I've noticed some last minute jobs popping up (school starts on the 24th!) and have been applying to them. I always get a confirmation email when I apply/update my application with the district. I was just about to email the principal of a paticular elementary when the confirmation email specifially said to not contact principals or administratives. The reasoning they gave was that the hiring managers will pre-screen all applications and pass the info along to the principal. Will I hurt my chances of getting an interview if I go against the rules and send the principal an email anyway? Sorry if this has already been asked. Thanks!
Don't contact the principal if it says not to. However, there is nothing wrong with contacting HR. Getting in good with them is almost as good as contacting the principal. They're the people that are pre-screening you.
so there really isn't one right answer. it depends on the principal. there could be principals who understandably may be agitated by all the e-mails and have it count against your or you could really pique the interest of a principal and since there is usually internal tension in a district, you could cause that principal to take an interest in you and go around HR. there's no way of knowing how the admin will react unless you have some info about the admin. it really varies by district. i wanted a leave replacement in a district where i was liked as a sub so i sent several follow-up e-mails and heard nothing. after two weeks, when i called the dept chair's secretary she said i should have called earlier b/c as a district sub she would have pulled my resume for the chair. by the time i called, they were down to the final candidate. so, it's really a gamble and unless you know more about the P you will not know if it's better to e-mail or not to e-mail...
That's a risk I wouldn't take. There is a reason for them to not want you to contact the admin. I would, however, contact HR and make yourself known to them.
Honestly, as a P, I would advise against it. The P's have probably told headquarters that they have too much going on to screen applicants, speak to applicants, etc., and that they trust headquarters to only send qualified applicants for the interviews.
It wouldn't surprise me if HR were trying to prevent end-arounds to shore up their own fiefdom. Happens all the time in the corporate world.
If it says not to, then dont contact them. however, I was using applitrack to apply and every single one said not to contact (it was the same gernerated message) so I went ahead and just send an email to the schools I really wanted into. At this point, I dont think it would hurt unless a specific district says not to contact them.
Our district says not to... but I have had my P tell me to ask interested teachers that I know (with experience) to go ahead and send their resume/cover letter to him directly because he cannot view their info until the district office releases the job. So, he gets a jump ahead of the game and is ready to hire before the job is even listed on the job page of our district website. So... at this point, I might send directly to the P. But, that is me. What do you really have to lose? Continue to try to meet with HR, of course. Good luck!
I have heard a lot of counties say that, but at this point with the school year starting, is it better to sit around and hear nothing? Or to break the rule and not hear anything? They seem about equal to me... might as well try something differently than you have been doing!
I was thinking about this, too. The district I am applying to has the same policy and so far I have not contacted any principals. However, after countless application I haven't even had one interview. :-( I was thinking of maybe dropping off my resume at the schools that still have openings. I'm still debating this.. Do I have anything to loose besides some ink and paper? If I decide to drive to the schools, is it okay just to hand in a resume and a letter of interest? The job hunt is so frustrating..
Absolutely go by and drop off your resume and cover letter. Be sure to make the most of the trip. Dress professionally, and most importantly (in my opinion) walk in confidently and control the room. You'll "feel it" after you leave if you did it right. You can almost hear the staff talking about what a nice lady/man you are through the walls
