Onrec Explores / Internal talent & mobility

Your next great hire could already work for you. Why do employers overlook internal talent?

Before starting another search, how well do employers understand the people already in their business? Onrec explores what makes internal opportunities visible, fair and worth pursuing.

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Contributors

Claire McCartneySenior Policy Adviser, Resourcing & Flexible WorkingCIPDAdrian SeligmanCEOTop Employers InstituteSharon KennedyFounder & CEO | Human Clarity ArchitectEngage & Prosper Ltd

A vacancy creates an immediate question: where will the next person come from? An external search may be the right answer. But it is worth asking whether someone already in the organisation could do the work, or develop into it with appropriate support.

Looking within requires more than advertising a role on the intranet. Employees need to know what is available, understand how decisions are made and feel able to put themselves forward. A career opportunity should not depend on being in the right manager’s line of sight.

Start with the work, not the familiar job title

Before choosing an internal or external search, define the capabilities the role needs. Which must be available on day one? Which could be developed, and what time and support would that require? The same questions should inform the assessment of both internal and external candidates.

Knowing an employee’s current performance is useful, but it does not automatically show how they would perform in a different role. Equally, a current job title may conceal skills developed through projects, earlier jobs or responsibilities outside their usual remit. A clear assessment gives those capabilities a chance to be considered.

Adrian Seligman, CEO of Top Employers Institute, suggests giving employees a practical task drawn from the role so they can show how they solve problems or communicate. He points to L’Oréal China, where employees use a skills framework to identify strengths and gaps, then agree a development plan in quarterly coaching conversations.

An opportunity everyone can see

For Claire McCartney, Senior Policy Adviser, Resourcing & Flexible Working at CIPD, fair access starts with transparent processes, removing hidden barriers and actively developing career paths that support employee mobility.

“If they take an organisation-wide approach, supported through clear communication then opportunities should be open to all, regardless of who people’s managers are, or where they sit in the business.”

That puts the emphasis on how the organisation makes opportunities available, rather than leaving individual managers to decide whose ambitions receive attention. Clear requirements and an explained selection process give employees a basis for deciding whether to apply.

“Employers should ensure decisions about promotion are objective and based on the skills, performance, and potential needed for the role.”

A transparent process also needs conversations that people feel safe to have. Sharon Kennedy, Founder & CEO of Engage & Prosper Ltd and Human Clarity Architect, argues that employees may look elsewhere when promises of growth, flexibility and support are not reflected in their day-to-day experience. Working styles, communication preferences and support needs can go unrecognised, leaving strengths unused or work feeling overwhelming.

“Trust and loyalty grow through belonging, connection and managers who ask what helps each person do their best, then act,” she says. For Kennedy, neuro-inclusive practice involves shaping work and environments around people and checking that the employee experience matches the employer promise.

“What helps you do your best work, and what would you like to explore next?”

Kennedy’s suggested starting question gives employees a way into a career conversation without relying on their confidence or ability to promote themselves. As Kennedy puts it, “Potential isn’t always visible if confidence or self-promotion isn't so evident.”

Kennedy suggests turning that career conversation into a practical next step: identifying a different role or stretch opportunity, then agreeing the learning and support needed to move towards it.

Make moving possible

Making the opportunity visible is only the start. Employees also need a clear route to apply, time to learn and a manager willing to support the move.

To make that route workable, Seligman recommends job shadowing, secondments and protected time to learn. Those commitments depend on the employee’s current manager as well as the team with the vacancy. As he puts it, “Equally important is ensuring managers are encouraged to support movement across the organisation, rather than solely retaining talent within their own teams.”

A successful internal application creates a handover as well as a vacancy. Employers need to agree how the person will leave their current responsibilities, what support the receiving manager will provide and how any development needs will be addressed.

Otherwise, an apparent promotion or lateral move can become two jobs at once. A clear start date, realistic transition plan and early review help turn an offer into a workable opportunity. The previous Onrec Explores on the first 90 days asked whether the experience matches the promise. That question matters for an internal move too.

Measure who gets the opportunity

A higher number of internal appointments does not, by itself, show whether access has become fairer. McCartney recommends tracking the diversity of people applying for internal positions, comparing the success rates of different demographic groups in securing promotions, and gathering employee feedback on the fairness of the process.

Those measures address different questions: who puts themselves forward, who progresses and how the process is experienced. Looking at them together can help employers identify where to investigate further, rather than treating a headline internal-hiring figure as the whole story.

“Organisations should also consider conducting regular audits of their recruitment and promotion processes to identify any potential biases and ensure that all employees have equal access to opportunities,” she says.

Internal hiring will not be right for every vacancy. An employer may need expertise it does not yet have, or a role may require skills that cannot be developed within the time available. The point is to make that decision after considering the capability already in the business.

Before opening the next external search, ask whether employees can see the opportunity, demonstrate what they could bring and get the support to make a move work. The next great hire may already be there. A fair process gives them a chance to show it.