QUESTION: The Company prefers an outsider for the managerial position rather than promote anyone from within.
FACT: There’s no one within the company who is capable of taking up the position; or, there’s no consensus on whom to choose from within the company fold.
Whenever any managerial position opens up, it is normal for a few members of the staff to feel they should be promoted. Companies usually prefer to promote from within, but some positions do get filled up by external candidates. If a candidate is hired from outside, it can demotivate those employees within the company who were interested in that position; some of them would even consider that that position was theirs as ‘birthright’, having worked in the company for years. The company does consider an internal candidate if he has the right skill set and if he is acceptable to the majority. But the problem crops up when there’s heavy competition within the organization for the position, which often leads to the appointment of an external candidate. When companies do choose an external candidate, they’re fully aware of the consequences of the decision; they know that there have been aspirants from within the organization for that job, and thus work towards minimizing the impact. of the decision.. When it is very difficult to choose a manager from almost equally qualified staff members, often the safe bet is to hire from outside. A company may also choose to hire from outside if it’s planning to diversify its products portfolio, and so requires new skills that are not possessed by the existing internal contender. To minimize the occurrence of such situations, companies should strive for continuous improvement; they should raise the bar on their performance expectations.
When a company is hiring, the first and foremost goal should not be to appease an internal employee, but to choose the ‘right fit’ for the job. So, if an internal candidate is not fit to take up the role, the, company should not lower its expectations, but set a new standard of performance by hiring a much better candidate from outside.
However, what happens when a company hires from outside is that the internal candidates start nursing a deep resentment that loyalty does not pay. This feeling can die down only if the new hire wins the respect of the team members and performs well. If he fails in this regard, he won’t enjoy the whole-hearted support of his team. Here, the management also has a role to play it has to not only hire the right talent, but also to help that person excel in his new job.
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS THE EMPLOYEE? This is a clear message that an internal person is not yet ready for the position. You should explore within yourself the reason behind this decision. Do you lack the required skills as was thought by your manager? Would your appointment be unacceptable to most of your peers or prospective subordinates? Rather than feeling let down by the decision, get over this setback quickly and focus on a constructive-feedback for your own improvement. Start to think dynamically of what is expected of you; of what you can do to improve your performance levels and skills, so that you will be considered more seriously for the next opportunity.
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS THE MANAGER? It is important that you provide the right feedback to the people who have been denied the position so that they can work on potential areas of improvement.
