Too often , hiring managers aim to hire someone who is exactly the same as the last person . They end up focusing on the little things and forget the big picture .
SHUTTERSTOCK ILLUSTRATION
Let the staff know they can apply
With the new job posting , you may find that some of the people you thought would apply will no longer want the job . That ’ s a problem solved . You may also find that someone has the new skills you seek . That ’ s a problem solved as well . Treat the internal applicants the same way you would external applicants .
Source and recruit outside candidates
Outside candidates often get frustrated and angry when applying and interviewing for a job only to find out an internal candidate gets hired . They feel cheated and that the company wasted their time . They don ’ t have the advantages internal candidates have , needing to take time off their current job , stressing out about what to wear or taking the risk of leaving a company they like for the unknown . On the flip side , the internal candidates may be upset if an external person gets the job . Make sure to consider all candidates fairly , and select the best person for the position .
Focus on where you want the position to go
You are going into this assuming that the best candidate will be external , but you ’ ve updated the job description to cover what you want the new manager to do , not just to describe what the old manager did , so focus interviews on where you want the position to go . For instance , if you want someone with statistics skills , ask people about their abilities and how they can help the department achieve its goals . If you feel like the current marketing is stale , ask about what they would do to freshen it up and change the marketing plan .
Evaluate all the candidates , and make your decision . If you decide to go with the external candidate , you owe your internal candidates an explanation why they didn ’ t get the job . For external candidates , you can just send a thanks-but-no-thanks letter . This comes in the way of clear feedback . “ We extended an offer to Jane Doe , and she ’ s accepted and will start in two weeks . I wanted to let you know that I appreciate you applying and interviewing . We selected Jane because we wanted to
January 2021 | comstocksmag . com 21