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CHRIST JOURNEY INTERVIEW QUESTIONS The questions on this list have been taken from the 250 most frequently asked questions from job interviews nation wide and Lifechurch.tv potential employee interviews. Most have been modified for use at Christ Journey Church. Prescreening:

1. Does the candidate meet the skills or education required for the job? 2. What are the candidate’s salary requirements? 3. Are there logistical considerations that would affect the candidate’s ability

to do the job? 4. Does the job meet the candidate’s criteria i.e. do they know the job

description, hours and details of employment? First Interview (1): When interviewing a candidate the first interview consists of assessing their character and competences. You want to make certain the candidate has the skills necessary for employment. A list of required skills and education is most helpful. Look for anything that might flag character i.e. doesn’t stay long in any one position. The candidate should have received a job description and you should have reviewed their resume thoroughly. If this person requires a certain set of skills, it would be advisable to set up a scenario to observe their skill level. During this first interview, notice their body language, their tone of voice, energy and how well they listen and respond to your questions. Check your own feelings. Do you feel energized by their presence? Your gut may be telling you something. Record this person’s answers to your interview questions. This may be helpful for review or further questions in later interviews. You should review all references prior and have these written out. If the previous employee was fired, review what that employee was lacking in terms of knowledge or skills. If the job has changed make certain you understand the content that is changing and that which is not. Second Interview (2): The candidate should have completed an employee application form (Please inform the employee that we will not be able to make a final offer in the event we hire them, until the successful completion of a background and credit check), along with their Right Path and CDAT (Can Do Attitude Test). Review these carefully and meet with the Executive Director of Care to go over their personality

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tests to craft any questions you may have. A person who scores low on the CDAT is not likely to be employed here at Christ Journey. During this interview, you are trying to assess both team chemistry and cultural fit. You should be familiar with our church values and seek to craft some questions that would determine if this person is a fit within our culture. It is a good idea to have a staff or two from another area sit in and interact with the person. These staff may give you an entirely different perspective on the candidate. It’s always wise to place the candidate in some social settings with your team & others to observe their interactions with staff and volunteers. Since staff health is an emphasis here at Christ Journey you should explore how they maintain a life-work balance. Third Interview (3): Explore any areas of concern or needing further clarification. Again, it is best to observe this person in a variety of settings with different persons. This is your best opportunity to provide a laser like focus on any lingering dynamics you want to explore. Remember:

1. Prepare ahead of time. Do your homework on your candidate by reviewing the resume, knowing what you are looking for and being prepared at the end of the interview to let the person know the next step.

2. Ask the same questions of each candidate that are job specific. Some questions may vary due to the individual’s response, but every candidate should have the same standard set of questions determined in advance.

3. Treat everyone with respect. Avoid being “cute” or just “confrontational.” There are laws governing appropriate and inappropriate questions. When in doubt contact the Executive Pastor in order to gain insight prior to any interview.

GENERAL Why do you want to work at Christ Journey? Why do you want to leave your current position? If we hired you today, what is the first thing you would want to accomplish? What is one thing you would like to do in this position that you couldn’t do in your last? What would the first six months of ministry at Christ Journey look like for you? What interests you most with this job? Least? What do you know about our current church strategy?

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CHARACTER SPIRITULLY VITAL How do you stay spiritually alive? What personal practices do you pursue on a regular basis? Why do you suppose modeling spiritual maturity is so important in ministry? Where would you like to see yourself grow spiritually? How do you balance the demands of work and family? HUMILITY What three characteristics do you look for in a leader? What do you think is the difference between humility and confidence? What was the poorest work related decision you have ever made? How would you handle a situation where your best attempts failed? What would you do if you and your boss disagreed sharply on the direction of your ministry? “CAN DO” ATTITUDE Describe a situation where you faced incredible odds but prevailed. Tell me about a time when you tackled a tough or unpopular assignment? How would you approach a ministry opportunity with limited resources? Give me an example of a time when you delivered more than what was expected? What things do you do that contribute to a positive work environment? What new challenges would you enjoy?

