Every organisation goes through recruitment processes to fill vacancies from time to time.
It is very often believed that promoting someone from within the company may result in advantages for the organisation when compared with the alternative of recruiting someone new to fill the position.
The recruitment process is one of management’s hardest tasks, as it involves knowing well and truly the organisation’s requirements and understanding whether each employee’s capabilities fit into the organisational requirements.
Therefore, the filling of a position could be a disappointment to some but may be positive in that the decisions taken will seek to understand the additional value and benefits to be generated from having an external person join the organisation as opposed to the value and benefits to be gained should someone from within the organisation be promoted to fill the vacancy.
If one had to analyse the benefits and costs of recruiting new staff to fill vacancies and compare these with the benefits and costs of promoting existing staff internally, the net effect is always dependent on how much the organisation is willing to pay in terms of financial packages, how soon the vacancy needs to be filled and become productive and the vital criteria of whether the organisation may not have the specific skills required within the organisation and one may have to recruit purposely.
These factors are further compounded by other determining ones that affect the final decision as to whether to promote from within or recruit from external sources. David Brookmire (2013) recommends considering certain criteria in specific situations:
The recruitment process is one of management’s hardest tasks, as it involves knowing well and truly the organisation’s requirements
In his opinion, in cases where a very strong culture, a financially strong business and retention concerns prevail, an organisation would do well to consider filling vacancies from internal sources as their main option.
Alternatively, whenever new competencies, new innovations and a turnaround role are required, the organisation should consider recruiting staff from external sources.
It may also be argued that employing from external sources is normally a more risky option than promoting from within, mainly due to the fact that the internal employee would already be known to the organisation, which may use this talent to fill the vacancy wisely.
It is also true, however, that the most appropriate talent does not necessarily come from within. In fact, in the words of EC Language School chairman Andrew Mangion during a recent BLM conference, it is a proven fact that employees who help an organisation grow and develop to a certain point are not necessarily the best people to enable it to grow further – hence, the team that once helped an organisation go from point A to point B is not necessarily the best team that will enable the organisation to go from point B to point C.
The development of talent within the organisation is thus a long-term approach, and by including long-term HR strategies within the corporate strategy, one is able to determine which forthcoming vacancies should be filled by the existing workforce and where external talent should be brought in to the organisation.
As an organisation grows and matures over time, so must its people management strategy, focusing upon building a talent pool that will enable it to thrive over time in the challenges it faces.
Through effective HR planning, an organisation is thus able to identify the competencies required in both the short and long term.
When deciding whether to promote employees internally or recruit from external sources, the primary task of modern people management is to actively seek, match, train and retain the talent it requires, as this is key to business success.
http://vacancycentre.com
Robert Delia is a HR specialist with work experience in various industries. He has lectured in strategy, HR, finance, marketing and general management and currently works as an HR and training consultant with CSB Group.