The media buying and traffic arbitrage industry is evolving rapidly, and every team eventually faces a choice: attract only experienced specialists or invest resources in training beginners. The issue of hiring juniors is one of the most debated on the market, as early-stage mistakes here are measured in the company’s real advertising budgets.
To better understand how this industry works and what team efficiency is based on, we recommend studying our complete guide to media buying and traffic arbitrage.
We have gathered insights from HRDs and leaders of top teams to show the real picture of the market. In this article, we frankly discuss whether it is worth investing in beginners, how many months to wait for the first profit, and why half of the juniors "wash out" during their probation period.
Who is a junior to you and what does the path to gaining experience look like?
Iryna, HRD Rockit
For us, a junior is someone who already has a basic understanding of arbitrage and its tools but cannot yet consistently deliver results. Usually, this means 3 to 12 months of practical experience or solid specialized training with real cases. Unfortunately, today the market often looks for a "junior with experience" because even basic adaptation requires significant team resources.
Polina, HRD Fellows Team
Junior positions heavily depend on the department and the vacancy itself. In some cases, junior might mean "ready to train from scratch." But this will always be clear in the job posting: in the description, requirements, and selection process. Although, in reality, that is a trainee.
If we are talking specifically about media buying—Facebook, UAC, PPC—then today a junior for us does not equal "a person with no experience." A junior media buyer is a specialist who can already generate results. Yes, maybe not massive numbers yet. Yes, they might still need more control and support. But this is already an independent specialist who understands basic metrics, knows how to handle budgets, test, and analyze. A person who simply "really wants to get into arbitrage" is not a junior yet.
Most candidates with no experience genuinely want to get right into buying. It is understandable: the field is popular, surrounded by stories of rapid growth, dollars, and Lambos. But reality is more complex. If we are talking about entering the field from scratch, there is a better chance of starting as an assistant, farmer, or in other roles where the company immediately provides training. We have a post about this on our page.
Why is this? Because buying is directly tied to budgets. A mistake here costs money and resources. And the market right now is not as simple as it was a few years ago. Even specialists with 3–5 years of experience, who have been through the ups, downs, and storms, find it hard to show good numbers. Therefore, expecting someone with no experience to quickly jump in and start consistently generating results is a huge risk for the business. That is exactly why a junior in buying is not an entry point "from scratch." It is already the next stage.
Yulia, HRD Street Traffic
A junior is a person without extensive experience in tools but with the right mindset. A basic understanding of the field or a few months of practice is the absolute minimum to even start a conversation.
Yaroslava, CBDO WWLeads
Juniors can be divided into several categories:
- Those moving up from an assistant role—without experience in independent work, but with a good understanding of the processes. In this case, with a good mentor, a desire to learn, and the ability to make their own decisions, they can grow into a middle-level buyer or higher in 6–12 months—provided they deliver results matching that level.
- Buyers who have completed courses and are just starting to work. Right now, there are many "graduates" looking for jobs, but mostly, these courses cover only the initial part of the tasks and problems you have to solve during independent work. Therefore, only in rare cases can the very best get an offer right away—for the most part, they should consider an assistant position to see the processes from the inside and learn how to solve problems and find opportunities.
- Career switchers. An experienced BDM or designer may eventually become interested in moving to a buyer position. For such people, a junior role can be a quick way to retrain, as one aspect of the job—finding offers and working with creatives—is already at a high level for them. Such newcomers are always welcome, both within the company and in the market generally. This also applies to transitioning from other niches and fields—from "white-hat" to those adjacent to "gray-hat": when a person already has well-developed analytics and traffic source skills, gaining knowledge of the specifics of a particular niche and creatives in a short time makes it entirely realistic to get a promotion in 3–6 months—given good results and a growth trend.
Dasha, HR Lead Gentle Partners
It is not about the number of months on a resume. For us, a junior is a person who already understands the basic logic of the processes and can explain why a campaign worked or failed. Experience can be gained not only in a company but also through personal projects, test launches, or freelance work.
Anastasia, Head of PR One Media | Arbitrage Up
For us, a Junior is not about the number of months on a CV, but about the level of competencies. A person can work in a team for half a year and never learn how to analyze campaigns or work with numbers, or they can show results after 2–3 months of intensive practice.
The most valuable way to gain experience is through practice on real cases under the guidance of a mentor. That is why in our academy we focus not only on theory but also on working with real tasks, services, and analytics.
What is your team's attitude towards juniors?
Iryna, HRD Rockit
We are open to juniors, but only when there is an opportunity to train them properly. If the team lacks the time or a mentor, taking someone "just to fill a seat" is unfair to both the business and the candidate.
