HR’s Complete Guide to Internal Interviews
As an HR professional, interviewing is vital for selecting high-quality candidates. When most people think of a job interview, they think of talking with a stranger to decide if they are a good fit for the company.
Internal interviews are a similar but distinct practice, sharing many of the same skills but with slightly different challenges.
Some might even argue that internal interviewing is a more crucial and refined skill for growing companies.
In this article, we will dive deeper into what an internal interview is, why it is important, and explain how to conduct one effectively.
Conducting an internal interview requires more than just a list of questions. This is one part of a more extensive process for retaining, training and encouraging quality employees so they can grow with the company.
📝 What is an internal interview?
An internal interview is a conversation between a current employee and a manager or HR professional. It differs from an external interview focusing on a prospective hire not yet affiliated with the company.
While internal promotion interviews often take place when considering job changes or promoting from within, that isn't their only use. An employee review is another example of an internal interview, where you discuss performance, satisfaction, and feedback with current employees.
Even if a position is not available, internal interviews are important for gauging employee satisfaction, gathering valuable feedback about the company, and making employees feel appreciated and recognized for their role in the organization.
Tip: Internal interviews should not be stress-inducing endeavors. A formal meeting or casual check-in may be appropriate, depending on the situation.
Internal interviews and career path
Too often, companies lose sight of the importance of reconnecting with their employees. Business is busy, everything is running smoothly, and employees know their daily tasks and roles.
So why bother pulling people away from their work?
Without one-on-one interaction and recognition, some employees will feel like cogs in the wheel: They clock in, do their daily tasks, clock out, and start the next day again.
This monotony can become unpleasant for some, and imposter syndrome sets in. They might think they should be doing more or that they can be easily replaced and aren't valuable to the company.
Tip: A simple check-in can reassure employees of their work and let them know there is a plan beyond the next day's tasks.
Tip: Ensure there are enough upskilling possibilities for your employees. It is an excellent employee retention strategy.
Internal interviews are an excellent opportunity to talk about career progression. Many employees are hungry to thrive and succeed at their company, especially after being hired or promoted. Laying out a plan for their advancement gives them milestones to focus on and look forward to, breaking up the day-to-day monotony.
Maintaining career mobility
Career mobility also doesn't need to be about vertical advancement and leadership positions.
Internal job interviews are essential for recognizing an employee's desire to make a horizontal move or try something new. You can learn more about an employee's strengths and desires, allowing you to find the role that best fits their abilities in the company.
A happy employee is a productive employee.
Proper support and communication from management are vital to nurturing happy and successful workers and making the most of their skills and talent.
Tip: Ensure you have an inboarding process to support employee performance in their new roles.
❓ Why interview internal candidates?
When we think about interviews and the hiring process, many immediately think of external interviews. While this is necessary and valuable for any healthy company, there are a lot of benefits to focusing on internal candidates first.
Promoting from within offers several immediate and obvious benefits when filling vacant roles in a company. Here are a few facts about promoting internal candidates over hiring external ones:
- Internal candidates know how the company works and what to expect.
- They are already committed to and invested in the success of the company.
- (Usually) they possess related skills and industry knowledge.
- (Often) they know their predecessor and can inherit their wisdom more easily.
- It is beneficial for employees to see their hard work rewarded with promotions.
- External recruiting is more expensive than internal hiring.
Promoting from within often requires hiring externally to replace that employee's former role. Still, it usually makes sense to move someone with experience at the company up the ladder while having the new hire take a more entry-level position. Such a strategy maintains a hierarchy of seniority and motivates employees to develop their potential within the company.
💡 How to prepare for an internal interview and what to look for in candidates
Internal interviews on paper may look quite similar to external interviews. You are still trying to determine whether the candidate has the traits and experience necessary to fulfill the role.
The differences will primarily come at the beginning and end of the interview.
Tip: Since you have likely interviewed this person previously and probably work with them regularly, you will both come to the table with some pre-existing knowledge about one another. Plus, the candidate might already have some insider knowledge about the available position.
The end goal of the interview will also be a bit different. Promoting an internal candidate can be a much different encounter than bringing on a new hire, especially when it comes to the follow-up.
Internal interview topic areas
As for the actual interview questions, here are some topics you will want to be sure to cover to determine whether the internal candidate will be a good fit for the new role:
- Success and satisfaction in their current position;
- Motivation for applying for the new role;
- Focus on self-improvement and growth;
- Transferable experience that will facilitate training;
- Skills that suit the job they are applying for;
- Strengths in comparison to external candidates.
Catching up on the employee's current role and satisfaction is an excellent icebreaker to set the tone of the meeting.
Tip: Knowing whether internal applicants are happy at the company and what they like and dislike about their current position can give helpful insight into whether the new role is a good move for them. Plus, you can use this to segue into what their motivation is for applying to the new position.
Understanding ambition
Understanding more about an employee's desire to move within the company and any particular interests can help you set a path and plan for future moves and an eventual end goal within the organization according to the teams' job leveling matrix.
