8 ways to effectively manage promotions

Most businesses promote from within as the recruitment process is time-consuming, costly and is not always the best way of finding the right candidate for a position.

While there is no ‘perfect’ candidate, CIOs should create a defined promotions policy, ensure a candidate database is maintained and set a trial period, if needed (to name a few).

Following these best practices should lead to the best person for the job being hired.

Here are 8 tips on managing promotions within your organisation.

Read next: 5 tips for hiring foreign workers

Companies should create a detailed promotions policy explaining how the recruitment process will work and what candidates should expect.

A defined agenda can have a huge impact on productivity, the potential talent pool, staff morale and ultimately, attracting the right candidate.

A promotion ‘best practice’ document is a great way of ensuring both candidates, their colleagues and senior staff understand what is expected and time time scale for recruitment.

Often, interviews will go through the same process discussing the candidate, job role and the responsibilities they will hold. A good interview will be focused, having in-depth questions and allowing the candidate to communicate openly.

Offering a promotion internally can result in getting to know the candidate by asking questions and listening to their needs while also ensuring they meet the company’s expectations. This will ensure the candidate is right for the role, enabling a productive workforce.

Being transparent with potential candidates will highlight any challenging aspects of the role and ensure only able, and well-informed candidates apply.

Developing an understanding of what the role is, and what type of candidate it would complement is crucial in determining the right person is chosen.

Offering a promotion internally, rather than externally recruiting can result in organisations discovering and retaining talent. However, it’s important to make sure all members of the team know about the promotion and feel comfortable with the shift of roles within their team.

Creating supporting documents for both senior and junior colleagues will ensure all team members understand the responsibilities of the newly promoted colleague and how they fit in with the new role.

A promotion should lead to more opportunities for strategic development; enabling a happier workforce and culture.

Business and employer reviews are a valuable resource for job seekers today.

Glassdoor, Indeed and Great Place to Work provide tips, reviews and star ratings on companies from current and former employees sharing their own experiences. Candidates can often seek information on the responsibilities, work culture and salary estimates to ensure they are fitting for the new role.

Companies should be alert by shaping a positive work culture by motivating employees in working towards the shared business goal. This will lead to a higher employee retention and better brand awareness while also attracting higher quality candidates.

Applying a probation period or a 3-month trial can help the candidate adapt and transition into their role and give the business an idea of how the individual will develop.

This should highlight the employee’s strengths and weakness and provide an opportunity to review their performance, giving them a chance to communicate if they are happy with the role.

When recruiting, keeping a database of all the candidates you meet helps when looking for future employees. This practice can be applied to internal promotions too.

Taking notes of employee’s skills, personality traits and previous roles they have applied for can be useful for recruiting future positions that are more fitting.

Starting your first day in a new role can be daunting and it can be equally nerve-wracking for employees internally promoted, even if they know most of the people in the office.

Induction days or introductory meetings can explain what the newly promoted employee’s tasks are, and how the new team dynamic will work.

Setting a clear start date is important for not only the newly promoted person but also for the team as a whole. This will set the wheels in motion, and press ‘go’ on the next chapter of the team’s objectives.