By Nicole Dhanraj
Radiology hiring leaders often find themselves torn between growing from within or seeking new talent external to the organization. This is not a black or white answer, as you will first have to assess your current status and determine what is best for the department. Ideally, when a position opens up, we should first be thinking about potential internal candidates. Hiring internal candidates has numerous advantages. These include:
- Supports career development for existing staff members
- Increases employee engagement and retention. Employees have internal options instead of leaving to further their careers.
- Transition for an internal candidate is easier as well as faster to onboard the candidate
- The employee is already familiar with organizational culture and, therefore no challenges in assimilating.
- The employee has established relationships and knows internal processes, so the assimilation timeframe is reduced.
Now before hiring internally, the hiring manager should consider several items. These include:
- Ambition versus competency. An internal staff member may want the position to help grow their career, but they do not yet have the skills or the competency to succeed in the role. Ideally, before the vacancy, their manager should have identified the employee’s career goals during performance evaluations, so needed skills and competencies for future roles can be developed in an ongoing manner. By the time the position becomes open, the candidate will have the competitive edge for the job. Managers should identify employees’ potential and goals in performance reviews and coaching sessions and establish a career development plan. This plan can be implemented formally or informally. A formal succession plan would consist of the employee working alongside a leader consistently, earning a degree or certification, and eventually moving into the position. An informal program consists of mentoring and coaching with leaders within or external to the organization.
- Likeability versus competency. Often, employees are offered a promotion internally because they are well-liked by the team. However, we must balance this likeability with their ability to perform the required functions of the job. Leaders should be careful not to offer a position to someone to help them with their growth without first ensuring they are the right fit for the department and could execute on the job requirements.
- Current status of the operation. In some cases, you may need someone to take over the job responsibilities immediately, and as such, you cannot wait to move through the hiring process. Or the operation may be on fire, with too many challenges, and maybe there are limited resources that would have the capacity to help onboard, answer questions, and train a new person to integrate into their new position successfully. In this case, the internal candidate is a better option, as they are already familiar with the department processes and the unique organizational culture and can navigate the departmental challenges.
- Experience portability. Not all organizations are created equal. A leader in one organization may have been very successful, but these skills may not be applied or transferred effectively in the new organization/role. The working environment, culture, organizational structure, and team are heavy influencers of the new employee’s success. There are general industry skills required, for example, budgeting, capital planning, performance evaluations, and recruitment and retention. However, specific skills are needed to thrive in your department/organization and navigate the politics, decision-making, and operational processes. Therefore, consider your unique environment and the skills and experience required for the new leader to lead the department effectively. Past performance is not necessarily an indicator of future performance if you apply a generic strategy recruiting your next leader.
- External environment. Remote locations, housing availability, schools, and jobs for the candidate’s family may be a deterrent for an external candidate. Internal candidates are already established and can have little to no transition requirements.
On the other hand, conditions that support the hiring of an external candidate include:
- Stagnation. The department is stuck in old practices. Employees have considerable longevity and are accustomed to the operation that the department remains status quo. If you are looking to shake and wake up the operation and gain momentum, fresh eyes from an external candidate may help drive the innovation you seek. Managers can evaluate a vast number of candidates from the external candidate pool to select the candidate with the skills and experience currently lacking within the department.
- Lack of skills, knowledge, and abilities. Perhaps you have a team that is not ready for a leadership position or lacks the specific skills, knowledge, and abilities to fulfill the position’s duties. If there is no time to train and develop, or no one is willing to develop themselves further to transition into a leadership role, recruiting for a qualified external candidate is best.
- Turnaround. If the organization is seeking to change the culture, turnaround the operations through changing the strategic direction, or disrupt current practices, finding an external candidate that matches the culture and can support the new initiatives will help facilitate the change
- Onboarding process. Suppose there are sufficient resources to help onboard and train new employees to integrate into their position fully. In that case, there is an increased chance for the candidate to integrate successfully, and as such, you can consider pursuing an external candidate.
The disadvantages of seeking external talent include lengthy recruitment and selection periods, unattractive compensation packages, a learning curve period that can be pretty lengthy, and increased costs associated with hiring. In some cases, the candidate’s expectations may be mismatched to the reality of the job situation. Unfortunately, they may turn in their resignation or in some cases, the candidate may not be able to deliver or meet the expectations from the team or organization and may be dismissed during their probationary period.
Other considerations to keep in mind when faced with the dilemma of choosing an internal versus external candidate include:
- Don’t just throw money at external candidates. Consider developing a succession plan, especially in locations that are hard to recruit. Provide opportunities for employees to grow from within so that valuable employees do not have to leave to pursue higher-level positions. Even without formal programs, consider establishing an informal program to help support coaching and mentoring employees.
- Consider the organizational culture, the team dynamics, and the status of the operation. If you seek an external candidate, ensure that they know the organization’s contextual situation and the expectations within their role. We want to ensure we hire the right candidate and set them up for success. Be open and honest with the situation and responsibilities of the job.
Avoid a black and white strategy when it comes to hiring internally or externally. Hiring managers undoubtedly face dilemmas in choosing whether they should seek an internal or external candidate. However, keeping in mind these considerations will help facilitate your decision. Commit to evaluating the situation before your recruitment and selection process to determine which option would be best for the department.
Nicole Dhanraj, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, PMP, GPHR, CPSS, CRA, R.T(R)(CT)(MR), is a radiology systems director for Northern Arizona Healthcare.
