Would you rather hire an experienced tech with a bad attitude or a beginner with a great attitude?
I’ve learned that experience doesn't always make someone a good employee.
An experienced technician might be productive on day one, but if they're constantly complaining, ignoring procedures, or pushing back on feedback, that behavior can affect the entire team.
A beginner with a great attitude will take more time and money to train. There will be mistakes, slower days, and plenty of questions along the way.
Personally, I'd rather invest in someone who shows up consistently, takes ownership of their work, and genuinely wants to improve.
In our business, getting someone ready to work routes independently takes roughly 2 weeks. I'd much rather spend that time training someone who's willing to learn than constantly deal with an experienced employee who makes everyone else's job harder. And sometimes a scooper from another company has already learned bad habits that's very difficult to break.
Of course, a great attitude alone won't get the work done. They still need to demonstrate that they can meet our standards.
Would you hire the experienced technician with a bad attitude or take a chance on someone with zero experience but a great work ethic?
