An interesting finding of the survey (above) is that school principals expect their prospective teachers to have an already-developed technology skill set in order to give them hiring consideration. Principals want new teachers to know how to use technology to create authentic learning experiences for students (75 percent) and how to leverage technology to differentiate instruction (68 percent) before they apply for a position at their school.

In other words, one’s ability to demonstrate how he or she will utilize technology will be a key consideration in the hiring process. That’s because, as with nearly all professions, hiring managers know there’s a shorter learning curve for those who already have the right technical skills to do the job.

You should brush up on your technical skills and highlight these in your application materials and during interviews to give yourselves a greater advantage over other applicants. Add to that the fact that educational budgets simply do not allow for adequate on-the-job training, and the burden is on you to keep up with tech trends as they arise.