Identification of Which Competencies Are Cost-Effective to Train versus to Select For. Core competencies and traits like achievement motivation and initiative can be trained, but it may be more cost-effective to hire a person who already has these competencies than to try to instill achievement motivation in someone who does not have it. The rule is: Selection is prepotent overtraining (or, more colloquially, you can teach a turkey to climb a tree—but itis easier to hire a squirrel).