In a medium-sized or large company, the production process brings a series of job changes driven by different circumstances: retirements, promotions, dismissals and transfers. These are covered in different ways: transfers, promotions or external hiring. In other cases, the position is eliminated or the service is outsourced.
For these reasons, companies sometimes consider letting their own employees fill the position that has become vacant. This decision is not easy; in fact it is very complicated, and it must start from two fundamental premises. A clear definition of the position and job rotation, which is vital for the company, are the essential “mottos” for setting up internal vacancies in the company.
The aim of internal vacancies
We consider that a company creates an internal vacancy for a given position when it wants to fill it with existing staff, either by transferring an employee or by promoting one to that position.
The position must be defined in terms of the training required, the skills that will be valued, the necessary requirements, any particular conditions of working hours and salary, and the time needed to fill the position and train the new employee for it.
The process
Once the position to be filled has been defined, the process of filling the vacancy is similar to an external selection process. After the job’s competencies have been defined, the vacancy is announced through the company’s internal communication channels.
For a set period, the Human Resources department will receive applications from colleagues in the company who want to apply for the position. They will be handled by a specialist from the department, who will screen the applications received and run whatever selection process they see fit to choose the most suitable internal candidate for the position.
Benefits of internal vacancies for companies
Two fundamental perspectives make an internal vacancy process beneficial for the company:
a) The cost savings of turning to the workforce as a source of people, without incurring the high costs of external processes.
b) Filling the position with staff who know the company’s culture and values and are involved in the business’s production processes.
For the employee, an internal vacancy and getting the job means:
a) Recognition by the company of their commitment to it.
b) Achieving a challenge and meeting a need, which for various reasons may lead to the employee’s promotion.
c) Feeling valued and motivated, because it will have meant a different challenge, a personal need met, or an escape from a routine that may have become monotonous in their previous position.
If the company rotates its employees between positions, it will surely find candidates among them who know the tasks and duties of the position and have the potential to fill the vacancy.
Drawbacks of internal vacancies for companies
When several employees apply for a vacancy, the selection process must be clear, rigorous and strict.
If a candidate’s personal feelings come into play in an external process, in an internal process those feelings are multiplied many times over. Candidates’ expectations, shaped by their personal or professional situation in relation to the vacancy, can rise to the point where they believe they already have the job. This backfires, leading to demotivation and disappointment if they do not reach their goal.
It is Human Resources’ job to be transparent with candidates throughout the process, and to run a process that is as impartial as possible, with no outside factors influencing any decision.
Featured image: Dejan Krsmanovic, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
