Experience or Attitude? Which One is Most Important?
Phil Gerbyshak over at Slacker Manager asked his readers to “take 60 seconds to click in and share your comments about what matters more, Great Attitude or Great Experience?” I took some time last night to read through the comments and then I left my comments. Many of the readers over at Slacker Manager believe that attitude is what matters most. I don’t agree. Uhh, let me restate that, I don’t believe that attitude is what managers are looking at initially when they are interviewing a job seeker for a position. I believe typically managers look at experience. That’s my opinion in 60 seconds or less.
Here are my thoughts as I shared them over at Slacker Manager:
First, the vast majority of people said they would hire attitude over experience. I find that very curious because I don’t believe that hiring managers effectively interview for attitude. I believe that between the job seekers desire to make a good impression and the hiring managers desire to make a good hiring decision in as little time as possible, MANY people with bad attitudes get hired EVERY day. If you don’t believe me, take a look around your company. How many of those people have bad attitudes? Did they bring the bad attitude when they came or did the attitude develop since they came on board?
The second reason I find the responses curious is that only a few people spoke to experience and yet as an interview coach, I can tell you that most hiring managers are looking at experience before they look at attitude. Attitude is on the barometer, but it usually comes up once the candidate pool has been narrowed down to the top 2-3 candidates. And then we typically look at who will make a better fit in the organization and who we “like”.
Here are my thoughts for you as a job seeker:
It is very important to clearly articulate your work experience on both your resume and cover letter. If those tools (your resume and cover letter) unlock an opportunity for you to get face time with a hiring manager, than your next hurdle will be to clearly communicate your experience in the interview. Keep in mind that the hiring manager is sizing you up. Every aspect of you, including your oral communication skills, your overall professionalism, your style, your taste, your EXPERIENCE and your ATTITUDE. So as one of the readers mentioned over at Slacker Manager, most managers don’t know how to interview attitude. Attitude is telegraphed in how you answer questions, how you carry yourself, how you treat the receptionist, the employees in the organization you come in contact with, along with your smile, or lack of smile. You are measured through the filter of perceptions. Focus on your experience when you are preparing for an interview, but ensure that your attitude is positive and sincere and you will have no problems when discussing your experience with any hiring manager!
Make it a great day!
Tags: Interview Chatter, Experience or Attitude, Which is most important?, Slacker Manager
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6 opinions for Experience or Attitude? Which One is Most Important?
Jason Monastra
Sep 25, 2008 at 10:02 am
I know that this subject has come around before and I agree with your assessment, at the same time knowing that once the decision is made to bring someone in - attitude is the leading process killer.
Let me explain. When doing prelim interviews, people are looking for the right experience, whether technical or functional, to accomplish the tasks of the job. When those are determined and the short list has been set for people to meet with the team. Attitude is the leading driver. Can we sit down with this person each and every day and work with them? That is a common question racing the minds of most people. If they cannot, the experience matters little as the person will not be hired.
Darlene McDaniel
Sep 27, 2008 at 9:22 am
Hi Jason, I apologize for taking so long to respond to this comment. I agree with your comment about “sitting down with this person every day and working with them” it is a great point.
As I mentioned in the post, I believe toooooooo many people have learned to mask some of the “attitude” issues they have and before you know it (usually day one or two of the honeymoon period,) you discover that you missed something about this particular individual and regret may creep in. Others have learned to “play games” and you don’t meet the real person until they have been there 90 days or more.
How many people can say that they fully expose who they are during the hiring process? Not many. Transparency is a missing ingredient in our society because we become vulnerable to people when we allow them to see us fully with all of our flaws. Just a thought! Thanks for sharing your comment!
Donnie Darko Lives
Sep 28, 2008 at 7:30 pm
@Darlene: “How many people can say that they fully expose who they are during the hiring process? Not many.” I would add “How many people can say that the potential employer exposes what their company is REALLY about” even fewer.
I recently interviewed 5 candidates in one day for a position. Only 1 out of those 5 candidates asked me “what are some of the obstacles and hurdles this company faces?” What a GREAT question!
By the way, that same candidate asked me “who has the most tenure at the company and what position do they hold?” It’s worthwhile to mention, that same candidate had less experience than the other four, but I will be extending an offer to them on Monday.
I would add this vulnerability, however, brings commitment and connection
Darlene McDaniel
Sep 29, 2008 at 1:12 am
Hi Donnie Darko! Thanks for stopping by Interview Chatter! I appreciate your recent hiring experience that you are sharing here! Thank you for sharing! I am curious about the job opportunity. Will you be providing training to the candidate that you are extending an offer to? Also, are you hiring the candidate because of the great questions they asked? Experience they are bringing to your organization? Attitude? Skills and abilities? Potential to be successful? What helped you make the decision to offer this candidate your open position?
I also like the question your candidate asked. I will probably steal and write about it!
Donnie Darko Lives
Oct 2, 2008 at 2:09 am
Hi Darlene,
I am currently the CFO for a medium-sized design firm in Los Angeles. In the past year, we have increased our staff by over 25%–and the year isn’t over :) Our strategic plan and corporate culture is one which is conducive to personal and professional growth. As lofty as that sounds, we develop the individual’s strengths and integrate them into our corporate growth. We have LOW turnover and distribute 25% of our profits quarterly to all our employees regardless of position.
I am hiring this particular candidate because they brought very specific examples of accomplishments, challenges and their own personal growth needs. Matching their personal goals, what type of management/leadership they require to succeed in a position/company, and what experiences they bring were the primary factors in selecting this candidate. Flexibility, ambition and dedication are good conversation starters, but not all candidates can be specific…almost pointed about “what they need and what they want to do with their skills”. As a leader, I can’t lead, if I don’t know where they want to be led. Our hierarchy is democratic and opportunities are created for those who “declare their worth”. Measurable results is what we seek. Recognition and value are what we offer.
Experience is important, but if you just put your time in at a company and the only measurable results you can articulate is…. I stayed, that isn’t good enough. Attitude and aptitude are career worthy resources. I believe some people call this the Human Resource.
Let’s keep in touch.
Darlene McDaniel
Oct 3, 2008 at 12:11 am
Hi Donnie, Thank you for your comment! I appreciate hearing you speak of leadership and your desire to lead your people somewhere. That is profound. Too many people who lead others are not concerned about where the person wants to be led, they want to take them where they as the leader want to go or where they believe the person should go without input from the individuals. You are definitely unique.
Attitude and aptitude are career worthy resources. That is a powerful statement. My only question is how do you truly measure attitude? For me as a hiring manager, I am very intuitive. So attitude is something I can pick up on and I can find questions to ask that will help me uncover things that people would not necessarily want to share in the interview. I am curious about what types of questions you ask to measure attitude.
I would love to stay in touch! Please feel free to stop by Interview Chatter any time. I am available by email as well! Please feel free to comment at your leisure!
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