’t happen overnight. But conversely, anything that starts this journey and begins the processes of creating that brand in people’s minds is an important step forward.
Your school website is the obvious place to do this with regard to the messaging you put out, the ethos you promote and the vision of education that you promote. This, in turn, should be represented in any job adverts you post, so that they underline what sort of school you are.
But this brand promotion can also be done through engagement in the local community, media coverage or any events you may host. The key is to ensure there is a consistency of message and that it truly reflects your values and ideals.
Make use of social media
The other obvious focus for all of this is social media - you need to recognise that each channel can offer a way to promote your school. After all, while your parent community may be active on Facebook, new teachers may be more likely to follow a school on Instagram, say.
This means you need to understand how you promote yourself on each platform, with regard to the audience, and tailor it accordingly.
If you can start to do all this right, it should ensure not only that potential future teachers know what sort of school you will be to work for, but also that you receive the best possible candidates aligned to your school’s ethos.
This also has the benefit that any candidate who may apply but, for whatever reason, is not successful can remain a useful future contact for another role that may be in the offing - either within that recruitment round or in the future.
Teachers have the power
After all, a big part of recruitment is about relationships and people knowing one another or having a positive association with a school and spreading that message. As such, anything you can do to build this from the start with the right sort of teacher for your setting should be encouraged.
Indeed, within our trust we make sure that if someone enquires about a potential job, we offer them the opportunity to come and chat and have a cup of coffee with us at the earliest available opportunity to ensure that we forge a strong relationship with them.
We also work hard to remove unnecessary barriers to applying for jobs, such as long-winded recruitment forms or application processes, so that any candidate who sees themselves as potentially working for us is able to get themselves in front of us as quickly as possible.
With teachers holding the power at present, schools and trusts must ensure they make any application process as positive as possible for teachers.
Sufian Sadiq is director of teaching school at Chiltern Learning Trust
