Is your company going through a growth spurt? Need more good people to participate in your exciting endeavors? Want to fill the shoes of those who have moved up with those ready to move up?
Warning: Don’t overlook those seated before you.
Lately I’ve been watching my colleagues combing through resumes looking for the “just right” person for staff openings. In my coaching practice, I have been hearing similar sentences coming from different mouths in different organizations.
This is the skinny on what they are all saying “I want to choose the perfect candidate. I don’t want to waste time. I don’t want to regret my decision.” And even more to the point, “How do I know they will be a good fit?”
I have a very definite first response to each one of them, “Have you looked within your own company for someone to promote?”
The answer, surprisingly is most likely, “No, not really.”
Promoting from within saves time and money; both good things to save.
The people working in your company have already made a commitment. Brian Scudamore, a writer for Forbes says, “internal hiring means you know who’s coming to dinner. More importantly, people see there is room for advancement and are encouraged to stay.”
If you overlook talented people on your staff to hire someone externally, chances are you will have more positions to fill than you expected. The overlooked ones will be heading for greener pastures where they can grow and learn and participate at higher levels.
The old loyalty model to stay at a company for 30 years no longer exists. The workplace, the world is more fluid, more exciting, more complex. Did you know that about one-third of new hires leave their jobs after only six months?
Better to look inside the organization and find those who have the skill and are not the job-hopping types.
Not sure the internal candidate has the ability for a promotion?
Here’s the best advice I can give. Start early and go deep to train your employees for next level jobs. Give them training, let them go to off-site programs to meet others also in the process of development. Get them coaches to help hone their skills.
The trend in all business settings today is to create a total experience. No longer are people willing to just sit at their desks and become like machines. After all, we have machines for that.
The business of business today is to provide an environment where people can learn and grow. A recent Gallop Poll about employee engagement stated 73% of employees are open to hearing about new opportunities at their present company.
Promote from within. Give your valued employees a seat at a different desk and watch productivity and finances soar.
Joclyn Goss
Certified Senior Pattern Breakthrough Coach
