Who would you hire to manage your company?

[dr_almondjoy_do]

EXPERIENCE VS. EDUCATION
WHAT WEIGHS MORE WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING THE JOB DONE?


Here's a situation that requires your opinion.
You're currently working in your profession that you enjoy and don't want to leave. You have a designated amount of money to start up a company of your own but you need someone to manage the company for you. These are the two candidates that you MUST choose from (and you can only choose one).

The position pays the same amount of money, no matter who you choose.


CANDIDATE A:
- Has a MBA and graduated with a 3.5gpa. They have no experience in the relative field, but obviously have the piece of paper certifying they're classroom knowledge.


CANDIDATE B:
- Has only a Bachelors degree, but several years of experience relative to the field and has SUCCESSFULLY (increased sales numbers and productivity for the company) managed two different businesses in the past directly related to your type of business. They come with great recommendation from both previous employers.

WHO WILL YOU HIRE TO HANDLE YOUR INVEST/COMPANY AND WHY?

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[mshheaddoc]

Interview is everything, don't discount the MBA or experiences outside the field. I'd probably go with B on face value because of the experience but I wouldn't discount candidate A until I've talked with them. Alot about hiring has to do with position and company fit. I was hired for a position in a field I knew nothing about and beat out people with years of experience because I appeared to be a fit for the company and they liked what they saw in my past experiences.

 

[IceMan0824]

EXPERIENCE VS. EDUCATION
WHAT WEIGHS MORE WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING THE JOB DONE?


Here's a situation that requires your opinion.
You're currently working in your profession that you enjoy and don't want to leave. You have a designated amount of money to start up a company of your own but you need someone to manage the company for you. These are the two candidates that you MUST choose from (and you can only choose one).

The position pays the same amount of money, no matter who you choose.


CANDIDATE A:
- Has a MBA and graduated with a 3.5gpa. They have no experience in the relative field, but obviously have the piece of paper certifying they're classroom knowledge.


CANDIDATE B:
- Has only a Bachelors degree, but several years of experience relative to the field and has SUCCESSFULLY (increased sales numbers and productivity for the company) managed two different businesses in the past directly related to your type of business. They come with great recommendation from both previous employers.

WHO WILL YOU HIRE TO HANDLE YOUR INVEST/COMPANY AND WHY?

This tells us nothing.
For Candidate A:
Where is the MBA from?
Did he at least receive book knowledge about the industry?
What are the impression from the interview?

For Candidate B:
Can he adapt to a growing business?

Just from the little evidence you give, you seem to favor candidate B yourself because you give him the world with the only handicap being without a MBA. But here, everyone knows a MBA is not academic degree but simply a means to advance a career.

If I knew more about candidate A, I would interview the candidate to learn more. Discounting candidate A because he has no prior experience will be short-sighted.

 

[dr_almondjoy_do]

This is all the information we have to make a decision. There is no need to explain more since it is assumed you know the value of an MBA. I see that this topic has over 100 views and only 4 votes...

 

[Pavo]

Candidate B - and I see this all the time.

My company routinely places people into hedge funds and Wall St. with people who only hold a B.Sc. If you build a name for yourself, develop a network, and have a track record in place, then this will either take you anywhere you want to go in the industry or into a top MBA or JD program which some tend to take.

The one question that I would have is...

Which b-school? B-schools are not alike. I might take candidate A if s/he was coming from a top 10 program over candidate B (would need more details). Below top 10 everything is moot.

 

[dr_almondjoy_do]

You know what I don't like about SDN? 600 views and 5 votes..

Who would you all choose?

 

[Annette]

I wouldn't be hiring either if this was all the information I had. This person is going to be managing something very important to you, why would you trust it to some one with only limited information about them?

 

[mshheaddoc]

I wouldn't be hiring either if this was all the information I had. This person is going to be managing something very important to you, why would you trust it to some one with only limited information about them?

I think she's hit the nail on the head. I didn't vote b/c I wouldn't vote for either person without more information.

 

[IceMan0824]

I agree with all the above poster and that is why I chose not to vote.

It looks like you are attempting to bash the value of a MBA? Is it something personal, or do you really want our input? The nature of your post makes it seems like the former.

In a perfect world, we would have as much information as possible before making such a hiring decision.

The things going for the MBA potential hire: He has a MBA, and if from a top MBA, I know that the school has already self selected before accepting him. He's already a plus in the book, and I interview him to see if I can teach him what he needs to do to adapt to the job (This is why consulting firms routinely hire top mba grads who were chefs, artist or whatnots before going to business school)

The things going for the BA potential hire: He is proven. He doesn't need the BA to stand out in the field. He's done this before, so the core can be ignored as he can fit right in. I may need to teach him other aspect of business he may not have been familiar with, but I'm confident he can adapt.

Either way, given more information about the both of them, I can make a more informed decision about the two of them. Until then, I'll twiddle my thumbs.

 

[IceMan0824]

P.S.

Almond Joy is registered Hersey trademark. I wouldn't go trying to make any monetary fortune or fame with your screen name.

Just looking out for you.

 

[dr_almondjoy_do]

I didn't vote either. This is an ongoing debate i have with my other half who has a background in sales. I posted this on myspace, and here. The votes have been 100% Candidate B. And I feel so misguided. I wanted to get an MBA, but I don't think I'd get into a top 10 school right now. I'd need to wait until I could focus more on business instead of trying to learn medicine. In that case, I would look more like Candidate B with an MBA.

I feel that combined, they make an excellent candidate no matter where they obtained the degree, but I thought Candidate A would at least have a chance on SDN. Now I don't know what to do!

Thanks to everyone, but I lost the bet. I thought new blood would beat out old blood in a heartbeat. trainable, willing to adapt to new concepts, etc...but alas...

Almondjoy is a registered trademark of Hershey.

But Dr. Almond Joy, DO is awesome! lol