"So, do you work here?"
It was the first question the interviewer asked me, so I knew then that I wasn't a serious candidate. My employer had assigned a newbie to interview me and she wasn't bothering to make it look legitimate. She rattled off the usual questions, always returning to whether I'd pay relocation expenses for the job, which would require moving from the Midwest to Manhattan. No matter how many transferable skills and examples I cited, she barreled along as if she'd rather be somewhere else. After 15 minutes, it was over. The message had been sent, loud and clear. The company had someone else in mind. No matter what I had accomplished for my employer, I was just a formality. I was someone they had to interview because I worked there. They went through the motions. They couldn't care less about me.
For many companies, interviewing internal candidates is a common courtesy. It reinforces an image that the playing field is level and everyone has a chance to move up. Even with the best intentions, most companies can't escape a precarious dichotomy. Most employees join companies hoping for something bigger. They make sacrifices, believing they'll eventually be rewarded. Deep inside, they measure themselves against that career clock, wondering if they've fallen behind. Conversely, employers have a role to fill. Mistakes are costly and companies lack the time, expertise, and support systems to help an emerging talent grow into the role.
Even the most fair and transparent process risks causing a previously stellar employee to grow disengaged—or lash out. Your own department may never see that employee's performance suffer. It's someone else's problem, you think. Don't kid yourself: It'll blow back on you soon enough. How can you mitigate the potential fallout from a failed internal candidacy? Follow these five tips.
1) Come prepared. "They didn't respect my time." That's the worst statement any job candidate can make about you. Chances are, internal candidates will care enough to do their homework. Do the same. Review their resumes and portfolios beforehand. In fact, invest a little extra time in preparing for them. Don't shortchange them because you're busy, inexperienced, or biased.
Certainly, you don't want to relax your standards. Apply the same questions, expectations, and process to internal candidates, but give them the same shot as your top prospects. Sure, your malcontents will badmouth you on Glassdoor.com. Your goal is something else: keeping your top performers from seeding doubts about the company among their (and your) peers.
2) Follow up. It can be like a first date. One side may feel he or she is making a connection, while the other is looking for a dignified escape. It's cruel to give false hope to a mismatched candidate. But leaving him or her hanging afterward is even more callous. No one intends to ignore a candidate. Sometimes processes, timelines, priorities, and structures change. It's natural to dread picking up that call to deliver the bad news. But it's always better that an internal candidate hear it from you instead of via a peer or a company announcement.
The decision may not reflect on you. Delivery does. Over time a candidate will accept the rejection but never forget the treatment. Internal candidates have patrons, too. People believe in these candidates and have invested in them. Most likely, these patrons will perceive you through the rejected candidate's experience. Even more, they probably have the ears of key members in the organization. So give extra care to internal candidates. It'll eventually catch up to you if you don't.
3) Provide advice. We're all afraid of being sued for saying something wrong. Nonetheless, it pays to step outside your confines and give internal candidates some direction. Outline the technical abilities and areas of experience where they fell short. Suggest alternate roles that may align with their interests and talents.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário