Church Leadership | Chemistry Staffing

First Impressions Can Fool You: Vetting Personality in New Staff Hires

Written by Todd Rhoades | Oct 6, 2023 1:18:12 PM

You’ve found a candidate you instantly click with.

 

They’re engaging, warm, great sense of humor. 

 

They’re the kind of person you’d bring home to momma.

 

You can’t wait to bring them on board to inject their personality into your team culture. 

 

But don’t let a winning first impression override personality fit. 

 

That initial sparkle can fade fast if underlying personality differences exist. Look beyond simple likeability to ensure your new hire aligns where it counts.

 

 

Why Personality Alignment Matters 

Every church has a collective personality made up of the staff, congregation, volunteers, and leaders. Before hiring a new staff member, it’s crucial to assess whether their personality is aligned with the church’s makeup. Just liking someone doesn’t mean your personalities mesh.

 

At Chemistry Staffing, we evaluate personality fit early through a 25-question personality assessment before candidates ever reach the interview stage. This screens for potential friction points or misalignment to prevent wasted interviews.

 

Go Beyond Likability 

Personality goes deep. Two candidates can have engaging, likable personalities on the surface. However, subtle differences in communication style, work pace, change orientation, and decision-making can cause issues.

 

Take time to explore candidates’ personalities beyond surface impressions. Get to know how they relate, work, and communicate to ensure alignment. Avoid forcing a square peg into a round hole.

 

Key Personality Questions  

Here are some key personality questions we recommend considering:

  • How would colleagues describe your personality and work style? 
  • When facing change, are you energized or cautious?  
  • Do you prefer shaping strategy or delivering consistent results?
  • How do you typically respond to conflict or disagreement?
  • How would you describe your ideal work culture?

 

Making personality fit a priority will prevent tension, burnout, and regrets down the road. 

 

Next Steps

Finding alignment in personality is vital but can be ambiguous to evaluate alone. At Chemistry Staffing, we specialize in assessing personality and work style fit. We take time to deeply understand your church’s collective personality and needs. Then we leverage our expertise to evaluate alignment and prevent potential friction points.

 

Don’t go it alone – let the experts help. Partnering with Chemistry can minimize the risk of a bad personality fit. We screen for fit all day long, exclusively for churches, because we know it matters. You don’t have to figure this out yourself.

 

Let’s start a conversation. Schedule a free 30-minute video call with one of our experienced church coaches. Ask us anything. We’d love to help however we can. Getting your next hire’s personality right is too important not to get guidance. We’re here to help.

 

 

Other resources for you on this topic:

 

We're on your side.  Let me know how we can help!

 

Todd