Kool-Aid Hiring

I can’t tell you how many search committees I’ve heard say something like, “we are looking for someone is who is really excited about the position.”

If an applicant has taken the time to customize their resume, if they have painstakingly thought about every word in the cover letter, if they have worked hard to get to the actual interview, if they dry-cleaned their clothes or spent the money on something particularly impressive, if they have memorized certain answers to specific questions, if they are working hard to make great connections with everyone in the room, there is a great chance THEY ARE interested in the position.

Your job is not to gauge and judge their excitement; your job is to make your position as compelling and as appealing as possible.  Excitement will come naturally if you have a great job to offer.  Sure, we do not want to hire people who do not want to be there, but let’s not pretend a person’s excitement or interest in the position makes them any more qualified to perform the position. “Excitement” (whatever that means) does not compensate for skill.

You may want to see the candidate drink whatever flavored kool-aid your particular church is serving, but know that when people lack skill they will use excitement (or passion) to distract you from noticing their lack of qualifications.

Pursue the best qualified candidate (and by qualified I mean the person who possesses the character, competency, and capacity to fulfill the required role).  If you don’t, the initial sugar fix of their excitement will soon wear off and you can expect the on-coming sugar crash.

©2009 Fuller Youth Institute