Have you been thinking about recruitment lately? Ever thought, ‘should I hire a trainee instead of someone experienced?’ Thinking about training someone up from scratch? Having someone with no ‘bad habits’ or misconceptions about the role? Having someone you can watch grow, bring fresh ideas, and succeed because of your time and training? We completely understand that not everyone has the time to train on the basics, let alone the more niche aspects of a role. But if you can find a little extra time to invest in it, it could pay off significantly in the long run.
Trainees are mouldable, adaptable, and quick to learn. They’ve likely just come from an environment where they’re used to new situations, picking up and remembering new information quickly, critically thinking and will have the theory of their subjects at the forefront of their mind. They often have really strong skills in Word, Excel and/or PowerPoint, and will be able to pick up new tech systems quickly.
Taking things back to scratch, brining someone completely new and ‘green in’ will enable you to completely re-evaluate your current training structure, and reinforce your company’s standards, values and ways of working from the beginning. Setting expectations is easier, there are no previous company benefits, hours or expectations to compete with.
Not only that, but they are genuinely grateful that you’ve given them the opportunity of their first ‘proper’ job. The loyalty and gratitude you’ll receive in return will be incredibly meaningful. You’ll be building a talent pipeline, and be able to see the succession planning mapped out.
It could give your existing employees the opportunity to get something out of it as well. You can pull on their knowledge and resources to help train. Got someone who is a technical wizz on the system? Ask them to show them how to use it. Someone else is majorly passionate about your brand or product? As them to give them a brief overview of how the business flows and works. It’s not all up to you, and engaging the wider team helps a newbie settle, while also giving the team something to feel proud of.
And you never know, they might also teach you a thing or two as well! Trainees bring excellent new ideas to the table, new ways of thinking, and can most likely also keep you updated with the latest developments in AI!
Ultimately, training isn’t just an investment in the trainee — it’s an investment in the business’s future. The time spent developing someone today can lead to greater capability, loyalty and expertise tomorrow. So next time you find yourself asking, ‘should I hire a trainee’, maybe you should answer yourself, ‘YES!’.
