Many companies have a policy allowing internal employees to apply for an open position along with outside candidates. Often, people assume that since they have already put time in with the company that they will be considered more for the open position than those coming into the company from the outside. While it may make your job a little easier to hire within, it will serve you better in the long run to make sure you are evaluating everyone for the position instead of considering some based on their current position. Below we discuss the best ways to evaluate current employees for internal promotions.

Job Performance

When an employee is promoted they are usually getting more than just a salary increase or title change. The position may require higher management duties and more responsibilities outside of their previous position. When evaluating a current employee for a higher level position, the best place to start is by assessing their current job performance. Are they on time everyday? Are they able to meet deadlines? Do they have a good attitude? Do they take initiative or wait to be asked to do something? Do they have good working relationships with co-workers? All of these should factor into your overall decision. If you have an employee that takes initiative and meets deadlines, but shows up late or calls in often then maybe they are not ready for an upper level position quite yet.

Ability to Handle Stress

A higher level position often comes with more responsibility and pressure. The next thing you want to evaluate in your employee is how well they are able to handle stress. Are they able to take charge and perform under pressure or do they crumble? Signs of being ready would be the ability to properly delegate tasks, good communication and multi-tasking skills. If they are not able to handle pressure or stress in their current job they will likely not be a good fit in a higher level position.

Can They Rally A Team?

One thing you do not not want in a management position is a dictator. The person you put in that position should hold the respect of the people they are leading. The next thing you should evaluate is if the employee has the ability to rally a team behind them. Do their co-workers respect their voice in the office? Are they a team player? Are they willing to help others when things get busy or are they more focused on themselves? Do they encourage others? A sign of a good leader is one that has the respect of their team and shows they genuinely care. If they are not respected by their team, it will be very hard to lead them. This should also be a factor in your overall decision.

As discussed earlier, when an employee shows interest in a higher level position, the level of evaluation for that person should be just as detailed as for an outside candidate. Just because an employee is good at their current job does not mean the are ready for a higher position. It is your job as the the hiring manager to determine if they are the best fit or if someone else can do it better. Evaluating their current job performance, how they handle stress and if they are able to rally a team will give you some great information on if they will be best for the promotion or if they need more time to grow in their current position before being considered for a higher position.