As traditional candidate sources are increasingly unable to meet new hiring priorities, schools must be more proactive in how they approach hiring. Schools can no longer solely rely on traditional sources, like search firms and independent school association job boards schools, and need to take the lead on sourcing their own talent locally to ensure they are reaching a broader and more diverse talent pool. Hosting prospective faculty education and recruitment events offers independent schools several opportunities to expand their talent pool within their own backyard.
Locally focused candidate education and recruitment events allow your school to reach previously untapped candidates in your community. You can reach candidates who match current hiring priorities, including those who have been overlooked previously, through an educator open house or diversity hiring fair.
Educator open house: An educator open house is an awareness event that educates candidates already in your community about the opportunities at independent schools.
Diversity hiring fair: A diversity hiring fair is a recruitment-specific event that focuses on bringing educators of color into your talent pool.
Despite a focus on national searches in the independent school community, national data suggests that, in general, Americans tend not to relocate for work. To address these challenges, schools should adopt a recruitment mindset and take more a proactive approach to connecting with new talent. The following two events give schools the opportunity to expand their candidate pipeline and reach previously untapped candidates. Each of the following events offers unique benefits, from raising awareness locally to diversifying the candidate pool.
Common elements of recruitment events
Candidate recruitment events can be structured in a number of different ways, but all arrangements require schools to consider four key logistical elements. Depending on whether you are hosting an educator open house or a diversity hiring fair, you will need to consider a few additional elements when planning your event.
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| Event timeline | Event budget | Event location | Event size |
| How long will the event be from start to finish? Will it be a morning, afternoon, or evening event? | How much can you allocate for the event? Where will the budget be allocated from? | What space will you use? Will there be breakout rooms for networking, introductions? | What is the minimum number of attendees needed for a “successful” event? |
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75-100
Educator open house
As schools increasingly focus their faculty recruitment efforts locally, they will be faced with the challenge of reaching candidates who may be unfamiliar with teaching at independent schools. By hosting an educator open house, you will have the opportunity to:
- Raise awareness of your school locally
- Reach new talent through an informative, low-commitment experience
- Teach attendees about your school, the larger independent school community, and the typical faculty hiring process
- Bring new talent on to your campus and into your candidate pool
Educator open houses give schools an opportunity to share what it is like to work at an independent school and to address concerns that may prevent potential candidates from applying. St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes highlights the benefits of working at an independent school, explains the steps of a typical faculty hiring process, and showcases their community and campus.
4-6
Diversity hiring fair
This event focuses on expanding the candidate pool through a diversity-focused hiring fair. Hosting a diversity hiring fair helps you reach previously untapped candidates through thoughtful and intentional advertising. A diversity-focused hiring fair will give you the opportunity to bring people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to your school.
