California School Counselor - Winter 2008 - (Page 13)

feature The Six C’s: A framework for conducting better school counselor interviews By Robert D. Hansen, Ed.D. Professor of Education, University of La Verne Retired District Superintendent Los Angeles County and Linda C. Hansen, Ed.D. Director, Education Services Division, Walnut Valley Unified School District 3 4 5 6 Being called upon to participate in hiring a school counselor is one of our most important responsibilities. Selecting the right person has the potential to immediately eﬀect change in a school and positively impact students. Yet, screening applications, cover letters, resumes, and conducting reference checks are not enough. These activities alone will not lead to hiring the right candidate. Many of us have seen the seemingly “perfect” candidate turn out to be a disaster in the workplace. With this in mind, we should properly structure our interview questions through a framework of the six C’s—Competence, Communication, Care, Character, Community, and Chemistry. Interview questions should contain a mix of behavioral questions, open-ended questions, competency-based questions, and hypothetical questions. Behavioral questions should focus on how a candidate successfully accomplished something in the past. These questions are extremely important since past performance is the best predictor of future performance (Gray, 2001). Open-ended questions can provide insight into a candidate’s thought process and problem-solving skills. Competency-based questions explore a person’s expertise, skills, and experiences. Lastly, hypothetical questions contain scenarios, which provide insight into a candidate’s decision-making process. We will now focus on the framework of the six C’s. A brief explanatory statement and sample questions will be provided for each area. 1 2 Through utilizing the framework of the six Cs during the interview process we will be able to better select the “right” counselor for our school. But, more importantly, we will provide our students with the most eﬀective counselor. ■ References: Gray, L., ed. (2001). Interview questions that hit the mark. Harvard Management Update, 6, 9. Hatch, T. (2006). Today’s school counselor. ASCA School Counselor, 6, 29-34. The California School Counselor | winter 2008 13

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of California School Counselor - Winter 2008

California School Counselor - Winter 2008 Contents Presidential Perspectives Jackie’s Jottings Executive Director’s Report Creating Possibilities Through Language The Six C’s Orange County Counselors Form Book Review Legislative Update Research CASC’s 2008 Leadership ASCA Announces Hughes Middle School Memory Tips for School, Work and Life California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Releases Statistics on Pupil Personnel Services Credentials Technology Tips Pics, Clicks and Technics Calendar Index to Advertisers

California School Counselor - Winter 2008

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