Your mission—should you choose to accept it—is to rise above the competition and land multiple offers for your next-level instructional leadership role...so you can fulfill your professional calling and have a greater impact on student learning.

This is a head-to-head competition—and to win it, you must think like an athlete.

Winners in this arena aren't chosen "when it's their time" or "when the right fit comes along." They win as a result of focused effort. 

Athletes don't show up unprepared for the big day. They train for months in advance—mastering the fundamentals, eliminating their weaknesses, and studying the competition so they can rise above. 

When you understand the nature of the hiring process, you can prepare yourself to succeed, no matter what obstacles you face. Your journey as a competitor has five main stages:

However, you won't always move linearly through these stages—as your job search unfolds, your situation can change rapidly.

New positions open all the time, and you'll suddenly get called to interview for jobs you'd already forgotten about.

That's why it's essential to prepare—and be ready to adapt the moment you see a new position or get called in for an interview.

To land your next-level instructional leadership role, you must make it through a gauntlet of three gatekeepers: 

1. Application screening—the review of your cover letter, résumé, and application details, which will determine who gets an interview.

2. Interviews—two or more rounds of questioning to reveal who you are as a leader—the person behind the paperwork.

3. Reference checks—a final check to verify that you're the real deal. Most people don't realize that their references are actually involved from the very beginning of the process—in putting out feelers, putting in a good word for you, and connecting you with opportunities. 

Feeling stuck? Wondering where to focus your efforts right now? Our interactive assessment helps you focus on the most important actions at every stage of your job search, with instant recommendations. 

Use our proprietary drag-and-drop organizer to keep track of the jobs you're applying for at every stage of the hiring process—plus keep your documents, answers to application questions, and other key information handy so you can apply for more jobs, faster.

Interviews are your moment to shine—so it's essential to walk in prepared and confident. 

Most people are unaccustomed to talking about themselves, so they fail to provide enough evidence that they're right for the job. 

In our exclusive VIP (Video Interview Practice) interactive tool, you'll practice 52 handpicked interview questions—on camera, with the timer running. 

If you can give a 5-minute answer to any question, loaded with accomplishments and evidence of your leadership abilities, you'll have no trouble rising above the competition.

But preparation isn't just thinking out loud—it's about constructing answers that highlight your experience. 

In the Ascend Masterclass, you'll learn how to mine your experience for the best stories and accomplishments...

...and organize them into coherent, easy-to-remember answers...

...so you're ready for whatever questions are thrown at you. 

The Cover Letter Generator is our drag-and-drop, multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank app for writing a powerful cover letter that gets you more interviews.

In less than an hour, you can have a brand-new cover letter. Simply fill in the blank fields, choose from up to 8 multiple-choice options for each phrase, and customize your accomplishments.  

Stand out with these ten sets of fully customizable Microsoft Word .docx templates for your résumé & cover letter—built with precisely the right sections, in the right order, to make your experience shine through.