How to Beat Internal Hiring
Prove you're the better external hire.
By Soozy G. Miller, CPRW, CDCC, CDP
“…External candidates succeed by doing one thing exceptionally well: they present a unique, compelling value proposition that goes beyond familiarity and culture fit… positioning themselves as stand-out candidates… high-impact leaders ready to meet an organization’s modern challenges.”
“To beat an internal candidate, external contenders must go beyond expectations. They need to showcase their qualifications while bringing something new to the table—a fresh perspective, specialized expertise or innovative solutions.”
– Gina Riley, Forbes Coaches Council, November 5, 2024
Yup.
My clients edge out internal candidates all the time. Many internal candidates believe that they are the heirs apparent, the obvious choice, and therefore believe that they can move up or within the company simply by talking about passion, love of the company, loyalty, and hard work. This “proof” doesn’t work very well, because all the internal candidates are using these same reasons why they should be hired. They all cancel each other out.
As the external candidate, you can leverage this situation to get hired. You have to show through impact and leadership strengths why the company should hire you.
Companies prefer to promote from within. It’s cheaper and easier for them, and theoretically leads to more employee loyalty. Internal candidates know the company culture, they have theoretically been loyal, there is no big expense in promoting them, and they have grown partnerships and relationships that are key to the company. But maybe they are doing just enough to get paid. Maybe they don’t love their job. Maybe they weren’t the best hire in the first place.
You have an edge as an outside candidate. You bring a fresh perspective and updated marketplace information. But you need to be able to demonstrate this benefit and to prove that you’re that high-impact person who is the one they want to address their challenges.
To be considered before an internal candidate, show that you understand and identify with the company’s needs or objectives or mission, and you show how you have successfully addressed the company’s challenges before and made past companies better.
What makes you, the external candidate, the more attractive option? Impact, impact, and impact, baby!
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Better job. More pay. More control.
For a resume review, please contact us at Control Your Career!