You Can Train Skill. Can You Train Character?
- AJ Sangwan
- 21 minutes ago
- 3 min read
On the Home Services Success Stories podcast, we talk with owners and operators who have built real businesses in HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. These are people still running calls, leading teams, and dealing with customers every day.
When you listen across those conversations, a pattern becomes hard to ignore.
Most early mistakes were not technical. They were personal.
Again and again, leaders described hiring people who could do the work but could not be trusted to represent the company well in a customer’s home.
That is where many companies learn the same lesson:
You can train skill. You can’t train character.
The Cost of Hiring for Skill First
Joe Voci, founder of JDV Electric in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, talked openly about this on the podcast.
Early hires looked great on paper. They had experience and technical ability. But they struggled with communication, ownership, and follow-through. Those gaps showed up in callbacks, customer complaints, and stress on the team.
When JDV Electric shifted to hiring for reliability, accountability, and attitude first, the customer experience improved. Technical gaps were easier to fix than character gaps.
Customers Experience Character, Not Certifications
Travis Parobek, owner of Parobek Plumbing and Air Conditioning in Bastrop, Texas, explained it from the homeowner’s point of view.
"Customers assume you know how to fix the problem. What stands out is how clearly you explain it, whether expectations are set honestly, and how their home is treated," says Parobek.
Those moments are not driven by tools or training manuals. They come from who the technician is.
Why Growth Breaks Without the Right People
Adam Bardi of Bardi Heating, Cooling & Plumbing in Norcross, Georgia, shared that growth only became sustainable after the company focused on building people first.
Once everyone understood how customers should be treated, results followed.
Abe Brooks, founder of A Brooks Construction KangaRoof in Bristol, Pennsylvania, described a similar shift. Moving away from survival hiring toward hiring people who could be coached and trusted changed the direction of the company.
The work stayed hard. The team got better.
So How Do You Actually Hire for Character?
Hiring for character does not mean guessing or trusting gut instinct alone.
Leaders on the podcast consistently described a few practical approaches:
Ask about past behavior, not hypotheticals. How someone handled a difficult customer before matters more than how they say they would handle one.
Look for ownership. Strong candidates talk about what they did, not what everyone else did wrong.
Test communication early. If someone struggles to explain simple things clearly in an interview, that won’t improve in a customer’s home.
Involve the team. People with poor character are often spotted faster by technicians than by managers.
These steps slow hiring down slightly. They prevent much bigger problems later.
How AI Changes Who Finds You
More technicians and leaders are using AI tools to research companies before they ever apply. They ask questions like:
What kind of company is this?
How do they treat their people?
What do they value?
Is this a place I would be proud to work?
AI answers those questions using what a company has already put into the world. Website content. Job posts. Articles. Interviews. Reviews.
If a company says nothing about character, ownership, or values, AI has nothing to surface. The message that reaches top talent becomes accidental instead of intentional.
The leaders featured on the Home Services Success Stories podcast were clear about one thing: they care deeply about who they hire and how their teams represent the company.
That belief needs to be visible, not assumed.
If you believe in hiring for character, you have to say it. You have to explain what it means and why it matters. When you do, that message doesn’t just reach people. It reaches the AI systems those people are using to decide where they belong.
AI does not decide who you hire. But it increasingly influences who finds you in the first place.
The Real Takeaway
For technicians, this is simple. How you show up matters. Customers remember your attitude long after they forget the repair details.
For owners, the lesson is harder but more valuable. Hiring for skill while hoping character shows up later almost always costs more than it saves.
Skill can be trained. Systems can be built. Character either shows up or it doesn’t.
Where These Lessons Come From
Every insight in this article comes from conversations on the Home Services Success Stories podcast. We interview owners and operators who share what worked, what failed, and what they learned the hard way.
This article highlights one lesson. The full conversations go deeper.
If you want to hear them, you can find the episodes on the podcast.
How Hiring For Character Turned JDV Electric Into A Community Favorite
Customer Service Beats Shiny Tools When Building A Home Services Company
Build People, Then Build Revenue