Internal Recruiting: A Complete HR Guide

The internal recruitment is a type of recruitment that consists of looking for, selecting and recruiting candidates to fill a vacancy, prioritizing current employees of the company. In other words, rather than posting a job offer to look for external candidates, we want to recruit members who are already part of the structure; this will give them The opportunity to evolve within the company.

If you want to optimize your recruitment process more generally, an article on The 7 stages of recruitment is also available.

1 - The advantages of internal recruitment

Internal recruitment has many advantages, here is a list of a few to remember:

• To begin with, internal recruitment promotes employee loyalty. By offering your employees professional development opportunities, you will make them feel like they are progressing and rewarding their efforts. By valuing internal promotion, you will motivate your employees and they will feel fulfilled. This will have a positive impact on their work performance but also on their loyalty; you will thus be more likely to keep your talents in your company. To find out more, read our article on employee loyalty.

• Then, internal recruitment can lead to a cost reduction related to external recruitment. Indeed, the latter can be expensive when it comes to publishing job offers, consulting recruitment agencies, looking for candidates from outside the company and integrating them. By recruiting an employee who is already in the structure and who knows how it works, you will save considerable time in managing human resources.

• Finally, internal recruitment allows a company to valorize skills of its employees. By offering them opportunities similar to a promotion, their experience and know-how are recognized and rewarded. Such an act also acts as a guarantee of trust, which will push your employees to develop professionally but also to thrive in their work. A corporate culture that values internal promotion is, by definition, a culture that draws its employees to the top. It becomes a major asset for developing your employer brand.

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2 - The disadvantages of internal recruitment

However, although internal recruitment has interesting advantages, it also has some significant disadvantages:

• The first of these drawbacks is the lack of diversity in the choice of profiles. By using internal recruitment, a company risks limiting itself in the diversity of its profiles and the skills of its employees; it thus takes the risk of not taking a fresh and external look at the work done. Diversity in talent generally promotes innovation and creativity, which can breathe new life into a structure in need of fresh air.

• Second, it is possible that there is a Risk of favouritism and complacency in choosing only employees who are already in place. Some may be preferred by default, without any objective consideration of their skills, which undermines the principle of equal opportunities. This kind of pressure leads to a feeling of injustice among other employees, and the esteem they have of their employer can drop drastically. Basing your internal recruitment policy on personal relationships rather than on professional merit is a serious mistake.

• In addition, when an employee is promoted internally, it is not uncommon for this change to come break the team dynamic in place. This can create disruptions in the original team, but also in the team that the employee joined; in addition to a changing climate, this dynamic can be difficult to manage and employees will need to adapt.

• Finally, when an employee accesses a new position, he often has need to be trained and supported to take charge of its new missions and responsibilities. Transitioning to a new position is a significant challenge and the employee may need support to fully integrate. It is essential to prepare it. If this step is overlooked or botched, it could have immediate consequences on team productivity. Our article on the integration of an employee will be of great help to you.

3 - How to recruit internally?

Now, you may want to adopt an internal recruitment policy in your company or simply improve it. To proceed with its implementation, a few steps must be followed beforehand in order toavoid recruitment mistakes. Here are our tips:

• The first step is to identify vacancies within the company, and at Define selection criteria required for each of these positions. If it is a job creation, human resources managers will have to write clear and detailed job descriptions. Conversely, for an existing computer, they will have to update them. In each of these cases, particular attention should be paid to the skills and experiences required to fill each position.

• In a second step, you will have to assess skills and the potential of your employees internal: by analyzing their profiles, you can determine whether or not they are suitable for the function you want them to perform. These evaluations can be done via assessment solutions, depending on the skills you are looking to assess with them. In both cases, it is an important strategic step.

After several years of R&D with researchers in Occupational Psychology and Neuroscience, we came up with Yuzu : one New Generation Assessment Center, specialized insoft skills assessment (the famous soft skills).

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The advantages of our solution:

1. One candidate experience exceptional for boosting your employer brand;
2. A solution accessible to all to ensure equal opportunities;
3. A decision support tool to detect and promote interpersonal skills.

In the framework of your recruitment process Or of internal mobility, we are transforming the assessment of Soft Skills In a moment Loud and playful. In addition, it is an essential point for recruiting online, for more details see our article on e-recruitment.

• Then you will have to promote opportunities of internal mobility and communicate about the positions to be filled in your company. This can be done through announcements, internal communications, bulletin boards, team meetings, etc. The aim is to engage your employees by presenting them with the benefits of internal mobility. If you are interested in the subject, we have listed 7 steps to a successful internal mobility in 2024.

• Finally, the last step is to set up a selection process rigorous and transparent: it is important to do so according to the nature of the positions to be filled, in order to ensure a fair and objective evaluation of all candidates. This process can take the form ofstructured interviews, skills assessments, case studies, or practical tests. The objective is of course, in the long term, to find the ideal candidate for each position.

4 - Good practices in internal recruitment

Now, we are going to give you some best practices to adopt during your internal recruitment sessions. As long as you follow them, you will be sure to recruit the best people while keeping your employer brand intact.

• First of all, involve managers and teams in the recruitment process makes it possible to gather different opinions and to guarantee a more objective inspection of candidates. The people who work with them on a daily basis are the ones who can best describe them. As managers have a deeper understanding of employee skills, you will be able to get vital information about them from them. Moreover, their engagement in the selection process can strengthen their buy-in and sense of responsibility, as the future of the business will depend in part on them.

• Then, it may be a good idea to offer candidates trainings and programs of personal development. On the one hand, this would show the company's desire to see its talents develop professionally, and on the other hand, these trainings could help candidates acquire the knowledge and skills they need for the position they want. This feeling of progress is a great incentive to promote in order to make your employees even better.

• Finally, you will have to insure a transparent and fair communication with internal candidates. This final step is one of the 7 keys to the success of your recruitment, as it will ensure that trust is maintained in your internal recruitment process. This method requires providing clear and accurate information about the positions to be filled, but also about the selection criteria and the steps in the process. Candidates should also receive constructive feedback on why they were selected (or, conversely, not selected) as this will contribute to their personal development and motivation.

To remember

Internal recruitment presents numerous advantages for businesses that want retain their employees and strengthen their adherence to the structure. Valuing internal mobility is a factor that influences motivation of your employees, but also their desire to evolve professionally.

By prioritizing internal recruitment, you will highlight the skills and expertise already present in your company. You will get a Time saver and will also do savings on your hiring sessions. All this by creating a strong corporate culture and conducive to solidarity. However, be careful not to rely on what you have learned: you risk lack diversity in your profiles. Indeed, it can be interesting to bring a fresh perspective from time to time. Also, avoid favoritism, as the latter risks breaking trust that reigns between you and your employees.

In conclusion, internal recruitment is a powerful lever which makes it possible to meet the needs of businesses in terms of talent. By adopting best practices and supporting your employees in their professional development, your image will be strengthened and your employees will feel fulfilled. In this way, you will ensure the sustainability, stability and success of your business.

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