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STRONG FINISHER Tell me about a time when you were tempted to quit, but hung in there? What motivated you to stay put? What work related situations do you tend to avoid? COMPETENCE MINISTRY BUILDER How do you measure ministry performance? Your performance? Share an example where you got exceptional results? How would you describe your leadership style? How do you as a leader get your team to push for metrics? Describe for me a quantifiable outcome in your last employment/ministry position? Share an example of a time when you where not very satisfied with the results of your work? What did you do? AGILE LEARNER How do you stay current in your field of work? What is one thing you have learned from a book recently? What is the most difficult work related adjustment you have had to make up to date? Why was it so difficult? Tell me about a time when you had to adjust quickly to changes over which you had no control? How do you go about eliciting the ideas of fellow workers? What plans do you have for self-improvement as a leader?

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INCESSANT TINKERER What new skills or ideas might you bring to Christ Journey? How would you describe an effective meeting? Share with me am improvement you made on your last job? How would you go about making improvements in your ministry environment? What “best practices” have you contributed in your prior work experiences? What do you think makes for engaging presentations? PEOPLE BUILDER How would you approach building volunteer teams? What three words would describe the kind of volunteer culture you would want to create? What would you expect to be the greatest challenge in working with volunteer teams? Share with us, an example of your building great volunteers teams? Explain how you would go about developing your volunteers? How would you address an insubordinate volunteer? CHEMISTRY CONFLICT MANAGEMENT How do you tend to handle conflict? How would you handle an underperforming staff or volunteer? Tell me about a time when you had major conflict with a team member? Cause? Resolution? Outcome? How would you handle a colleague that has simply dropped the ball on an assignment? An employee who ignored a clear directive?

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VISION CARRIER How would you go about modeling the Christ Journey Ministry Strategy? How would you view your role as a “vision carrier?” What would you do if you disagreed with the direction of the church leadership? How would you go about managing your workweek? How do you decide what gets top priority when scheduling your time? How do you organize major projects? COLLABORATIVE WORKER What would you do to contribute positively to other Christ Journey Staff Teams? Do you work best alone or in team? Explain. What strengths do you bring with you? How would you describe a “high capacity” team? What do you expect from a great team member? Describe for me a time when you helped out another department or area on your own? CUSTOMER SERVICE How would you approach a compliant from an attendee? What would you do to create a warm and inviting atmosphere? What would you do to make guests feel welcomed? In what ways would you work to create appealing settings? What’s your greatest challenge when working with difficult people?

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CULTURE STAYS FIT How do you practice self-care? What kind of leisure activities help you perform better at work? If you found yourself “burning out,” what would you do to revitalize yourself? How do you take care of yourself physically? How would you go about modeling staff wellness on your team? What do you consider to be factors that contribute to a healthy work environment? DEVELOPMENTALLY ELASTIC Do you prefer a structured work environment of spontaneous? What would you do in the event that the Leadership Team made a sudden, abrupt change? What do you do when your work schedule gets suddenly interrupted? In what ways have your learned from your mistakes? On a scale of one to ten (highest), how well do you handle change? How do you maintain positivity when changes are being made at a rapid pace? EMOTIONALLY/RELATIONALLY INTELLIGENT How would others describe your relational style? What people do you find most difficult to work with? What things drain you relationally? What aspects of your interpersonal skills would you most like to improve? What would you rate as higher: your tasks skills or relational skills? Describe your personality behind the professional image?

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SOLVES PROBLEMS How do you determine the difference between a problem to be solved and a tension to be managed? How do you usually go about solving a problem? Tell me about an ongoing problem you were able to solve? What would you do if a problem were not solved to your satisfaction? How do you balance your reliance on facts with your reliance on intuition? When do you have difficulty making decisions? CLOSING QUESTIONS Why are you the best person for this job? Is there anything else you would like to say to us that would help us make a decision? Do you have any questions you would like to ask that might help you make a decision? Note: Please check with the Executive Director of Care to craft any questions that may be related to their Right Path or CDAT profiles. Illegal Questions Are you married? How much does your husband/wife make? You can ask, “Tell us something about your family? (Since we are a church with a family value, you can ask, “Could you imagine your family thriving here at Christ Journey? Why? Are there any hours you cannot work? Weekends? How do you spend your days off?” For Pastors, you can explore the health of their marriage, “How would you describe your relationship with your spouse currently?” Do you have or plan on having children? You can ask, “What hours can you work?” Are you available for evenings or weekends? How old are you? You can ask about career aspirations or how long they would like to work before retirement. Have you ever been divorced?