Polina, HRD Fellows Team
We quite often have vacancies for SEO training. But the selection, the source itself, and the work are among the toughest. However, this is probably the most valuable and highly converting source right now.
To me, a strong candidate with no experience is someone who has already done something before the interview: self-studied or taken a course, talked to people in the industry, and realized that this is exactly what they want to do. It is not about the knowledge they possess, but rather the certainty that this is their calling and that they have already put in effort, taken an interest, and studied.
If a person hasn't done even basic research but already has a list of demands for the company—that is not about motivation. That is a risk.
Yulia, HRD Street Traffic
Right now, we are focusing more on seniors and team leads. In buying, the cost of a mistake is measured by the budget, so while a person is learning to work with data, the losses can be substantial.
Yaroslava, CBDO WWLeads
We select juniors more meticulously, as it is mostly difficult to assess their skills based on real profit metrics; instead, we have to evaluate their potential and whether we are ready to invest time and resources into this person here and now. We separately consider those who want to change their career path while already having qualifications in one of the buying fields. In this case, the main question is: what knowledge gaps need to be closed to get a fully-fledged buyer in a short time.
Dasha, HR Lead Gentle Partners
We consider them, but only when we have the resources for it. A junior needs quality onboarding, time for training, and an experienced mentor. It is crucial that the mentor is interested in the beginner's development, so additional financial motivation for them also matters.
Anastasia, Head of PR One Media | Arbitrage Up
At One Media, we are as open as possible to bringing in juniors. This is one of the directions for our team’s development. We not only hire beginners but also help them take their first steps in the profession.
After completing training at the Arbitrage Up academy, the student must fully complete the program with a coach, successfully pass the final exam, and confirm their practical skills. After that, we help build a competitive CV, prepare them for interviews, and through our job board, recommend candidates to One Media's buying teams and other companies in the market. Assistant Media Buyer and Junior Media Buyer positions are always open.
We are convinced that strong specialists can be grown within the team if they have solid basic training and the right approach to work.
What stops you from hiring juniors? What do you look at first?
Iryna, HRD Rockit
The main factor is not the fear of draining the budget, but the cost of the strong specialists' time. Training a junior takes dozens of hours of work from a team lead or a senior. If the team is working at maximum capacity, finding this resource is very difficult.
The presence of an internal training program, the candidate's strong motivation, quick learning ability, discipline, and willingness to practice a lot. We look more at a person's potential than a pretty line on a CV.
Polina, HRD Fellows Team
Internal team training is an investment of time, money, and other resources. It is essentially a course that you also get paid for and employed through. But one of the problems is exactly that most candidates perceive the Instagram image of a typical "arbitrager" and are simply not ready to work for the long term; they burn out quickly and expect "chill and hookah" vibes)
Yulia, HRD Street Traffic
Personal cases, even small ones. It is important to show not just the result, but the logic: why this specific creative, audience, or approach was chosen.
Yaroslava, CBDO WWLeads
Individual qualities and previous experience. A person with no experience in our field, but with skills in design, video editing, analytics, or SMM, has a competitive advantage and will be considered first because existing skills can be immediately adapted to the needs of the position.
Dasha, HR Lead Gentle Partners
First and foremost, soft skills and the approach to work. Small but stable results, coupled with an honest presentation of their experience, inspire much more trust than embellished cases. It is important to see that the person understands the specifics of the job, their results, and can back them up with arguments.
Are juniors an investment or a cost-saving measure?
Iryna, HRD Rockit
Definitely an investment. In the short term, a junior almost always costs more than it seems. But if the person grows within the company, the business gets a loyal specialist who knows the team's processes and culture.
Polina, HRD Fellows Team
A junior is definitely not about saving money, if you understand the potential losses to the business. Our ideal scenario is a win-win.
The person gets a chance to enter the industry, gain experience, training, and real cases. The team invests time, knowledge, and money, expecting that over time this person will start delivering results.
It would be dishonest to say that business hires juniors solely because they "believe in people." Business is business. But when there is a persistent person with a desire to succeed, along with the right selection and proper training, belief and investment truly align.
Yaroslava, CBDO WWLeads
In our company, juniors are viewed exclusively as an investment. The budget and amount of time spent on training and ongoing support are definitely not about making a quick buck or saving resources. It is purely an investment in people who will eventually bring the company profits that cover the training costs, as well as additional profit and a fresh perspective for the team.
