Shoutout to a random guy at the Denver airport who changed how I think about hiring

I was stuck on a long layover and got talking to a guy who runs a roofing crew. He said he hires for attitude first, skill second, because he can teach someone to nail shingles but he can't teach them to show up. I used to only look at portfolios and past work. Now, for the last six months, I start interviews by asking about a time they fixed a mistake nobody saw. It's weeded out three bad fits already. How do you test for work ethic before you bring someone on?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix_martin561mo ago

Honestly, I look for how they talk about boring stuff. Ask them to walk you through a routine task from their last job, step by step. The people who light up explaining the tiny efficiencies they figured out, that's the gold. The ones who just say "I did the thing" probably clock out mentally at 5.

stella_shah891mo ago

Yo @felix_martin56 that step by step trick is actually genius, I read a study once that said people who can explain boring routines in detail are way more likely to care about quality work. The whole "fix a mistake nobody saw" thing from the OP is solid too, I heard a podcast where a guy who runs a construction crew said he asks about how they handle a dropped tool or a missed deadline. It's crazy how much you can learn from just digging into those small moments instead of the fancy stuff. I'm stealing that boring task question for sure.