How To Balance Expectations And Training For New Hires: 19 Expert Tips

Forbes

3 days ago

Hiring for entry-level roles can test any agency's approach to training and development. While new hires are expected to bring foundational skills and a genuine drive to grow, building real value into their role takes thoughtful onboarding, mentorship and trust.
As an agency leader, striking a balance between what you expect up front and what you're ready to invest in training new teammates can determine whether they thrive and stay for the long term or not. Below, 19 members of Forbes Agency Council explore how to find that balance in practice, from the baseline skills they look for to the systems they've put in place to help entry-level talent succeed.
1. Provide Role-Specific Training And Mentorship
For us, it depends on the role. For developers, we invest heavily in training and certifications. For other roles, it's more of a mentor-mentee relationship, where the junior-level employee gets paired up with a senior-level employee, sometimes in another discipline, to learn 'how things get done around here.' Everyone also has access to an annual continuing education stipend to use as they see fit. - Stratton Cherouny, The Office of Experience
2. Start With A Probationary Period
In today's remote world, it's harder to find dedicated hires. Many seek a quick paycheck without investing in the work. For entry-level hires, a basic understanding of our industry verbiage is really all we need. A probationary period with basic training helps evaluate fit. Do they track time? Are they actually working? Asking questions? Once they show engagement, we ramp up training. - Peter Boyd, PaperStreet Web Design
3. Look For Specialized Knowledge Up Front
We seek hires with specialized knowledge that enhances our capabilities, trusting we can train them in broader skills. This approach delivers immediate value and supports long-term growth—ultimately expanding what we can offer clients. - Christy Saia-Owenby, MOXY Company
4. Ensure A Baseline Of Internship-Level Experience
We hire based on a baseline of internship experience, which means an understanding of at least foundational tech-stack capabilities across PR and marketing. The interview will do a good job of hinting at work ethic and confidence. The rest is on us to train them up in presence, service skills, advanced tech stack, problem solving and client immersion. Then, it's our hope they grow with us indefinitely. - Dean Trevelino, Trevelino/Keller
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5. Prioritize Cultural Fit Over Pedigrees
The right 'who' will always figure out the 'what' if you teach them the 'why.' Choose people over pedigree. Invest in training for culture-fit hires. Provide tools. Assign mentors. Serve and win. - Stephen Rosa, (add)ventures
6. Hire For Curiosity, Drive And Instinct
We look for curiosity, drive and good instincts. Entry-level hires aren't expected to know everything, as we invest in training, mentorship and clear systems. - David Ispiryan, Effeect
7. In Niche Industries, Look For Passion
We invest heavily in training and development, not just for entry-level roles, but also for more experienced ones. As a performance marketing agency specializing in data, we don't expect new hires to have a deep understanding of our niche; however, we do look for a passion for data and its potential as a marketing lever and business differentiator. - Paula Chiocchi, Outward Media, Inc.
8. Seek Those With A Desire To Learn
Our firm seeks self-motivated individuals who are eager to expand their knowledge. Being self-taught in marketing, I value the desire to learn over what they already know. We can teach, but only if they have the desire to learn new skills to enhance their own value and understanding. New hires learn all aspects of our agency to understand the importance of their roles and cross-train them as well. - Terry Zelen, Zelen Communications
9. Nurture Potential With Hands-On Training
We look for people with strong potential and a good attitude, more than perfect skills. We expect basic competency but invest heavily in hands-on training, mentorship and real projects. The goal is to build confidence and expertise quickly while shaping new hires into team members who align with our values and standards. - Guy Leon Sheetrit, Guac Digital
10. Look For Foundational Skills And A Growth Mindset
We look for hires with strong foundational skills and a growth mindset, but we invest heavily in hands-on training aligned with our processes and client expectations. Entry-level talent brings fresh energy, but real value comes from learning our standards. The balance is 30% preexisting competency and 70% structured onboarding and mentorship tailored to performance. - Boris Dzhingarov, ESBO Ltd
11. Blend Structured Onboarding With Live Projects
We seek talent with baseline proficiency and high learning velocity. Entry-level roles aren't about plug-and-play execution; they're launchpads. Our model blends structured onboarding with live-fire projects, ensuring hires grow in context, not isolation. The goal: thinkers who iterate fast, not just follow the process. - Vaibhav Kakkar, Digital Web Solutions
12. Grow Talent From The Ground Up With Internships
We look for curiosity, integrity and raw potential first. Foundational skills are important, but we know that great marketers are developed, not just hired. Our investment in mentoring and hands-on experience, especially through internships, helps us grow talent from the ground up. The right attitude and values outweigh a perfectly polished résumé. - Mary Ann O'Brien, OBI Creative
13. Support Curiosity With Real Client Work
We look for intellectual curiosity and strong communication instincts. Our entry-level hires often arrive with deep personal interest in tech, media or policy, even if they haven't worked in PR before. We invest in training, but we balance that with high trust and early exposure to real client work. The goal isn't to create followers; it's to grow independent thinkers. - Kyle Arteaga, The Bulleit Group
14. Train On Processes, But Expect New Ideas
For us, there's roughly a 60/40 split between training up new hires on our process (60%) and expecting them to bring their own ideas (40%). We expect a high level of competency in their area of expertise—enough to challenge us with better ideas moving forward. Any new team member should have a level of fluency 'out of the box' when they hit the ground running on day one. - Bernard May, National Positions
15. Invest In Development For The Long Haul
We invest one to two years—and often more—into developing new hires, because great training has no time limit. What matters most is hiring people with strong intangibles: high EQ, IQ and natural drive. You can't teach those. With the right raw material, there's no ceiling on how far they can go. - Austin Irabor, NETFLY
16. Seek Integrity, Solid Skills And A Strong Work Ethic
We expect entry-level hires to bring integrity, solid writing skills and a strong work ethic. From there, we invest heavily in professional development programs and training, including nearly 200 documented processes, weekly one-on-ones and personalized development plans. - Jason Mudd, Axia Public Relations
17. Look For Raw Skill, Hunger And Honesty
Curiosity, self-awareness, initiative and a bias for learning—that's what we look for in new employees. We look for unpolished raw skill and hunger we can build on. We'll meet them with mentorship and grow individual skills and competencies if we're met with honesty. No overselling, no bravado—just a clear sense of what they bring and what they're ready to grow into. That's what earns our investment. - Shanna Apitz, Hunt Adkins
18. Meet Hunger With Stretch Opportunities
We don't expect perfection, we expect fire. Give us hunger, humility and the ability to listen like a strategist. We'll meet you with mentorship, structure and stretch opportunities. The best teams grow together—and we train for tomorrow, not just today. - Jacquelyn LaMar Berney, VI Marketing and Branding
19. Do Immersive, Deep-Dive Onboarding
Properly onboarding and training new employees at any level is critical. We've created an immersive culture and systems training format designed to provide a deep dive into who we are as an agency and build the 'lens' that shapes every email, client interaction and decision-making process. The goal of onboarding is to bring the 'why' to life—you can always train them on the 'how' later. - Katie Everett, Katalyst Productions