It is also a good idea to monitor internal candidates' skills and experience to ensure that they are:
A) a strong candidate for the new role, and
B) set targets for future advancement milestones on their career journey.
Lastly, you want to review the pros and cons of promoting interested internal candidates vs hiring external candidates. Mainly if you accept both internal and external applications for the role, you will want to objectively compare the pros and cons of all qualified candidates when making your decision.
Tip: Again, consider how you will end and follow up on the internal interview. Not selecting an internal candidate can require more tact and communication as you don't want to affect that employee's morale negatively. An untactful rejection can impact your internal candidates' satisfaction and performance in their current roles.
✍️ How to assess candidates during an internal interview
When measuring an internal candidate's skills and comparing them to external candidates, you have the advantage of company data you can use to make an accurate assessment.
You should already know the qualifications and traits desired for the role, so try to find evidence to support whether an internal candidate has what it takes.
Tip: Use the interview as an opportunity to fill in gaps in your data by asking if the employee has any abilities or interests you may not know about.
One of the best sources of information for assessing an internal candidate's ability is their current manager and team.
Tip: Try to gather any notes or previous reviews that may be relevant to learning about their aptitude and talent in relevant areas.
You can also ask their current team manager about any particular strengths or weaknesses that would make them a good or bad fit for the new role.
Tip: Technical assessments are also crucial for ensuring that the internal candidate has the right skills to succeed. But, any previous evaluations, projects, or scores can help measure the employee's abilities and growth over their time with the company.
Including a technical assessment as part of the internal interview process may be prudent to confirm their aptitude. This test can happen:
- during the interview,
- as a second step after the interview,
- or even as a preliminary step before the interview.
✅ Common interview questions types
To be more specific, here are some interview questions for internal candidates you can use to prompt conversation and find out whether a candidate is a good choice for the available role:
- What do you like or dislike about your current role?
- What interests you about the new position?
- Where would you like to see yourself in five years?
- How much do you know about the new role?
- Why would you be a good fit for the new role?
- Where do you think you will be most valuable to the company?
- Do you foresee any challenges in the new role?
- Do you have any questions about the new role?
Depending on the position, you will have more targeted questions to ask at an internal interview. But in general, you will probably want to touch on these topics or use them as jumping-off points for digging deeper into the candidate's thoughts and abilities.
Tip: Each of these questions will likely spark conversations about specific experiences and questions, so let the conversation flow naturally from each and look for opportunities to gather more specific and relevant information.
➡️ For a more exhaustive list of internal interview questions and ideas, check out our list of 33 internal interview questions.
❗️ Internal interview follow-up: Handle it with care
As mentioned previously, the end of an internal interview and follow-up require more attention than an external interview. If an external interview goes poorly or you decide to go with a different candidate, the interviewee continues their job hunt elsewhere. There is limited damage potential for the company.
For internal applicants, a rejection can negatively affect their morale in the short- or long-term.
As an HR professional, it is your job to do what is best for the company, which usually coincides with what is best for the employees.
Tip 1: If you do not closely listen to internal candidates during the internal interview, you might have to fill in not one but two empty job positions.
Communication is vital, mainly if many internal candidates apply for a single position. Only one will be successful. So it may be a good idea to explain the reasons and criteria for determining a successful candidate.
Tip 2: Let unsuccessful candidates know their interest in career advancement is appreciated and noted.
Tip 3: Reassure internal candidates that you will keep them in mind when new roles open up in the future.
Internal candidates may apply for advancement because they are unhappy or unfulfilled in their current position. Missing out on this opportunity may be enough to drive some to look elsewhere for other options. So it is in the company's best interest to let internal candidates know there is a plan for them to advance.
Tip 4: A separate meeting with unsuccessful candidates may be worthwhile to update development plans or discuss other possibilities for internal mobility.
Download the employee development plan template to help you keep up with your employees.
As stated previously, one goal of the internal interview is to discover employees' likes and dislikes about their current role. Be sure to note any problems they might have and address them in the follow-up, so they feel heard and know you are working on a solution to improve their situation.
Tip 5: Sending out a thank you email after an internal interview is an excellent first step.
➡️ Conclusion: Invest in employee development
All-in-all, you want all your employees to be motivated, happy, and committed. Often internal candidates are the logical choice for filling higher-up roles as it is more efficient to promote from within and help employees grow than to hire externally.
Some added benefits of internal interviews and promotion from within are:
- Creating an opportunity to learn about employee satisfaction and get company feedback.
- Motivating employees to grow and thrive with the company.
- Improving communication between management and employees.
- Reinforce internal candidates' value to the company and recognize their hard work.
- Branding your company as a workplace that invests in employee growth and job satisfaction.
Even if you don't have promotions available now, internal interviews for employee reviews or check-ins can help you stay up to date with employees about the same information above. This way, when an opportunity does arise, you have a short list of who is eligible and motivated to move up and grow with the company.
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