Would you rather hire an experienced tech with a bad attitude or a beginner with a great attitude?

Question

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?

travisshepherd · Answer

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. Sometimes a tech coming from another company has already picked up bad habits that are 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 standards and execute the job properly.

hugehomepros · Answer

Unfortunately for my business - I have to hire experienced techs WITH a great attitude. Because I'm not on the tools (and probably shouldn't be), I'm relying on experience to execute our remodels. I've found that as soon as you can tell someone has an attitude issue, you need to separate. They will affect everyone on the team and it will be a huge headache.

What I've been finding lately is that I need a zero tolerance policy for people that aren't a cultural fit though. I don't care how "good" their work is.

anthonysalazar · Answer

I agree with your point about bad habits. Sometimes having experience at another company means you have to spend just as much time correcting old habits as you would training someone new.

That's why I pay attention to how someone responds to feedback during training. Are they willing to learn our process, or do they keep going back to how they've always done things?

Experience is a plus when someone is willing to adapt. Otherwise, it can make training harder than it needs to be.

anthonysalazar · Answer

That makes sense for your industry. With remodels, you need people who already have the technical skills to execute the work correctly, especially when you're no longer on the tools yourself.

I agree with being strict about cultural fit, too. One experienced employee with a bad attitude can create problems for an entire crew.

For us, the technical side is easier to teach, so we have more flexibility to hire beginners. Your situation is a good reminder that the right hiring approach depends on how much experience the job requires and who is available to train the person. You can teach someone to scoop dog poop in 1-2 weeks, I think it would take longer to do remodel training lol

homeownership · Answer

I would choose the beginner with the great attitude, especially if the skills can be taught in a reasonable amount of time.

A bad attitude can affect more than that one employee. It can hurt morale, customer service, and how the whole team works together.

I would rather spend time training someone who wants to learn than spend that same time managing someone who already knows the job but does not want to follow the process.

Forum Discussion

Would you rather hire an experienced tech with a bad attitude or a beginner with a great attitude?

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