The CA Thingy
How to Train Junior Staff Without Slowing Down
April 8, 2025
Hiring junior staff is exciting—but training them can feel like a full-time job. The challenge? You still have deadlines, client calls, and filings to manage. In this blog, we’ll show you how to onboard and train junior team members without compromising your firm’s productivity.
1. Stop Training from Scratch Every Time
- Document common workflows once—use videos, SOPs, and checklists.
- Store them in a shared drive or task system, so juniors can self-serve.
- This saves you hours of repeat explanations.
2. Assign Real Tasks—With Safety Nets
- Start with low-risk tasks like data entry, follow-ups, or drafts.
- Review before submission to ensure quality and catch errors.
- This builds confidence for them, and trust for you.
3. Use Templates to Accelerate Learning
- Create reusable templates for filings, emails, and client checklists.
- New team members just plug in the variables—no guesswork.
- This ensures consistency even if they’re new to the task.
4. Pair Them with a Buddy, Not Just You
- Assign a slightly senior peer as their first point of contact.
- This reduces your load and creates a culture of peer learning.
- New hires often feel more comfortable asking peers.
5. Track Progress, Not Just Mistakes
- Use a simple checklist or dashboard to monitor what they’ve completed and learned.
- Celebrate wins and progress—not just flag errors.
- This motivates them and gives you visibility into ramp-up speed.
6. Make Training a Weekly Habit, Not a One-Time Event
- Host a weekly 15-minute learning session—1 topic, 1 process, 1 Q&A.
- This builds institutional knowledge and keeps training bite-sized.
- Bonus: Record and reuse these sessions for future hires.
Final Thoughts
- Training doesn’t have to slow you down—it can make your firm scalable.
- With the right structure, juniors can get productive fast and contribute meaningfully.
- The CA Thingy helps you assign, track, and guide your team—all in one place.