Hiring for parish ministry can be a daunting task, but it does not have to be. Many priests find convening a core group of faithful parishioners to define and oversee this process quite helpful. In some parishes a subcommittee may be formed from the parish council. In smaller parishes it may be the parish priest taking most of the responsibility, perhaps assisted by two or three parishioners.

The parish priest can discuss some of the questions posed in the introduction with his team as a way to prepare for hiring. The priest may decide to take a team approach to hiring by divvying up the responsibilities among his team. For example, a different person can oversee each of the elements of the hiring process. Another approach is to have each member of the team create and ask interview questions that cover different aspects of the position. The team then compares notes on each candidate after each interview.

Step 1 – Getting started

• Assess your needs.
• Decide how to meet those needs. Hire a full-time parish worker? A part-time parish worker?
• Decide how much of the parish’s budget can be committed to this. Some salary guidelines include:
• At what rate are other employees of equivalent education, ability and responsibility compensated?
• What benefits can we afford and offer?
• How will this impact the parish’s mission and work?
• What is the cost of living in our area?
• Establish a hiring team.
• Identify the hiring process with roles and responsibilities for all involved.

Step 2 – Writing a job description and posting

• See the resources:
• Tips on writing a job description for a parish ministry opportunity.
• Creating a posting for a ministry opportunity.
• Email posting to Orthodoxjobs.com.
• Perhaps additionally consider putting your posting in local and national Orthodox papers and magazines.
• Email or mail posting to anyone you know who might be interested in the job, and invite them to apply.
• Email or mail posting to anyone you know who might know potential candidates.

Step 3 – Screening applicants by reviewing resumes

• When reviewing applicants’ resumes ask:
• Does the candidate meet the basic, core qualifications for the position?
• Does the candidate meet the specific hiring criteria and skills and experience?
• Establish a separate file for each of the applicants who pass the initial screening process.
• Conduct phone interviews with candidates who pass the initial screening to discuss the job description and briefly go through why they feel they are a good fit for the job.
• Ask them what salary they are interested in receiving. If the requirement is too high, ask them if they would consider a lower salary.
• Invite for interviews the candidates who pass the phone interview.

Step 4 – Interviewing candidates

• Interviewing do’s (from Human Resources Kit for Dummies by Max Messmer*):
• Make sure you are familiar with the job description and hiring criteria.
• Review everything the candidate has submitted and note any areas needing clarification or explanation.
• Write out the questions you intend to ask and keep the list in front of you during the interview. Make sure the candidate is doing more talking than the interviewers. After talking briefly about the job description, ask the candidate to go through his or her resume and highlight reasons why he or she would be a good match.
• Have a timetable or schedule for the interview so you make sure to cover all your key areas.
• Use a room that is private and reasonably comfortable.
• Begin the interview with small talk as a warm-up and to put the candidate at ease. Thank the candidate for coming.
• Know what you want to gain from the interview before you even begin the interview. For ways to get to know your candidates well, ask what, when, where, who, why, and how questions.
• Take notes during the interview. See the interview template in the back.
• Vary the style of questions:
• Closed-ended
• Open-ended
• Hypothetical
• Ask for specific examples from past experiences. If candidates are applying for a youth position, ask them to describe their favorite retreat in detail. Also ask them to tell you about retreats they conducted that went badly and why. Tell them to be specific.
• After the interview take some time to record your impressions and summarize your notes while everything is still fresh in your mind.
• Close interviews properly. Thank candidates for coming and tell them they should be hearing from you after the committee reviews all applicants. It is not proper to give any applicant an answer immediately. There are legal ramifications in making faulty job promises and it is best to speak to your committee and look at all candidates before making a job offer.
• Interviewing don’ts – avoid questions that relate to any of these areas as they may violate employment and discrimination laws (from Human Resources Kit for Dummies by Max Messmer):
• Race
• Sexual orientation
• Ancestry or national origin
• Marital status
• Military service
• Height or weight (unless directly related to job performance)
• Political preference or membership in social organizations
• Handicaps or disabilities
• Remember! If you don’t need the information, don’t ask the question.

Step 5 – Evaluating candidates

• Set up a system that identifies and weighs the hiring criteria. Use this for each candidate. See interview template in the back.
• Check a candidate’s references.

Step 6 – Offering your top candidate the job

• Once you’ve decided on a candidate, you’re ready to make the offer.
• Review the job description with the candidate to make sure each of you understands what is expected.
• Clarify your parish’s policies or procedures such as:
• Weekend work
• Overtime
• Travel requirements
• Give all the details about the compensation:
• Pay
• Benefits
• Vacation
• Anything extra
• Give a reasonable acceptance deadline.
• Put the offer in writing. You may want to have your candidate sign a duplicate copy of the job-offer letter as an indication of acceptance.

To discern well and make a good hiring decision be sure to:

• Stick with the hiring criteria.
• Take your time.
• Take into account all the information you have about a candidate (resume, application, interview).
• Get input from others who know the parish and the ministry well.

*Messmer, Max. Human Resources Kit for Dummies. Hungry Minds, Inc.: 1999.