Dear J.T. & Dale: I am currently in my first year as a teacher. Many of the things I was assured would happen during the year did not transpire. On top of that, my position is being eliminated for next year, so I had to start looking for a new job, both in this district and in others. I was one of two final candidates for a job in my current district. When asked by the principal during the final interview if I would say “yes” right away if offered the job, I hesitated. The next day, I found out I didn’t get it. I was crushed. Should I have handled it differently? — Carolyn

J.T.: I know it hurts to be turned down, but I honestly think they did you a favor. You weren’t happy there, and next year sounds like it would have been more of the same — the same players yield the same results, right? I’d look at what transpired as an opportunity to focus on other districts’ opportunities and get excited that you’re going to get a fresh start with a new set of colleagues.

Dale: Yes, but in searching for those new opportunities, you may well face a similar interview situation. For many years, my sister chaired a large department at a large high school, and her hiring decisions were always complicated by transfers, seniority, quotas and so on. One decision impacted several others in the chain, and sometimes one or more decisions had time pressure. The point is that you may again be pressed for an immediate answer. The solution is to increase your level of preparation. You do your research and go into the interview knowing whether it’s a job you really want.

J.T.: Yes, your first year has allowed you to learn a lot about what you do and don’t want in a job, and that simplifies your research. Looking back, I think you answered the interview question as well as you could have on the spot. Your unresolved feelings were going to come through, regardless of what you said. So Dale’s right about knowing ahead of time what you really want — when asked for a decision, you’ll be convincing when you are convinced.

Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a professional development specialist and founder of the consulting firm jtodonnell.com. Dale Dauten’s latest book is “(Great) Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success” (John Wiley & Sons). Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via e-mail, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.