Hiring is an expensive proposition. Not only do you have to spend a large amount of time recruiting candidates, but then you’ve got to devote weeks – and sometimes even months – to interviewing and screening them.

One way to shorten your search for talent is to hire internally. However, as one of the leading recruiting agencies in Houston, TX, Murray Resources knows that some employers make the common mistake of taking short cuts during the hiring process because the “candidate” is already a known entity as an existing employee.

So how should you go about hiring internally? Here are 4 tips to help you:

#1. Don’t Make Any Assumptions.

Just because an employee has been with the company for 10 years, doesn’t mean they’re highly skilled or ready for a new position. So don’t make any assumptions about their capabilities and potential.

#2. Only Interview Candidates You’re Seriously Considering.

Don’t interview an employee for an internal position as a favor to their boss, when really they don’t have a chance in landing the job. You’re wasting everyone’s time and giving the employee a sense of false hope.

Plus, if they find out you were stringing them along, they’ll grow resentful toward you and the company. Remember, this is an employee who will be around well after the job search is over and may be privy to gossip and talk about who got hired and why.

#3. Evaluate Readiness By Asking the Right Questions.

Even if the employee comes to you with glowing references from superiors and co-workers, it’s still important that you assess their fit for the job by asking a mix of behavioral and competency based questions. Some examples include:

• Why do you want to leave your current position?
• What was your biggest accomplishment in that position?
• What was your biggest failure?
• Give an example of how you handle challenges.
• What other positions have you held in the company?
• What do you know about the position? The department?
• If you were to get the job, what would your plans be for the first 60 days in the role?
• Give an example of how you set goals and achieve them.
• What kind of training would you need to be successful?
• Why do you want the job?
• What will you do if you don’t get the job?

#4. Let Them Prove Themselves.

You’re only going to get so much information out of a job interview. Instead, give the employee an assignment related to the new role they’re interviewing for and assess how they do. People can fake interview answers; they can’t fake results. Even better, you may want to put the employee in the actual role for a day to see how they perform.

And if you need some external help with the hiring process, let Murray Resources know. As one of the leading recruiting agencies in Houston, TX, companies all over the city rely on our expertise to source and retain top talent for hard-to-fill, key positions across a broad range of business disciplines. Contact us today if you’d like to learn more.