Hiring: Part 2
Here are some of the tests we’ve used when interviewing:
BarOnEQ-i: This test measures emotional intelligence.
The Keirsey Temperament Sorter 2: This helps us understand personalities, both temperaments and characteristics.
Applicant Potential Test (G Neil): This test is designed to assess a person’s general cognitive ability. This helps us measure an individual’s potential to learn, to effectively and efficiently solve problems, to communicate clearly and to comprehend complex relationships.
Can Do Attitude Test (G Neil): This test has proven to be an accurate predictor of an individual’s attitude, flexibility, willingness to listen, service skills, ability to work within a team, and overall job performance.
Skills Profiler (G Neil): This group of tests is designed to assess the following: ability to learn, solve problems, understand instructions, math skills, attention to detail, proofing skills, language, and vocabulary.
Basden Johnson Spiritual Gift Analysis: This is designed to give us insight into an individual’s spiritual gifts.
Meyers Briggs: Helps determine personality types.
None of this trumps spiritual maturity, passion, and calling. But all these can be valuable contributers to the process.
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I have hired and fired a great many people over the years and had I been using some of this testing set I would have fired a lot less! Many people will look at the costs on these tests and walk away. Don’t! You will spend a lot more dealing with the mistakes!
Most importantly I agree with what Craig said in part one - pray, pray, pray and then pray some more! No matter how much testing you do, God will always know people better than you!
I am curious, Craig. How do you test for the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person?
Strength Finder (Gallup Organization - Marcus Buckingham) has another test that helps determine the top 5 strenghs or themes in an individual. It is illustrated through a video called, “Trombone Player Wanted.”
Tim,
Thanks for raising the Strength Finder. It is very valauble. I think when you purchase his book, you can take the test free online.
Steve asked, “How do you test for the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person?”
Great question.
You can look for spiritual fruit. It also might help to talk or hang out with the person outside of an interview. Calling references is another good way to find out about spiritual depth.
Can any of you help answer Steve’s important question?
Quick question.
Do you have the applicants complete the test online or in written form? Are applicants allowed to complete the tests at their leisure, or do they take it onsite.
Several years ago we tested the system and found that the delivery method acutally caused some variation in the applicants answers. Since that point, we moved to 100% online tests to ensure consistency.
Checking out the Can Do Attitude Test right now. Thanks for the information.
Check out kolbe.com - great test for discovering strengths and abilities of an applicant.
I’m getting ready to transition my first hire in ministry. I miss hired bad. I hired a graphic designer to administer our student department. What was I thinking? I was sidetracked by her strengths but those strengths were not our needs. Stay focused and hire not only for the future but also for your current needs.
Craig – is lifechurch planning on a placement strategy for ministry professionals that you have equipped and trained?
I’m not sure if I can accurately help answer the question about “testing” for the Holy Spirit but I do think that there is something that is vital to this issue: There’s no such thing as an adequate “test” for the Holy Spirit.
Either a person is imbued and transformed by the Spirit of God…or they are not. I.e., they are either a disciple of Christ and a believer, or they are not.
I would genuinely hope that an individual applying for a shepherding and ministry position would be a believer in Christ, though certainly that is not always the case. Thus, the issue about “testing” to see if someone has the Holy Spirit is moot and, consequently, is even a somewhat arrogant notion on our part.
The Spirit of God moves and edifies as God wills it, not as we would dictate or decide. There are clearly individuals who have a vibrant, vital relationship with God and who better follow the guidance of the Spirit but not one of us are “holy enough” to say with any shred of confidence, “Now that person has the Holy Spirit working through them and that person does not, I know it.”
Thus, I think the real undercurrent of such a question is, “How can you test a person’s obedience to the Spirit and love of God and others?”
I believe a pastor’s and minister’s duty is to patiently, intelligently and with much prayer, try and find the person who most seems capable and passionate for the task set before them, for the glory of God and the edification of Christ’s body.
Certainly, it is a fine line to walk between relying upon God’s guidance and using the gifts God has given us to make informed, Christ-led decisions. Yet it is one we are called to walk nonetheless.
I hope this helps and I apologize for the length.
Craig:
I suspected that would be one of your answers (”look for spiritual fruit”). So we need a test that scores for:
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Kindness
5. Goodness
6. Faithfulness
7. Gentleness
8. Self-control
Against these things, there is no law (Galatians 5:23).
I have a devised a little exercise to assess my love for God and the love I have for my neighbors and enemies. Anybody can do this exercise. They may find it enlightening! It’s simple. I take 1 Corinthians 13 and ask people to insert their first name in the blank and answer the following questions honestly, true or false:
1. _______ is patient?
