Post Jobs Internally and Reap Benefits

03/07/07

Some HR people are reluctant to post job openings internally, believing the practice breeds bad feelings among those who apply and aren’t chosen. Also, many people figure it’s time wasted. Why bother interviewing a bunch of unqualified people as a mere courtesy?

Posting Policy Motivates
“These problems are more imagined than real,” says HR consultant Joan Farrell, who feels posting jobs internally can make for a happier and more productive workforce.

But you must take a reasoned approach to the practice. Farrell, who worked for a number of organizations that posted job openings internally, says, “We spelled out clear qualifications, touched base with all applicants, and did as thorough a job screening internally as we would have done on an outside search.”

In other words, she did not interview all the people who applied just to make them feel good. Nor did she relax standards, a practice that might have invited complaints of unfairness or dishonesty.

Farrell adds, “Sure, sometimes people were disgruntled for not being chosen, but they were the same people who would have been bent out of shape if we had not posted but had given the job to someone else, inside or out.”

Keep People Informed
Farrell recounts a story that shows what really concerns employees when it comes to job openings. Knowing they had no candidates internally for company controller, she and her colleagues started an external search without posting the job internally.

“People told us,” she says, “that we missed the point." They didn’t want to apply. They just wanted to read about it on the bulletin board, not in the newspaper. They especially didn’t want to hear about it from their neighbors.”

Rules for Internal Postings
Keep these principles in mind as you design your internal posting policy:

1. Keep the process completely professional. Even if you’re advertising internally only.Create or update a job description, identify hiring criteria,have people apply formally,interview impartially only those who seem qualified,check references and the opinions of current supervisors thoroughly, andtreat those who didn’t get the job kindly.

2. Post jobs on bulletin boards, intranet, in newsletters or any other company media. One central location may be best, so people know where to look for opportunities.

3. Eliminate any hint of an “old-boy network.” If people think the fix is in, it’ll harm morale and make people distrustful of the internal hiring process.

4. Consider allowing managers to promote people in their own departments into available jobs there without going through the internal posting process. Farrell’s organizations allowed this practice. It’s a way to give managers an extra measure of control over what happens, as well as a way to help managers motivate their own people. Besides, they should know their people better than anyone.

5. Aids the Organization Joan Farrell concludes, “If you have a solid, well-communicated process, if you use it, and if you communicate openly with those not selected about what they can do to improve their chances, internal posting can be a boon to the organization.”