Business Strategy&Lms Tech
Upscend Team
-February 22, 2026
9 min read
This six-step process shows how to decide between hiring an A-player or training a B-player by quantifying skill gaps, estimating time-to-proficiency, and comparing multi-year costs. It covers cultural fit, LMS capacity, and a 6–8 week pilot checklist with stop/go rules and red flags to make an evidence-based hire or train decision.
When facing rapid growth or a performance gap, leaders must evaluate hire vs training quickly and accurately. This guide presents a practical, six-step decision process that we've used across product, operations, and customer success teams to choose between recruiting an A-player or investing in current staff. You'll get templates, a mini-case cost comparison, clear red flags that favor hiring, and a reproducible hire or train checklist to use in meetings.
Start here: this process treats skill gap, time-to-proficiency, and measurable ROI as the core inputs so decisions are defensible and repeatable. In practice, companies that systematize the train vs hire decision reduce time-to-value and improve retention—benchmarks often show retention improvements of 30–50% when training is prioritized strategically. Use the steps below to determine when to train employees and when to recruit externally.
Before choosing between hire vs training, convert opinions into numbers. A clear skill-gap matrix reduces bias and surfaces whether the gap is competency-level, experience-level, or attitudinal. Quantifying the gap helps answer core questions like: should we hire or train current employees? and how to decide between hiring and training for a given role.
Do this in two short exercises: competency mapping and performance delta calculation.
List required competencies across the top and people/roles down the side. Score current capability and required capability on a 1–5 scale; subtract to get the gap. Use the template below. For larger teams, aggregate scores and show distribution percentiles to reveal whether gaps are isolated or systemic.
| Role / Skill | Skill A (technical) | Skill B (communication) | Skill C (domain) | Gap Score (sum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Employee | 3 / 5 | 4 / 5 | 2 / 5 | 3 |
| Required (A-player) | 5 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 0 |
Once you know the gaps, estimate how long it will take to close them. Time is a key differentiator in any hire vs training decision — speed can change ROI dramatically. This step answers practical questions such as when to train employees vs when to recruit: if delivery deadlines are tight, hiring is often unavoidable.
Break down time-to-proficiency into three components: structured learning hours, on-the-job practice, and mentoring/feedback cycles.
For each competency, estimate: formal training hours, supervised practice weeks, and cycles to reach independent performance. Multiply by expected weekly capacity to get calendar weeks. Use historical ramp data where possible; for example, track prior cohorts' time to reach key KPIs and use those as conservative baselines.
Insight: If required delivery is under the estimated ramp time for training, hiring often wins. If the business has runway, training may be cheaper and better for retention. Consider hybrid approaches—short-term contractors to meet immediate needs while you train internal hires—to bridge the gap.
Cost comparisons must include direct and indirect costs. Hiring carries recruiting, offer, and onboarding costs. Training has program costs, lost productivity, and opportunity costs. Always use a multi-year horizon—three years is a sensible baseline—to capture retention effects and fixed training investments amortized over time.
Below is a simple cost calculator and a mini-case to illustrate trade-offs.
| Cost Item | Hire (A-player) | Train (B-player) |
|---|---|---|
| Direct cost (salary, benefits) | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Recruiting & onboarding | $15,000 | $5,000 |
| Training program & materials | $0 | $8,000 |
| Lost productivity (ramp) | $10,000 | $25,000 |
| Total Year 1 | $145,000 | $118,000 |
We evaluated a customer success seat: hiring an A-player costs $145k first-year (including hiring fees). Training the current B-player was $118k first-year including slower ramp. However, the trained employee's long-term retention increased lifetime value. Over three years, training produced a lower cumulative cost by ~20% due to reduced recruitment churn and institutional knowledge retention.
Use a three-year horizon for cost comparisons; year-one looks different from lifetime ROI.
Culture and growth potential are qualitative but decisive. A misaligned A-player damages team norms quickly; a high-potential B-player can compound returns with the right coaching. This step helps answer "should we hire or train current employees" by combining objective potential metrics with behavioral signals.
Evaluate attitude, coachability, and alignment to core values with structured interviews and 90-day performance milestones.
Ask these questions: Does the individual demonstrate curiosity and resilience? Do they handle feedback? Can they stretch into the role with support? If answers are mostly "no," hiring is likely the better option. Use short trials or stretch projects to observe behavior under pressure before making a long-term decision.
Practical tools: Use 360 feedback, trial projects, and behavioral interviews to score fit. Also consider team dynamics — one disruptive hire can cost more than a modest training program. When evaluating potential, weigh role-critical behavioral traits (ownership, customer obsession) equally with technical skills.
Data-driven learning platforms can help surface readiness through engagement metrics (available in platforms like Upscend), improving predictions about whether training will stick. Combine platform data with human judgment for best outcomes.
Training succeeds when infrastructure and instructional design are available. Assess whether your Learning Management System (LMS), trainers, and subject matter experts can deliver targeted, measured programs. Without this capacity, a "train-first" approach is risky.
Inventory capacity: course quality, coaching bandwidth, assessment tools, and measurement processes. Consider whether content can be reused—one-off bespoke training is less defensible unless the role is strategic.
If two or more answers are "no," the hire vs training balance shifts toward hiring because unmanaged training often fails or takes longer than expected. If capacity exists, training can be a strategic investment that builds institutional knowledge and improves retention. Consider blended approaches—microlearning, peer coaching, and documentation—to reduce SME load.
Before a full-scale decision, run a short pilot. Pilots reduce uncertainty and create data you can use in the final make-or-buy decision. A well-structured pilot answers "how to decide between hiring and training" using evidence rather than intuition.
Design a pilot using the following checklist and measurable success criteria.
Red flags that should push you to recruit:
Common pain points: budget constraints, compressed timelines, and measurement uncertainty. Address these by using staged hiring (short-term contractors) or time-boxed training pilots with clear KPIs. Another implementation tip: document knowledge transfer as part of the pilot to preserve institutional memory and accelerate future hires.
Deciding between hire vs training is rarely binary. Follow these six steps—quantify the gap, model ramp times, calculate costs, assess fit and capacity, and run a pilot—to make an evidence-based choice. A consistent process reduces bias, aligns stakeholders, and improves talent ROI.
Key takeaways:
Next step: Run a 6–8 week pilot using the checklist above; document outcomes and compare three-year costs before making a final decision. If you remain uncertain, consider a split approach: hire for immediate needs and simultaneously run a train-the-trainer program to build internal bench strength.
Call to action: Download this checklist and templates, run your pilot, and share results with leadership to make a timely, defensible hire or train decision. Use this hire or train checklist in your next talent review to answer the core question: should we hire or train current employees? It will help you operationalize the train vs hire decision and clarify when to train employees versus recruit externally.
