This digest presents steps that school boards and district officials can take to find qualified applicants for vacant school-leadership positions. It discusses various long-term strategies, such as increasing the candidate pool through career ladders and recruiting teachers through internships and training programs, that districts can enact immediately. Once a vacancy arises, the first step in conducting a principal search is to announce the position. A job model or description should accompany the announcement, and those with hiring authority should have a set of criteria for selection before beginning the screening process. Typically, screening is a two-step process. After the personnel office reviews resumes and applications for candidates, a more formalized paper screening of qualified candidates is performed. Screeners should use a standardized ranking system to rank applicants systematically before issuing invitations for interviews. The text includes suggestions for conducting an effective interview. The district must ensure that an interviewer is trained to make the most of an interview. Interviews are more effective when all candidates are asked identical, predetermined, well-thought-out questions. Districts can make a principalship more attractive to candidates by emphasizing the principal's role of instructional leadership and de-emphasizing budgetary and legal responsibilities. (Contains 13 references.) (RJM)