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When You're Looking for a Paycheck, Not Personal Fulfillment

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Interviewing today has deteriorated into this endless charade from both employers and candidates.
If many employees were 100% honest, they too would say they're just in the job for the paycheck. If they didn't need an income to afford both living expenses and luxuries, they'd be following their true "passions." (Man, is that an overused word in today's false world of employment.)
So what can you do? Play along with it.
If you don't believe you can do this, consider this. What would you say if your spouse asked, "Does my favorite dress make me look fat?"
Or what if a relative invites you to a party that you really don't want to go to?

Shakti of CA 9:20PM September 22, 2009

As a teacher, it is important to understand the leadership philosophy (and thus the educational style and teaching philosophy) advocated by that school or school district. Some research on the principal and superintendent will give you insight on their educational theories. If you want to work there, I assume that you agree, at least in part, with their ideas (if not, you're likely to be miserable working there anyway).
In you interview, play to these ideals. As stated below, many school administrators latch on to specific "buzzwords" that advocated a certain style of teaching. If you agree, get on the bandwagon. Learn all you can, so when you talk about your experience and "why you want to work there", your ideals line up with theirs. Their goals and aspirations are yours - or at least close enough that you can talk intelligently and honestly to that point.

Matt of TX 9:30AM September 11, 2009

Marzec,
I understand what you're saying about the similarity in schools. Whenever I get in a situation like that, I think of the popular "buzzwords" of the time and use them as my lead (this is particularly useful in education, as teaching loves its buzzwords). So, for example, use "learning community": "I am particularly interested in your school because I find it to provide the environment most conducive to building active learning communities...". Or "differentiated education": "I find your institution gives me the greatest opportunity to provide differentiated education, which allows me to reach the most learners..."

Jonathan of OH 9:10AM September 11, 2009

Most of the questions on this forum are directed at working for some industrial company in what is popularly termed, "the business world." I do not mean this as a negative comment, because to be frank, most of the businesses out there are part of "the business world," even my chosen profession has a business side to it. My question is this: when interviewing for a teaching job at a public school, I often get the same question: why do you want to work for us? This question is much more difficult to answer for teachers, because there are more answers that are considered "bad" or politically incorrect. Location is never a good choice, and neither is mentioning anything about student demographics. Most schools do the same thing in the same way, so research is quite limited to what will separate one school from the next. How should I go about answering this question in my interviews?

Marzec of IN 1:31PM September 10, 2009

Suzanne,
I often get this question from job seekers and clients. It's definitely something to think through and be prepared to address. You don't have to love where you work, but you get some enjoyment from your work. Spot on about culture! Culture fit is so important to enjoyment and satisfaction at work and outside of work.
Markell

Markell Steele, Career Counselor of CA 11:47AM September 10, 2009

there were a LOT of people who took great pride in the "personal fulfillment" side of their work--even in factory production positions. I personally knew at least a hundred of them in the 1970s---in an industrial plant where I was the accountant.
Making a good product, supporting the employer, taking PRIDE in decades of service, supporting each other in the workplace, AND KNOWING THAT OUR COMPANY HAD THE BEST INTERESTS OF EMPLOYEES AT HEART---these were all bigtime personal fulfillment factors, even at a hot, dirty workstation. The employee handbook basically said, "We're proud of our employees. Try hard, do right, and you'll be rewarded here. We hope you will enjoy a mutually beneficial work relationship with us for many, many years."
So, what happened? Reagan slapped the PATCO workers (air-traffic controllers) as though they were worthless trash. Then he passed high-end tax cuts to create magnets for managers to eliminate American jobs or ship them overseas. Then nearly all employee handbooks were re-written in the early 1980s with "employment at will" language to insult workers the day they walked in the door.
And now you find that, sure enough, most people just want a paycheck. And a whole generation of people now don't even know anymore what the workplace tone was supposed to be. This is all sadder than it should have been. Indeed, elections have consequences. Don't ever tell me Reagan was a great president. I know better. I lived both before him and after him.

Muser of NM 11:40AM September 10, 2009