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Streamline the Internal Hiring Process

Unlock a key candidate source and facilitate internal talent mobility by optimizing your internal hiring process.

  • Organizations remain fixated on external talent, often to the exclusion of internal talent – only 28% of talent acquisition (TA) leaders believe that internal candidates are an important source of talent (Cappelli, 2019).
  • There are three main barriers to internal hiring: a lack of formal process, poor communication of opportunities, and limiting mindsets from managers and employees.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

  • The core responsibility for facilitating internal hiring lies with TA. Without a streamlined process, internal talent mobility (ITM) will be limited.

Impact and Result

  • Integrate internal hiring best practices into the TA process to remove people and process barriers.
  • Develop and share internal hiring guidelines to communicate the importance of ITM to employees and people leaders.
  • Create a comprehensive communication strategy that continually delivers key messages at the right time.

Streamline the Internal Hiring Process Research & Tools

1. Plan to improve ITM

Assess the current ITM landscape to set project objectives and metrics and map the current TA process.

Streamline the Internal Hiring Process Storyboard
Streamline the Internal Hiring Process Executive Briefing
HR Metrics Library
Internal Hiring Workbook
Process Mapping Guide
Case Studies: Streamline the Internal Hiring Process

2. Define the internal hiring process

Work through a series of decision points related to the five stages of internal hiring: requisition, awareness, application, assessment, and follow up.

3. Prepare to launch the new internal hiring process

Create internal hiring guidelines and incorporate internal hiring decisions into the TA process, then launch of the process.

Internal Hiring Guidelines Template
Avoiding Talent Hoarding Infographic
Internal Hiring Process Flowchart
Workshop: Streamline the Internal Hiring Process

Workshop: Streamline the Internal Hiring Process

Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost onsite delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.

Module 1: Document the Current State of Internal Hiring

The Purpose

  • Conduct focus groups with employees, managers, and TA leaders and specialists.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • An understanding of the current state of internal hiring in the organization.

Activities

Outputs

1.1

Conduct focus groups.

  • Consolidated notes from focus groups.

Module 2: Plan to Improve ITM

The Purpose

  • Evaluate the current state.
  • Set objectives and metrics.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Current state evaluated.
  • Objectives and metrics set.

Activities

Outputs

2.1

Assess current ITM landscape.

  • Assessment of the current ITM landscape.
2.2

Identify inputs to ITM objectives.

2.3

Design talent selection practices that support optimization of ITM.

  • Creation of talent selection practices.
2.4

Select ITM objectives and metrics.

  • Objectives for the internal hiring project.
  • Metrics to measure project success.

Module 3: Define the Internal Hiring Process

The Purpose

  • Outline the current TA process.
  • Incorporate internal hiring practices into the TA process.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Internal hiring practices incorporated into the TA process.

Activities

Outputs

3.1

Map current TA process.

  • Current state TA process map.
3.2

Select internal hiring best practices.

  • Decisions around internal hiring best practices.
3.3

Incorporate best practices into TA process.

  • Revised TA process.

Module 4: Prepare to Launch the New Internal Hiring Process

The Purpose

  • Create internal hiring guidelines.
  • Support the launch of the process with an action and communication plan.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Internal hiring guidelines created.
  • Process supported with action and communication plans.

Activities

Outputs

4.1

Customize internal hiring guidelines.

  • Internal hiring guidelines.
4.2

Address potential risks and barriers.

4.3

Develop an action plan.

4.4

Develop a communication plan.

  • Action and communication plan.
Unlock This Blueprint

About McLean & Company

McLean & Company is an HR research and advisory firm providing practical solutions to human resources challenges via executable research, tools, diagnostics, and advisory services that have a clear and measurable impact on your business.

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your HR problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst

Get the help you need in this 3-phase advisory process. You'll receive 5 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.

Guided Implementation #1 - Plan to improve ITM
  • Call #1 - Review the current ITM landscape, discuss the current internal hiring process, and identify barriers.
  • Call #2 - Discuss focus group feedback and set high-level objectives and metrics.

Guided Implementation #2 - Define the internal hiring process
  • Call #1 - Discuss decisions made at the decision points at each of the five stages of internal hiring.

Guided Implementation #3 - Prepare to launch the new internal hiring process
  • Call #1 - Review internal hiring guidelines and incorporation of internal hiring decisions into the TA process.
  • Call #2 - Discuss an implementation plan and tactics to integrate the process change.

Contributors

  • Natasha Bennett, Director, Talent & Organizational Development, Hydro One
  • Dr. Matthew Bidwell, Associate Professor of Management, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
  • Kate Brodock, CEO, Women 2.0
  • Christine Calvert, Manager, Recruitment, Shaw Communications
  • Dr. Peter Cappelli, Professor of Management, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
  • Chuck Csizmar, Principal, CMC Compensation Group
  • Jim D’Amico, Global Talent Acquisition Leader, Celanese
  • Dr. Jed DeVaro, Professor, Department of Management, California State University East Bay
  • Robert Dick, Senior Manager Talent Acquisition, Providence Health & Services
  • Michael Goldberg, Founding Partner, Strong Tower Partners
  • David Hayden, L&D Consultant, CIPD
  • Leslie Weigle, Principle Consultant, Integrated Talent Management, Providence St. Joseph Health

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