Whenever it comes time to hire someone new, it’s important to have a job description prepared. Writing a good job description will help potential applicants learn a little bit more about your church and organization, set the right expectations ahead of time, and paint a picture of what the job entails.
Good job descriptions will both attract quality candidates and detract potential bad candidates. This is why it’s important to know what to include and how to write a proper job description. Here is a step-by-step how-to-guide on writing a job description for your next church hire.
Step 1: Start with your Mission Statement
The first thing you should include when writing a job description is your church and organization’s mission statement. This should be one of the first things people should be able to see when reviewing your organization’s job description. Potential hires need to know what you are all about. Your mission statement will either resonate with people or deter people from wanting to apply.
As an employer, you want people that align with your mission. Alignment will always foster unity and collaboration which are vital to an organization trying to move everyone in the same direction.
Step 2: Add Your Core Values
Missions statements will help determine what your organization is about while core values allow potential candidates to be aware of how your culture is lived out. Core values clearly demonstrate the atmosphere your organization sets out to create. This will also emphasize the behaviors and priorities expected from each employee. Missions statements and core values keep organizations united and in sync when trying to accomplish something significant. You will want potential hires to be inspired by your core values.
Step 3: Include an Overview of Your Organization
Right after your mission statement, you should include a concise overview of your church and organization. Incorporate how long the organization has been around, your focus, snippets of your culture, and overall work environment. Something like,
“We have positively impacted families in our local community for over 20 years. With a focus on local mission efforts and building genuine community, we prioritize connection and genuine relationships over anything else. We want everyone to know that when they walk through our doors, they are part of the family.”
Whatever you decide to write, any potential hire should be able to get a sense of who you are as a church and organization.
Step 4: Determine Necessary Qualifications
What qualifications are necessary or desired for this specific role?
- Do you want candidates to have a formal education? If so, is there a specific degree you want them to have?
- Do they need a certain amount of years of experience? Does the experience need to be in a specific role?
- Do you need someone who can display expertise in this field?
Be explicit about the qualifications you require for this role so that the right people apply. People need to know from the beginning whether or not they have the necessary qualifications to do this job well.
Step 5: Write Out Duties & Responsibilities
Write down the exact duties and responsibilities you want for this role. Include any tasks, roles, and objectives, especially the key responsibilities.
It’s important to use action verbs when describing responsibilities and duties. Make sure to focus on objective duties and tasks, not anything based on someone’s personality or capabilities.
Examples include
- “Develop and manage teams of volunteers.”
- “Prepare curriculum and lessons for every age group.”
Be specific with what you want them to do. You want to ensure they know what the job entails but are also general enough so they don’t get overwhelmed with details.
Step 6: Describe Performance Standards
Performance standards describe specific character traits and behaviors you wish to see from potential hires. These will allow candidates to know if they have the right temperament and skills to perform the expected duties and responsibilities.
Examples include
- Must be detailed oriented
- Able to work independently with minor supervision
- Ability to manage complex interpersonal relationships within the organization
These standards allow candidates to really understand the type of environment and work they’ll be doing. Other performance indicators to include in this section are specific software standards and experience you may have.
Examples include
- Must have experience operating Planning Center Online
- Experience using Google Suite and Slack
This lets candidates know what knowledge base they need to thrive in your organization.
Step 7: Specify Organizational Expectations
Include all the organization expectations you have for this role. This section is important because it lets potential candidates know what kind of work environment they are walking into and determine if this is the type of place they want to work for.
Organization expectations include, but are not limited to
- Office hours
- Salary range
- Benefits
- Vacation and PTO
You should also make it clear if they are required to be physically in the office, and what days they are expected to work.
Your organization’s expectations will be the main area where potential candidates will either jump ship or decide to move forward with the application, based on their salary needs and season of life. If you’re having difficulty attracting applicants, you may have to closely examine this section to ensure you are not pushing away the right people due to low salaries or poor PTO.
Step 8: Organize Your Job Description
Once you have all your information, organize your job description. There are many ways to approach this, but a here is a sample outline:
Beginning
Always include the job title, mission statement, and core values at the top. This will be the first thing people need to know.
Middle
The next things you can include are the qualifications and organization expectations. You can put those near the end as well, but having them near the top will allow people to know right away if this is the right job to pursue or not based on their qualifications and salary needs.
End
Next, write the duties and responsibilities, followed by the performance standards. You can switch those up as well if you’d like.
The important thing to remember is order the information so that the job is appealing and attracts strong candidates.
Step 9: Edit, Edit, Edit!
This last step cannot be skipped. Take the time to edit every section, sentence, and word. Be descriptive and specific. Use accurate numbers if you’re looking to include data or specific numerical benchmarks. Have multiple people read through your job description and
provide feedback so that you’re not missing anything. Proper editing can take a good job description to a great job description.
Don’t Lose Sight of Your Goal
Remember, the goal of a job description is to draw in the best potential candidates for the job. If done well, job descriptions will draw out quality people who will add value to your church and organization. Follow the steps above so that you can write your next job description with confidence.
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