How to hire a training associate

How to hire a training associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step training associate hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a training associate job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new training associate
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a training associate do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The training associate hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect training associate also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of training associates.

   Type of Training Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Training Associate	Training and development specialists plan, conduct, and administer programs that train employees and improve their skills and knowledge.	$15-33
   Epic Credentialed Trainer	Epic credential trainers are professionals who are trained at the hospital client where they provide training to users. The responsibilities of the trainers include the delivery of end-user training and assistance in technicalities... Show more	$27-48
   Corporate Trainer	A corporate trainer is someone who essentially works as a teacher in a corporate setting. Daily duties include training employees with new company systems, skills, and strategies... Show more	$19-39

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • PowerPoint
   • Training Programs
   • Training Sessions
   • Training Materials
   • Food Safety
   • Training Courses
   • Training Classes
   • HR
   • POS
   • Customer Service
   • On-The-Job Training
   • LMS
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Customer Orders

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage logistics, outlining plans to procure and distribute necessary elements to target destinations in a timely and accurate manner.
   • Provide excellent customer service for both drive-thru and dine-in customers.
   • Work many 60 plus hr.
   • Handle all billing, insurance, and payroll.
   • Draft and update USMC SAPR policy to incorporate new policy guidance from DoD SAPRO.
   • Provide prompt, courteous customer service to all Arby's customers while taking orders, and payments.

   More training associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the training associate job description is a good way to get more applicants. A training associate salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a training associate in Ohio may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level training associate. Additionally, a training associate with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average training associate salary

   $47,524yearly

   $22.85 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level training associate salary

   $32,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 30, 2026

   Average training associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$68,165	$33
   2	Connecticut	$58,567	$28
   3	New Jersey	$58,416	$28
   4	New York	$58,035	$28
   5	District of Columbia	$56,668	$27
   6	Nebraska	$53,499	$26
   7	Maryland	$53,291	$26
   8	Virginia	$52,906	$25
   9	Colorado	$51,381	$25
   10	Illinois	$50,808	$24
   11	Massachusetts	$50,382	$24
   12	Minnesota	$49,822	$24
   13	Indiana	$49,061	$24
   14	Georgia	$48,538	$23
   15	Texas	$48,216	$23
   16	North Carolina	$47,838	$23
   17	South Carolina	$44,254	$21
   18	Florida	$43,452	$21
   19	Michigan	$42,433	$20
   20	Nevada	$40,751	$20

   Average training associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$93,961	$45.17	605
   2	Oracle	$74,047	$35.60	165
   3	Morgan Stanley	$72,282	$34.75	10
   4	Regeneron	$71,067	$34.17	1
   5	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	$70,510	$33.90
   6	Jacobs Engineering Group	$70,405	$33.85
   7	Vertex Pharmaceuticals	$70,292	$33.79	2
   8	UBS	$68,670	$33.01	11
   9	Yale University	$67,095	$32.26	2
   10	General Dynamics Mission Systems	$66,868	$32.15	4
   11	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	$66,501	$31.97
   12	J.P. Morgan	$65,222	$31.36
   13	City of Detroit	$62,617	$30.10	1
   14	First Savings Financial Group	$62,111	$29.86
   15	Pfizer	$60,998	$29.33	2
   16	SpecialtyCare	$60,283	$28.98	8
   17	Wolters Kluwer	$58,632	$28.19	65
   18	Crocs	$57,397	$27.59
   19	New York Life Insurance	$56,909	$27.36	33
   20	General Dynamics	$55,358	$26.61	20

4. Writing a training associate job description

   A job description for a training associate role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a training associate job description:

   Training associate job description example

   Neiman Marcus Group (NMG) has been the premier destination for luxury fashion and goods, superior service, and an elevated retail experience for more than a century. Today, 9,000 associates contribute to the success of NMG's brands: Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Last Call, and Horchow. There are 38 full-line Neiman Marcus stores in cosmopolitan markets across the United States and a sophisticated digital platform that attracts shoppers worldwide. Bergdorf Goodman operates two stores in landmark locations on Fifth Avenue in New York City and BergdorfGoodman.com, catering to loyal luxury customers globally. NMG also owns five Last Call stores and Horchow.com, an e-commerce site that offers premium furniture and home decor.
   
   The Trainer in partnership with the Department Lead and Supervisor will participate in the overall administration and follow up of training within their assigned area.
   Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
   
   The Associate must demonstrate the willingness and ability to:
   Provide training and constructive feedback effectively and professionally Present in front of groups Accurately provide and follow directions, both written and verbal Remain professional, fair and consistent in interacting with the NM team Actively support team concepts and effectively communicate with team members at all levels Maintain high level of safety awareness and provide safety feedback Remain flexible to work overtime, as scheduled Identify and address team productivity and quality concerns Meet NM physical requirements of standing, bending and lifting, etc. Assist in production as needed or directed by Management team Focus and remain on task in a fast paced environment Adhere to NM Safety standards
   
   Requirements:
   
   Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
   Intermediate knowledge of Warehouse Management System and MS Office preferred Previous training or mentoring experience is a plus Ability to analyze data for trends and make recommendations for improvement Excellent, timely and professional interpersonal communication skill Ability to communicate clearly both written and verbal
   
   Essential Functions:
   
   Essential Physical Requirements
   Continuous/frequent walking or standing for long periods of time Continuous/frequent pushing or pulling heavy carts - up to 50lbs

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find training associates for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any training associates they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level training associates with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your training associate job on Zippia to find and recruit training associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with training associate candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new training associate

   Once you've decided on a perfect training associate candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new training associate. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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