A Growing Focus on Internal Hiring
Promoting internal candidate mobility is now a big focus for many hiring organizations. And while prioritizing hiring from within makes sense strategically, it introduces a bigger downside to not getting the candidate experience right.
An absolute scarcity of candidates, along with the understanding that bad candidate experience comes with a cost, has resulted in stronger efforts in recent years to ensure candidates are treated with respect and come away from the talent acquisition process satisfied.
The Retention Challenge
Now with quiet quitting, the great resignation, job ghosting, and even layoffs in some industries, companies are focusing even more on retaining the right workers. This is where internal candidates and mobility come in. And where the candidate experience becomes more critical.
The Fragile Internal Candidate Experience
This focus on internal mobility walks a fine line. The idea is that organizations can reduce talent losses and improve loyalty by promoting internal hiring. If you’re losing people to other employers already, you might as well market jobs more within the company.
This strategy accepts that unemployment is still low and options are available. If an internal candidate is restless, they could leave. So even if you haven’t removed a vacancy, you may have kept the employee.
But this is a fragile setup.
It’s fragile because we know the cost of a poor external candidate experience: slower time to hire, higher cost per hire, lower quality of hire, potential lost revenue, and more. We call this the cost of candidate resentment, which can be minimized with better onboarding experience and quality of hire metrics.
As internal mobility grows, those same risks apply to your current employees instead of outside applicants. That’s why it’s essential for talent teams to monitor and protect internal candidate experiences. If feedback is missed or timelines ignored, the fallout lands on trusted workers.
Rejection Comes with a Cost
Even something as simple as rejecting an internal candidate introduces risk. Done poorly, it can damage morale and drive attrition.
How rejection is handled matters. Does the employee feel respected? Was feedback provided? Were they ghosted or informed with care? Each answer shapes how they view the company going forward.
Understanding Internal Motivation
The key to building a strong internal hiring process is listening. Companies need to understand what’s motivating someone to apply internally. Are they bored? Do they feel underused? Is there friction with their manager? Have they outgrown the role?
Knowing these reasons helps target internal jobs better. It also highlights workplace problems that may be driving people away.
Risks of Ignoring Internal Feedback
Organizations focused on internal hiring will likely see more underqualified or underperforming candidates apply. That means more rejections. But how are those rejections managed? How do they impact employee motivation, team spirit, and even Glassdoor reviews?
The answer lies in adapting your feedback approach to fit internal candidates. Rejection can’t feel like a wall. It has to be part of a positive experience.
Why Feedback Matters for Internal Hiring
A solid feedback system can reduce all these risks. Gathering feedback from internal candidates throughout the process helps you fix issues before they hurt morale. It can also highlight where your hiring process needs to improve.
Real-time surveys let you hear from candidates as they move through steps. And when something goes wrong, you can respond fast. This isn’t just about damage control. It’s about shaping a better process.
You can tailor how interviews are managed. You can coach hiring teams on how to support internal candidates. You can make the process smoother and more transparent.
Avoid Blind Spots in Internal Hiring
Going all in on internal mobility without listening tools is risky. It creates blind spots. You can’t assume the experience is fine because the person already works for you. In fact, that makes things more personal.
Every interaction counts. Each step must feel respectful, honest, and useful. Feedback tools ensure that.
Balance Internal Growth and Experience
Talent mobility is a smart move when done right. It helps with employee retention, talent development, and long-term hiring success. But it only works when supported by real-time feedback and action.
You must balance your internal hiring goals with employee engagement. If internal applicants feel ignored or undervalued, the damage runs deep.
That’s why listening is no longer optional. It’s part of your core HR strategy.
Key Takeaways for HR Teams
- Internal hiring can reduce turnover, but only with care.
- Poor treatment during internal applications drives top talent away.
- Feedback should be gathered and used during every hiring step.
- Internal rejections should be handled differently than external ones.
- Understanding motivation helps match employees to the right roles.
- Listening tools like Survale reduce risk and improve the process.
Go all in on internal mobility but only with a strong plan for listening, feedback, and follow-up.
FAQs
What is the meaning of internal mobility?
It refers to moving employees into new roles within the same organization.
What is an internal mobility rate?
It’s the percentage of open roles filled by current employees.
What is the internal mobility policy?
It’s a company’s rules and steps for hiring employees into other internal roles.
What does promote internal mobility mean?
It means actively encouraging current employees to apply for new jobs within the company.
