A Brief Apology for Not Thinking Before I Type

Job postings are tricky things. You want to be succinct. You want to be engaging. You want to rise above the noise and reach out in the right way to find the just-right candidate. Being truthful helps. So does being funny. You want to let potential applicants know what kind of culture your organization has. You want to communicate exactly what you want, and, perhaps more importantly, what you don’t want. There is a job to be done and you want the role filled, preferably with a minimal amount of false leads and wasted time in between posting and hiring.

I probably did a decent job of the above in the Art Director/Designer job posting. Most people chuckled a bit. And in the context of this blog, I think most of you know my general demeanor and writing tone, so it read funny. When it was posted outside the context of this blog, I wonder if it just read smug.

You see, a friend called me out on it. I think she actually used the phrase “totally harsh” when we talked about it. I also think she was probably right. 

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious…”
— Colossians 4:5-6a

All of the things I listed in that original job posting are true. I intensely mean them. This role is for a highly-skilled professional designer that knows their stuff and has a portfolio of client work to prove it. I don’t want to come across as compromising on that. But in my attempt to filter the applicants on the front-end of the process, I used a tone and attitude that stands in stark opposition to the fact that above all, I’m a follower of the way of Jesus Christ and I am responsible for acting, thinking, and speaking in a way that best represents who I am in light of who I believe Jesus to be. This isn’t so much about it being a job posting for a church — that’s secondary to it being a job posting written by me.

“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”
— Titus 2:7-8

Elitism, the pride it stems from, and the smug swagger it takes on in action have no place in the Kingdom of God. They ruffle my proverbial feathers, so I’m a hypocrite for hating them, and then engaging in a bit of my own oratory elitism for the sake of a good read and a laugh. So for that, I apologize. I want the right person for this role to join our team, but I don’t want to compromise the attitude I should walk in and speak from in order to take some short cuts in filtering applicants. The easy way is rarely the best way.

In light of all those thoughts, I’ve edited the job description on this site. Before anyone thinks this was in any way motivated by someone from NewSpring Church, I assure you this is something that I’ve been wrestling with by myself tonight and felt a personal need to talk openly about and to change. For those of you that read my blog who don’t really “get” the whole Jesus thing, I’m sure all this is difficult to understand, but it’s a part of the refining process I’m in and the journey I’m on, trying to walk with some semblance of integrity and goodness. 

Thanks for bearing with me and my myriad of faults. You’re good readers.