A business may at some time be struck with a choice between a new recruit with an admirable resume but high demands and a new recruit with very little to their name but room to grow. In such situations it is best to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each and make a calculated decision.

Hiring the experienced talent

There is no doubt that a rock star employee boosts overall performance in the business. Once in, even the existing workers tend to start working harder to match the newcomer. You are likely to see their productivity improve, sometimes quite quickly.

Advantages

• Short learning curve
  Skilled professionals with years of experience in whatever they do learn and adjust faster. They already know the functions, all that remains is fitting into the new work culture.
  Most star employees learn of their own volition. You don’t need to incur extra training costs to sharpen them for the tasks and goals at hand.

• Easier to manage
  The ample experience in star employees makes them easy to manage. They know how things work and what they need to use to reach specific goals. Most rock stars prefer working independently, using processes that best work for them.
  By allowing the new talent to work independently, you can cut the cost of supervision out of your budget.

• Faster return on investment
  Star employees can elevate the whole team by teaching their colleagues new advances and mentoring them. Even when they are gone, the remaining team members can still leverage the skills they learned to achieve the same results.

Disadvantages

• They tend to easily get bored
  Just like you, star employees come with higher expectations. If the new role is not apt, they become bored, anxious, and less productive. Worse still, some opt to leave the new job hence raising the turnover costs.

• Higher pay
  You must stretch your budget to have a star employee in your business. Also, most high talents will demand a pay rise, especially when they realize that their roles extend to guidance and mentoring.

• Worrisome team
  Employees work hard for promotion. However, when you bring a star to take a new role, especially a bigger office, the junior employees may feel intimidated or replaced.

Training new talents

Fresh recruits generally have less demands of the company compared to their more experienced and talented counterparts. This does not, however, mean that they cannot reach the same level. It may just take a little investment which can return a greater reward.

Advantages

• Enthusiasm
  Fresh employees are eager to learn. They are obedient and will work hard to fit your business culture. Unlike star employees, they value criticism and hardly develop attitudes.

• Low pay
  More often than not, new talents are affordable. They understand the need to scale their proficiency, hence they do not demand a lot of dime like the trained counterparts.

• Adaptability
  When changes arise, new talents are better equipped to respond to them faster. They heed to every kind of need from their bosses faster than their trained counterparts. They can also be molded to learn new skills without previous skills interfering.

Disadvantages

• Double turnover risks
  Chances are higher that the new talent you’ve invested in can walk away at any time. If this happens, your business will suffer double turnover—the cost of hiring and training.

• The high cost of training
  Training reduces billable hours, especially when the new talent attends remote sessions. And, since the employee will at one point feel stagnated, you can’t be absolutely sure when the training will stop. These two factors, coupled with unimaginably high costs of training programs, training a new recruit is intimidating.

Bottom line

Making the decision to hire either a trained employee or an untrained employee is a difficult decision. Both parties come with their own risks and rewards. Training new talents seems to be a higher risk endeavour, but the added monetary value and flexibility may make this option a more enticing one.