Hiring Myths

I'm in the process of hiring new staff here at PCC and I'm working hard on learning as much as I can about how to develop a strong hiring system that attracts and finds superior talent time and time again. I've made a lot of mistakes along the way when it comes to hiring and here are some stupid myths I mistakenly believed in the past:

1. The best applicants / interviewers make the best employees. Wrong! I've discovered that its usually the exact opposite. People who interview best are usually those who have done it most. Hmmmm. They know how to tell you what you want to hear.

2. The person responsible for doing the hiring knows exactly what they are looking for and what the job entails. Wrong again. Most pastors/managers doing the hiring don't even have written job descriptions or performance profiles. They fail to define the job and to describe the individuals personality, experiences and skills that will best accomplish stated goals and strategies.

3. You can't get references anymore. That's not true.

4. As the leader, I should do all the hiring by myself. It's more effective to build a multi-staff level involvement in the hiring process. Don't hire in a vacuum.

5. I can't make the process too hard or the best candidates will drop out. Don't believe it! The best applicants will rise to the occasion

Best Hiring Practices

I recently did a podcast interview with my good friend, Dick Hardy. Dick is the founder of The Hardy Group, an organization designed to help pastors with everything but preaching.

The podcast dealt with best practices for hiring new staff.

You can check out the podcast here.

How To Avoid Mis-Hires

The Hardy Group

Today I'm doing a podcast with my friend Dick Hardy, founder of The Hardy Group. Dick is a great guy with tons of energy. He loves to partner with pastors and local churches, especially during times of staff and leadership transition. 

I had lunch with Dick last week when I was in Springfield MO and he asked me to share some of my thoughts on best practices when it comes to hiring new staff at a local church.

Click here to subscribe and listen to the podcast.

Here are some basic highlights:

• The people you hire will determine the level of your success
• Hire slow, fire fast
• Hiring superior people is a learned skill. That gives me hope.
• The best interviewers don't make the best employees. 
• Boring job descriptions usually attract the worst candidates
• Clarity on what you want the new hire to do is critical
• Develop a hiring system that enables you to hire the best people
• Never hire an inexperienced person for an important job