Big YES to Internal Recruitment

INTERNAL RECRUITMENT-SHOULD IT BE PRIORITIZE OVER EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT?

I am currently doing a course named “Talent Selection, Training and Development” in a local university here in Jamaica. We have discussed the importance of internal recruitment and if it should take precedence over external recruitment. It was not until a few days ago when my team was recruiting for a position at a local organization when we were faced with the hardest decision ever. We shortlisted all applicants down to 2 final candidates, one internal and the other external. What should we do?

1. What is recruitment entails?

Recruitment is a very important area of Human Resources Management and it involves locating individuals with appropriate qualifications and experience and encouraging them to apply for jobs at the organization; screening the applications received and shortlisting candidates to be interviewed is also a part of it.

1.1 Benefits of internal recruitment

- Internal Recruitment improves morale and career satisfaction,

- Increases motivation and productivity

- Internal recruitments are less expensive

- Internal recruitments are also usually quicker.

1.2 Benefits of external recruitment

- External candidates usually bring new ideas

- Not compromised with a toxic culture, if any

- Eager to create positive changes in the organization

- External candidates also add new skills set

2. Which one is better?

Every organization should have a skills inventory of all the employees Company’s wide; now, depending on the Job Analysis and Description of the position, recruiters should determine if they are “making or buying” conditional where the skillset reside (internally or externally) and what will help the Company to meet its strategic objectives in an expedite and efficient manner.

The Company should not be tied to recruit employees internally only; the only criteria that should determine if the recruitment is done internally, externally or both should be the knowledge, abilities, and skills required for the post and where it lies the talent based on the inventory skills and succession planning internally, and by monitoring demographic changes, education of the workforce and governmental policies externally.

However; is my opinion (or preference) that where there are one or more internal candidates that meet the requirements for the position, the recruitment should be done internally. Employees want to know that there are opportunities for growth within the Company and that they are appreciated. This is what your employees hear when you recruit externally when there are one or more competent internal candidates:

“you are not competent enough”, “I rather spend more money recruiting externally than give you a chance” and “you will never grow in this Company”.

Are you willing to pay the cost of the demotivation and decrease in morale that this will bring to your team? I know I am not.

….. by the way, my team chose the external candidate and that is ok; as a good team player, you must always be willing to agree to disagree.