Dasha, HR Lead Gentle Partners
Without a structure—it is a drain. With a clear onboarding system, training, and a mentor, it is an investment that can start yielding initial results in 3–6 months. Definitely an investment. We hire a person whose potential we believe in, rather than looking for a way to save on salary.
Anastasia, Head of PR One Media | Arbitrage Up
Definitely an investment.
Training a junior requires time, the involvement of experienced practicing coaches, and providing students with a convenient technical infrastructure. If a person justifies the trust, the company gets a strong specialist who grew within the team and works according to its standards.
Therefore, it is a long-term investment in the future development of the team.
Why do juniors fail their probation period?
Iryna, HRD Rockit
Usually, the ones who fail are those not ready for a fast-paced learning environment, who do not take responsibility, cannot handle feedback, or quickly lose motivation after their first failures.
We believe that quality onboarding and regular feedback significantly increase a junior’s chances of becoming a strong specialist. Learning does not stop after the first week—it is an ongoing process.
Polina, HRD Fellows Team
Most often, it is not due to a lack of experience, but mismatched expectations.
Some think arbitrage is about quick money, a "Lambo," and glamorous stories. And then they face reality: a tough entry into the field, routine work, tests, numbers, failed campaigns, a fast pace, and a lack of stability.
We try to filter out these scenarios at the recruiting stage. Therefore, our selection for junior positions is quite thorough because it is important for us to find not just someone who wants it. We need to find someone who already understands what they want, where they are going, and what they can bring to the table.
Yulia, HRD Street Traffic
In my experience, there haven't been many of those. Most often, the reason is single-fold: confidence without the willingness to ask questions and double-check their decisions.
We have onboarding, but it is about internal processes. The candidate should bring basic knowledge of media buying with them.
Yaroslava, CBDO WWLeads
Some time ago, we worked in a "sandbox" format aimed at finding promising juniors under the guidance of a mentor. Overall, no more than 30% of buyers who had already passed the initial selection remain in the team. The majority are not ready to work at the pace dictated by the market. Some lack the natural aptitude to absorb information quickly; others cannot focus on long-term work and look for quick, immediate results, which do not exist. The reasons for failing the trial period are very individual. But, in defense of buyers, it is worth noting: investing in and training a person at your own expense for the long haul is quite a thankless task, so candidates need to be filtered out as quickly as possible by evaluating their real prospects, rather than the personal preferences of the mentor.
When a junior joins the team, they are assigned a buddy and a team lead—people who are financially motivated by their growth and results. Thus, they teach all technical specifics, conduct campaign analyses together with the buyer, and figure out how to patch up weak spots right then and there to improve results. The main thing is to select people who are ready and able to teach, and to motivate them correctly.
Dasha, HR Lead Gentle Partners
Most often, the problem is not a lack of knowledge, but readiness to work at a fast pace, continuously learn, analyze one's own mistakes, and invest effort into the result. Yes, but not in a "theory for the sake of theory" format. It is about real tasks, working side by side with a mentor, and analyzing cases and mistakes within the scope of the position.
How much time does it take for a junior to start bringing in profit?
Iryna, HRD Rockit
On average—from 3 to 6 months, but this highly depends on the person, the vertical, the volume of support, and the maturity of the company's internal processes. Some reach results faster, while others need more time.
Polina, HRD Fellows Team
Everything is very individual and depends on the traffic source, how much time the person is willing to dedicate to learning, their persistence, and, of course, the mentor and the team's infrastructure.
Yulia, HRD Street Traffic
On average, starting from two months. If a person learns quickly and is not afraid to ask questions, the process goes much faster.
Yaroslava, CBDO WWLeads
With good mentoring, the first positive results—even if minor—can be seen in the very first month. If we are talking about independently generating results, it takes roughly 3–6 months for a buyer to start bringing in their first profit entirely from their own ideas and developments.
Dasha, HR Lead Gentle Partners
In a good scenario, the first small profitable cases can start appearing after 3–6 months of work. But a lot depends on both the specialist themselves and the quality of training and support from the team.
Conclusion: so, should you hire juniors or not?
As we can see from the experts' answers, there is no universal formula on the market. For some teams, hiring juniors is an unjustified risk and a waste of budget, while for others, it is an excellent investment and an opportunity to grow a loyal, powerful specialist tailored to their own processes. It all comes down to whether the team has the resources, free time, and the willingness of strong mentors to share their experience.
If you want to dive deeper into the specifics of a buyer's work, understand team structures, and explore other aspects of arbitrage, head over to our dedicated section — Media Buying and Traffic Arbitrage. There, we have gathered even more useful materials, cases, and insights from industry leaders.
