Early talent programs are often the first to lose funding and the last to get attention. When budget season rolls around or headcount gets tight, internship programs and entry-level hiring pipelines are treated as optional—a “nice-to-have” when times are good. That mindset misses the mark.
Early career hiring is one of the most overlooked drivers of long-term business value. Done right, it builds your leadership bench, strengthens your hiring efficiency, increases representation across teams, and lowers the overall cost per hire. The companies that treat early talent as a strategic asset are the ones that gain momentum in performance, retention, and innovation.
The “Nice-to-Have” Trap
Early talent often gets deprioritized because the payoff isn’t immediate. It’s easier to measure the ROI of a senior hire than the potential of a recent grad. But that short-term thinking creates long-term gaps. When internship programs get cut or entry-level hiring slows down, your future pipeline dries up.
Around 10,000 Baby Boomers retire each day, underscoring the swift loss of experienced employees and their embedded knowledge. You can’t build future-ready teams without consistent entry points—and you definitely can’t build a diverse leadership pipeline if your early talent funnel is narrow or nonexistent.
Skipping the early talent investment may feel efficient now, but it costs more later in turnover, recruiting spend, and missed potential. The average cost to replace a mid-career employee is from 50% to 200% of their annual salary. In contrast, recruiting an early-career hire typically costs nearly $4,700. When that hire is sourced through an internship, the conversion rate to full-time employment is an impressive 66.4%. Translation: When you build early talent intentionally, it pays off—and keeps paying off.
Early Talent as a Lever for Growth, Fair Hiring, and Workforce Planning
When embedded into workforce planning, early talent becomes a lever for growth and transformation. Entry-level roles aren’t just there to be filled—they’re a foundation for:
- Sustainable growth. Early-career hires ramp faster than expected, especially with good onboarding. At staffing firm ALKU, interns-turned-hires generated 21% more revenue in their first six months compared to external peers—and 14% more in their first year.
- Fairer hiring practices. These programs reduce overreliance on pedigree and give overlooked candidates a shot. Swapping resume screens for skills-based assessments leads to a wider, more capable pool.
- Succession planning. Entry-level hires become future managers. Investing early means you’re building strength and continuity into your leadership pipeline.
How Forage Turns Early Talent into a Strategic Asset
Many organizations struggle to reach, assess, and prepare early talent at scale without overloading their recruiting teams. That’s where Forage simulations come in.
Forage partners with employers to create virtual job simulations—self-paced experiences that mirror the actual work done in a role. They’re open-access, employer-branded, and designed to give students a realistic preview of your company while helping them build relevant skills. These simulations also surface highly motivated candidates who show up to interviews informed, confident, and better prepared.
Here’s how Forage drives impact:
- Candidate readiness at scale. A summer internship might reach a few dozen students. A Forage simulation reaches thousands. More than 5 million students have accessed them to date.
- Stronger hiring signals. Resumes don’t tell you much. Simulations do. Candidates who complete a Forage program are 2x more likely to get an interview, 4x more likely to receive an offer, and 4x more likely to accept it.
- A pipeline that converts. At some organizations, Forage simulation participants have accounted for up to 90% of early talent hires—making simulations a powerful driver of high-intent, high-conversion candidates.
Your Early Talent Strategy Is a Brand Strategy
How you show up to early-career candidates impacts more than a hiring cycle. They’re also future customers, brand advocates, and decision-makers.
That makes early talent a long game. When you offer accessible, skill-building tools like Forage simulations, you’re signaling “We invest in people before they work here.” That generosity builds goodwill, employer brand, and loyalty.
Ninety-five percent of students who complete a Forage simulation say they better understand the company. Eighty-five percent say they’re more likely to apply. Those impressions matter—even if a job offer doesn’t come right away.
Don’t Just Fill Roles. Build the Bench.
Early talent isn’t just a pipeline to fill junior roles—it’s your long-term differentiator. These aren’t just entry-level hires. They’re your future leaders—the people who will understand your business inside and out, carry its culture forward, and deliver results that matter.
A strong early talent strategy doesn’t chase volume—it builds vision. With tools like Forage, you can identify, skill, and engage candidates before the first interview is even scheduled.
Ready to turn early talent into your biggest competitive edge?
