Recruiting a Colorful Yearbook Staff

There is no doubt that choosing the right students is the key to a successful yearbook program. A fun way to do this is through categorizing students by their “True Colors,” a personality typing that has been studied since Hippocrates first proposed the theory that people are intrinsically different. In 1978, based on the work of Hippocrates, Carl Jung, Myers-Briggs and David Keirsey, Don Lowry, the founder of True Colors, developed a fun and easy-to-understand system of personality typing which identifies four basic personality types: Gold, Blue, Green and Orange.

Several Herff Jones reps certified as True Colors trainers and many of you may have been through this process or one similar in class, at workshops or in a convention session.

While the information you learn about yourself and others can provide insight in many cases, it can be especially beneficial in recruiting a new yearbook staff; choosing students based on their true colors is ideal. A good mix of the four True Color personalities will render an efficient, hardworking and fun staff for the next school year. Here is what sets each one apart and what you can look for in potential staffers:

A GOLD STUDENT is:

Task oriented and is
Organized,
Detail-oriented
Dependable, on-time and accurate

Gold students follow the rules and are great at completing tasks and making deadlines. These are the students who want to know what is expected of them and what the requirements are for the class.

A BLUE STUDENT is:

People-oriented
Optimistic
Empathetic
Friendly, imaginative and abstract

Blue students prefer an atmosphere of cooperation and do not like conflict. Blue students need to be valued and respected. They are great motivators and enjoy interacting with others. They do their best work when working with others rather than working alone.

A GREEN STUDENT is:

Idea-oriented
Probing
Abstract,
Curious, logical and conceptual

Green students might question just about everything in their quest for “why” and “how.” They often prefer to work independently and they need to be challenged. They can also be very demanding of themselves because they set their expectations very high.

An ORANGE STUDENT is:

Action-oriented
Thrives on freedom and adventure
Playful and energetic
Non-structured and spontaneous

Orange students love action and they love to have fun. Orange students can be flexible, and are often great trouble-shooters and negotiators. They enjoy competition but may lack focus to complete detailed assignments and will bore easily with paperwork or repetitious tasks.

In your search for new and brilliant staffers, let us know if this system worked (or is working) for you or if you have your own successful way of finding the best of the best to join your team.

And, if you’re totally on board with using the True Colors personality typing technique, you can look forward to a follow-up post on how to teach, lead and nurture those specific students to create a positive work environment for the entire staff.