Why You Shouldn't Hire Experienced Workers
From the Eye on the Workforce Blog
by Joe Wynne
Workforce management is a key part of project success, but project managers often find it difficult to get trustworthy information on what really works. From interpersonal interactions to big workforce issues we'll look the latest research and proven techniques to find the most effective solutions for your projects.
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Trying to pick up some experienced talent for your project in this recessionary environment. Hold on there, Sparky. A new study has determined that even though you get more experience and skills by hiring workers from other organizations, you may also get so much baggage that the costs outweigh the benefits of the experience. Yes, a study actually showed this. You can read the
PDF yourself.
What's the baggage? "Behavioral and cognitive rigidities"
Experienced people may be set in their ways, which are not your ways, and may not be able to transition. They may be unable to escape some mental scripts that serve as the foundation of their decision-making, which also unfortunately make their decisions incompatible with success in your organization.
These findings must be major considerations for recruiters and workforce planners. I mean who woulda thunk it? The researches say that there is much justification for hiring newbies and indoctrinating them into your organization's culture.
Posted on: October 08, 2008 10:25 PM |
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Comments (2)
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Aaron Porter
Community Champion
IT Director| Blade HQ
Payson, UT, United States
Experienced vs. Inexperienced. I have felt pain on both sides of that coin. In the past 3 years, we have brought in 4 different contractors to fill a PM/BA role. We started off looking for an experienced worker to help train our exising staff, in addition to performing PM duties. When that did not work out as hoped (the PM left to pursue other options, it was not a performance issue) we decided to go with less experienced contractors so that we could train them in our way of doing things. We ended up going back to an experienced PM to fill the role.
Each person did bring positive contributions to the team, as well as their own baggage - even the less experienced contractors. While I am not one to knock valuable experience, and I appreciate what I was able to learn from the experienced PMs, I did notice a certain inflexibility, at times.
To be honest, I see this as being less about the question of experience vs. inexperience, and more about a good screening/interviewing process and making sure that those who are making the hiring decision agree on what is being sought after in the candidate. Don't get me wrong, I do agree that experience is a factor that needs to be considered in the decision-making process, but the hiring decisions that were made on my team were ultimately made by someone who had different expectations than those of us who were on the panel in the first round of interviews that sent candidates on to the second round.
Both experienced and inexperienced workers will have issues, and they will not always be easy to spot during a 1-hour interview or on a well-crafted resume. However, you increase the likelihood of getting the right person on your team if you get agreement in advance of what you are looking for, and make sure that the person making the hiring decision is having a good day on the day of the final interview.
STEVE ROLLINS
Chief Project Strategist| ALLPMO Network Inc
Fort Mill, Sc, United States
I don't buy it. People respond to how they are measured and will behave accordingly. Any gaps are often attributed to poor transparency.
If you want compliance, set up the performance measures as soon as possible or you will become one of those people who are set in their ways.
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