Avoid These Internal Hiring Mistakes

By Victoria Robertson on January 10, 2021

Hiring new individuals for your team is not easy. There are plenty of considerations to keep in mind during pre-screening, throughout the interview process, and then post-hire, though many hiring managers actually miss these important aspects by instead focusing on a quick fill.

When bringing employees on board from within the company, many of these concerns dissolve, as they’ve already worked alongside you (even if not directly) prior to joining the team. However, that’s not to say internal hiring is without its pitfalls. So, to help you navigate some of the top pitfalls, here are the most common internal hiring mistakes.

Photo Via Pixabay

1. Missing the Signs of a Bad Employee

Just because an employee works at your organization isn’t to say they are a solid employee that’s worthy of working at your organization. It’s fairly common for an employee to look for other jobs while in their current role simply for fear of losing said job.

It’s also important to note that most hiring managers will be glad to see them go, and may even push for them to join another team. This is where you need to rely on your ability to interview candidates. Just because they work for your company isn’t to say they’re worthy of joining your team. Make sure you are accurately screening them as well.

2. Lack of Diversity

As many organizations now are ensuring diversity is in their purview, hiring externally is made all the more important for fresh perspectives, faces, and ideas. When hiring internally, those efforts are diminished.

That’s not to say your organization isn’t already diverse, but when you’re continually pulling from the same pool of candidates, things are likely to get monotonous and diversity opportunities are likely to be missed.

3. Perceived Poaching

There’s a high likelihood that internal employees leaving one team to join another will leave a sour taste in their previous manager’s mouths. At many companies, managers will call this “poaching.”

To be clear, hiring from within isn’t poaching, but that’s not to say that perception isn’t out there at your organization. If approached with this accusation, avoid argument and instead direct the other manager to the company’s internal recruitment policies.

Ultimately, when an employee unsatisfied in one department moves to another, it’s preventing the loss of that employee for the company, which is a good thing for all involved.

4. Dealing With Multiple Losses

In many cases, when you are looking for someone new to join the team, it’s because there is too much work for the rest of the team to handle. And, when looking at internal employees to fill a role, the timeline can be dauntingly long.

So, while it’s not extremely common, it is possible you’ll lose your own employees along the way, thus increasing the number of positions you need to fill. So while you want to be thoughtful and detailed in your selection, you also don’t want to wait too long and leave the door open for your team to leave.

5. Losing Employees

It’s hard enough to interview an internal employee for a potential job, but to pass on that employee is another thing entirely, especially if they are eager to join your team.

Retaining employees isn’t easy, but it’s made all the harder when they are bitter due to lost opportunities. For some, this will leave them wanting to look for positions elsewhere, so it’s always a possibility your organization will lose candidates. That being said, you need to do what’s best for your team, so don’t be afraid to pass on candidates that you know won’t be a fit for your team.

6. Underwhelming Results

Last, but not least, just because you hire a person internally isn’t to say they are going to excel in the role in question. As mentioned previously, getting into your organization isn’t to say they are a rockstar employee that would be successful on any team.

Use your interview process to determine whether or not the individual is a fit for your team. Just because someone in the company referred them to you, or they have all the qualifications necessary on their resume doesn’t mean they are an automatic fit and that you couldn’t find someone better suited externally. So take their interview process just as seriously as you would someone else’s.

Hiring someone new is a seemingly never-ending process of interviews, paperwork, and training. However, when ditching the external recruitment efforts and instead hiring from within, that headache becomes slightly more manageable. That being said, hiring from within isn’t foolproof, and there are still ways in which you, as a hiring manager, can make a mistake and cost your organization a star employee.

These common internal hiring mistakes may trip up most managers, but now that you’re well versed in what they are and how to avoid them, your hiring process should be seamless!

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