A senior administrative position in a school system is that of head of school. They are in charge of the school’s overall management, including curriculum development, personnel administration, and financial planning.
Candidates with a track record of success in school administration are sought after by hiring managers. Write a head of school cover letter that stands out from the crowd by using the examples and advice from this page.
The Cover Letter’s Job
The purpose of a cover letter is to move you up the “definitely interview” list.
If your cover letter is ineffective, the process will come to an end. Youre out of the running.
Knowing the goal of the cover letter is necessary to writing one that is effective. Your cover letter is NOT:
- An explanation of your existence and why you are interested in the job
- A narrative restatement of your résumé
- Please let the reader know that you meet the position’s minimal legal requirements.
Cover letters that only cover the fundamentals don’t provide the reviewer with any useful information. They don’t do their job, so you don’t get the job.
Don’t Be Perfunctory—Sell Yourself
As educators, it can be challenging to sell yourself, but you must do so in your cover letter.
This doesnt mean that you:
- Brag or boast
- Make unsupported claims
- Explicitly say that youre the best person for the job
However, you must persuade the reader that you are the most qualified for the position.
I’ve read a ton of cover letters that fill the page with flimsy, vague, and ultimately unhelpful niceties that don’t help the reader land a job.
Be aware that by presenting a convincing case for yourself, you are actually doing the reader a favor. Reading cover letters most of the time is a complete waste of time for the person reviewing applications because they don’t actually reveal anything insightful about the applicant, and as a result, they all sound the same.
Avoiding this error will give you a great opportunity. If you create a compelling cover letter that sells your candidacy, you’ll stand out from the competition.
Don’t Duplicate Your Résumé—Bring It To Life
Your certifications, degrees, and years of experience should all be listed in your résumé. Your cover letter has a different job.
When it comes to qualifications, your cover letter should:
- Make connections for the reader by consistently describing how the skills you are highlighting actually matter. As an illustration, “My extensive experience working with teachers as an instructional coach has allowed me to develop both the knowledge and the relationship-building abilities that are required to be a principal who is truly an instructional leader. ”.
- NEVER mention minimum qualifications, e. g. “I have a beginning principals certificate from XYZ university”. A cover letter that boasts about having met the position’s minimum requirements is the epitome of “rookie!”
- Describe your experience in terms of how it will help the organization, particularly its students. g. %E2%80%9CMy passion for restorative justice compelled me to lead the development of a behavior intervention program that reduced out-of-school suspensions by 63% ”.
In other words, don’t just talk about the information on your resume (and definitely don’t talk about the information that doesn’t make you stand out).
Tell a story. Create a picture for the reader so they can see your qualifications and how well suited you are.
View this episode of Principal Center TV for an alternative perspective on your cover letter.
Download My Ultimate Cover Letter Template
You can use my straightforward, one-page template to create a cover letter that will crush the competition.
It’s not a fill-in-the-blank situation; in fact, none of my words will be used. However, you will have a guide that details the goals of your letter, paragraph by paragraph.
