When a demand for a more senior position within your agency presents itself, you will need to decide whether to look for a new employee from the outside or promoting an employee from your already existing talent pool.
Countless business owners have realized the benefits associated with the latter and are opting to give their existing workforce more opportunities for growth and career progression as a result. It leads to reduced costs, a shorter learning curve, and happy, productive and fulfilled employees, after all.
If this is the path that you have decided to follow, here is how to go about it.
Define the new position
Before approaching certain members of your team with a proposition, you need to be certain what attributes you are looking for and exactly what the job description of the new position entails. Highlight aspects such as who the employee will be reporting to, who they will be supervising, as well as what their daily tasks will entail. You should also include information, such as salary and working hours, along with details regarding any additional perks or benefits.
Approach your team
There are two ways to go about this. Firstly, you could opt to approach your team as a whole and encourage any and all interested parties to apply for the promotion. Alternatively, you may decide to hone in on a handful of employees who you personally think would be a good potential fit for the role. There are pros and cons associated with either approach, so be sure to consider both options carefully before deciding which is right for your business.
Conduct initial interviews
Take the time to speak to each potential candidate one on one in order to ascertain why they are interested in the role and why they think they would be the right fit. It is a great opportunity for them to also learn more about what the role is going to encompass and ask any relevant questions that they might have regarding the transition.
Conduct executive assessments
If the main goal is to ensure that you promote the right person, conducting an executive assessment on each potential candidate is the only way to go. An executive assessment revolves around looking into a person’s strengths relating to the position on offer. It will provide greater insight into aspects such as their critical thinking abilities and problem solving prowess.
Furthermore, it involves interviews with professional and experienced consultants, along with comprehensive reporting based on findings and data. From there, the executive assessment company will also usually help you to craft a number of follow up interview questions tailored to each candidate. All of this comes together to help you to make a confident, well-informed promotion.
Make an offer
Once you have made up your mind regarding who to promote, you will need to put a job offer together in the form of a letter. This job offer should outline all of the legalities and procedures surrounding the promotion including when your employee will make the shift and whether or not there will be a probation period. You will also need to craft letters to the other candidates who did not receive the promotion. Try to include helpful advice for future career progression within the company, as well as information regarding why you made the decision that you did. Also, be open to having a discussion with each candidate in person so that they can ask questions about your choice. This can help to ensure that they still feel valued and respected.
From there, it is time to welcome your employee into their new role and support them in any way that you can. If you have adhered to the aforementioned advice, you are almost certain to feel proud and satisfied with your final hiring decision.