2.________ is kind?
3.________ is not jealous?
4. _______ does not envy?
5. _______ is not proud?
6. _______ is not rude?
7.________ is not self seeking?
8. _______ is not easily angered?
9.________ keeps no records of wrongs?
10._______ does not delight in evil?
11._______ rejoices with the truth?
12._______ always protects?
13._______ always trusts God?
14._______ always hopes?
15._______ always persevers?
16. ______ never fails?
I total up the number of “True” answers and “False” answers. Then I compare my results with Jesus, who scores 100% “True.”
I may never come close to 100% before my flesh perishes, but I know that He must increase and I must decrease (John 3:30).
Agape,
steve
G.K. said:
“I believe a pastor’s and minister’s duty is to patiently, intelligently and with much prayer, try and find the person who most seems capable and passionate for the task set before them, for the glory of God and the edification of Christ’s body.”
That seems right on the money to me.
Thanks, G.K.!
Agape,
steve
Craig, when you hire someone do you always bring them in on a part time basis to see how they fit? If so, then how do you explain to that person that they didn’t get a full time position versus someone else just hired for a full time position in their department? Is it based mainly off the test scores when you have competing individuals who are both equiped to do the job? Just curious!
Josh
I hate personality/spiritual gift tests with a passion! The whole concept is a little off to me.
“No. I wanna see the kid in the net who wouldn’t take the test.” - Herb Brooks 1980 USA Olympic Hockey team (Miracle)
I have been in a season of waiting on the Lord for my Job situation for a while…and you can’t exactly put “Expanding Kingdom of God” on a resume.
Jesus broke every rule when He hired his staff…its amazing that we even have church today.
I agree with Mr. Marking that we cannot actually test for the Holy Spirit in an individual. I think it really depends on the specific job that you are hiring for. You would want for your worship pastor or teaching pastor to have a certain annointing on them. You might really be looking for God’s favor in others but all these things are not something that we could ever tangibly define because they just aren’t measurable. We can measure how many words per minute someone types, but I agree that it just takes spending time outside of an interview with a person to determine their spiritual maturity and propensity to obey the Spirit of God in their lives.
I agree with J.G. that, on a technical level, if one has become a follower of Christ then that person has the Holy Spirit. And Steve makes good note that the fruits of the Spirit need to be evident. I would also add to that Paul’s instructions to Timothy and Titus concerning the designation of “overseers”, with “good reputation” being one of the criteria. We all have a reputation, but what does that reputation say about our spiritual maturity.
Gene Getz’s The Measure of a Man is a good, simple study on this subject.
Man…I’m reading my comments and they don’t quite read like they sounded in my head. You know the feeling.
I also posted in haste and before I had fully read the comments before mine.
J.G.’s comments truly communicate the point with more grace and tact than I am obviously capable of.
Your (J.G.) apology for the length is not necessary but mine for the lack of tact is.
Craig,
Thanks for your blog! Our staff is using your 4 part blogs for our weekly training in our staff meetings. The 4 week, 30 minute review of your blog and discussions has helped us greatly. These hiring tips are awesome!
I have a few candidates within our church I’d like to administer some of these hiring profile tests too. How do you handle declining employment to people within the church who don’t fair well with the profile tests?
Thanks again for mentoring us through this blog!!!
Dave,
So glad the blog is helping!
We always explain that we’ll be talking to a lot of people. When someone isn’t the right person, we try to affirm them by telling them all that they are good at, but explain gently but truthfully that they are not the right person for this role.
We have to be careful that when people are working in their strengths/gifts alone, they could easily rely on man’s wisdom/experience and not 100% reliance on the power of the LIVING God inside of them!
When I work out of my weaknesses, I see the Lord bring things out of me that I cannot do in my own strength! In those instances, HE alone gets the glory! Not me!
He equips the called, not calls the equipped.
Thanks for the insightful tools you use to discern whom to hire. in reading this strand, I find myself on the other side of the coin. I have seen too many people believe they are called and not do due diligence in preparing for the calling (i.e. schooling, mentored, studying, researching, etc). The belief that passion is enough seems to be often a cover for (dare I say it) laziness and mediocrity?
“God will never do what we can do and I can’t do what God can.”
- Oswald Chambers
As a creative pastor, I have seen people have the passion to design and creatively inform but the skill set and willingness to take critique and grow as a creative is not there. BUT they still believe they are called…what do I do?
I think these tests and tools give us a baseline to go off of. Thanks again for making us aware of your process.