How not to hire the wrong staff member

Book Review: Hiring Church Employees, Written by the staff of Genuine HR

Hiring staff members is one of the many things that pastors do not learn in seminary. Genuine HR has taken the initiative of addressing that issue.

The authors designed a practical guide book that outlines the necessary steps of the hiring process from application to first day on the job. The book begins with assessing the needs of the organization so as to decide what position to fill. The process then moves to determining what qualifications are necessary to be successful in this position. From there, the authors explain how to advertise the position. They then describe what to do when resumes start pouring in. The next step is knowing how to conduct an interview. Once the right candidate is chosen, and they describe how to make that choice, they finish the process by explaining what paperwork should be filled out once the applicant is hired and starts work.

The first half of the book felt like it was more applicable for hiring support staff as opposed to pastoral staff. The section on interviewing and hiring practices is helpful regardless of the staff position. Having made mistakes and hired the wrong person on at least one occasion, I found the material helpful and informative, as it gave me some new things to think about. While I might not follow all of their suggestions, I will pull out my copy and consider their ideas the next time I need to hire a staff member.

The book includes an excerpt from New Hire Forms for your Church.

I received this book for free from Genuine HR in exchange for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.