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.
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.
