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O P I N I O N
Y ou have probably all heard it by now: “Hire for character, train for skill.” Many people in the A/E business will say they agree with this idea. Yet the people doing the hiring rarely do it. Many people in this business will say they agree with this idea, yet the people doing the hiring rarely do it. Hire for character, train for skill
the job candidate’s character isn’t up to standard. And believe me, I have found plenty of lying job applicants (or worse, employees) in A/E firms over the years. One of the most dramatic cases was a fellow who claimed to have both a bachelor’s degree in finance and an MBA. The firm I had just gone to work for interviewed this guy for our CFO position, and the chairman of the firm offered him a job on the spot. Needless to say, when we found “How can you really figure out what someone’s character is? It’s not easy. You can follow your gut after what most likely will be a few short conversations or meetings with a job candidate. That is helpful, but not your only source of information.”
Why is that? There are many reasons. One big one is the fact that sometimes we have to have people with a license or registration. How many? That isn’t always easy to say. Yet I can certainly understand the idea that principals of an A/E firm should be registered professionals. Some states require that credential for firm owners by law. Once registration is a requirement to fill a job, you narrow the field radically and there are fewer choices in who you can hire. Besides that, how can you really figure out what someone’s character is? It’s not easy. You can follow your gut after what most likely will be a few short conversations or meetings with a job candidate. That is helpful, but not your only source of information. You should have them talk with other people in your firm whom you respect to get their readout as well. Of course, you should be sure to check out the credentials anyone you are considering hiring claims to have. Lying is a good indication that
Mark Zweig
See MARK ZWEIG, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER DECEMBER 28, 2020, ISSUE 1372
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