It can be tricky to prepare interview questions for internal candidates, especially if you’re also interviewing externally. In one sense, evaluating internal candidates can be a simpler process, because you can eliminate the questions of culture fit and uncertainty about current job performance. Time to hire is shorter, and the cost of that hire will also be lower. Onboarding will be a breeze.
Olivia Jones is a freelance writer and marketing consultant.
But hiring internally still poses different challenges, such as discord in the workplace from those who feel slighted, and negative consequences from promoting someone before they’re ready.
In the end, though, hiring internally has significant benefits of its own. Internal candidates bring institutional knowledge to their new role, and promoting them allows them to broaden and deepen their skills. Training existing employees also makes for a stronger, more reliable resource, not to mention keeping employees engaged and invested in the success of the company at large and motivating them to work hard to earn promotion.
And don’t underestimate the value of retaining highly-skilled and valuable employees who might otherwise be tempted to accept a promotion elsewhere.
If you’re going to hire internally, you’ll need to master the delicate art of the internal interview.
Here are 10 essential interview questions and sample answers to help identify the best candidates for this role.
This question allows the candidate to highlight their unique strengths and experiences within the company, showcasing their value proposition for the new role.
I have a deep understanding of our company’s processes and culture, having worked here for five years. My experience in both sales and marketing departments gives me a holistic view, making me uniquely positioned for this cross-functional role.
This question assesses the candidate’s understanding of the new role and their adaptability to potential changes.
The new role involves more strategic planning and cross-departmental collaboration. I plan to undertake additional training and foster relationships with key stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition.
This question evaluates the candidate’s leadership qualities and their ability to reflect on their experiences.
My leadership style is collaborative. I believe in empowering team members. An instance was when I led a project, and instead of dictating tasks, I involved everyone in the decision-making process, leading to a successful project completion.
Understanding the candidate’s recent professional growth can provide insights into their commitment to self-improvement.
Over the last three years, I’ve honed my data analytics skills, learned advanced project management techniques, and developed stronger interpersonal communication abilities.
This question offers insights into the candidate’s self-awareness and their relationship with superiors.
My supervisor would describe my work as thorough and detail-oriented. She often commends my ability to handle complex projects and my proactive approach to problem-solving.
Understanding the candidate’s contributions can highlight their value and potential impact in the new role.
I introduced a new project management tool that streamlined our processes, leading to a 20% increase in team efficiency. I also mentored junior team members, helping them integrate faster into the team.
This question assesses foresight and problem-solving skills.
I anticipate challenges in aligning multiple teams towards a common goal. I plan to overcome this by facilitating regular inter-departmental meetings and setting clear, measurable objectives.
Feedback is crucial for growth. This question evaluates the candidate’s receptiveness to feedback.
I view feedback as an opportunity for growth. Whenever I receive criticism, I take time to reflect, understand the perspective, and work on areas of improvement.
This question assesses the candidate’s understanding of the new role’s requirements.
For this position, strategic thinking, excellent communication skills, and the ability to manage and lead diverse teams are crucial.
Understanding the candidate’s long-term vision can provide insights into their commitment and aspirations.
I see myself taking on larger strategic roles, contributing to the company’s growth. I also aim to mentor and develop future leaders within the organization.
Before we get to the internal interview questions themselves, you want to first outline what you’re looking for when carrying out the internal evaluation process. When you and your hiring team are aligned on this, you will be better able to identify the ideal candidate for the role.
If you’re considering giving someone more authority, you first need to look at whether they are excelling in their current role.
Speak with your candidate’s current supervisor and discuss their performance, attitude, and abilities.
Do they have a growth mindset? Are they capable of managing a team, or do they work best alone? Is the candidate confident that they can handle the extra responsibility they’re looking to take on?
This can be difficult to puzzle out, as some candidates may be a good fit for a new position because of skills they already possess, but that they are unable to use in their current role. Careful questioning and an assessment of strengths should offer a clearer picture of these skills.
Generally, if someone is looking to move up into a new role, they should display soft skills like hard work, persistence, curiosity, collaboration, and leadership. You can also assess their hard skills at a more advanced, big-picture level, especially if they’re moving into a managerial role in their team or department.
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It can be difficult to discern someone’s motivations for interviewing for a given position. Are they applying because they feel like they ‘should’, without any real interest in the role? Is there dysfunction on their current team? Do they clash frequently with their current supervisor?
Identifying motivation is key because ideally you want to find someone who will go into a new role with a clear head and a deep understanding of what will be expected of them. If their reasoning for taking on more responsibility is muddled, they won’t have a reliable framework to fall back on when challenges arise.
In order to find the best possible candidate for a role, it’s important to be as objective as possible when evaluating internal candidates. This means looking at their technical, hard, and soft skills and evaluating whether there are external candidates who are more qualified.
Having a growth mindset as opposed to a fixed mindset is an excellent predictor of success and a person’s ability to rise to meet challenges. Humility, hard work, and a growth mindset are vital to adapting to the challenges of a new position.
These traits also generally go along with being open to thoughtful feedback, another vital characteristic for anyone looking to succeed long-term in an organization. Use questions to evaluate whether your candidate can recognize their growth potential.
If you’re going to remove a person from their current position, you want to be confident that they possess the skills to adapt to the challenges of the new role. That means evaluating their technical abilities and how they match up with the expectations of the new position.
It also means ensuring that they are a fundamentally flexible person, able to adapt to new challenges while maintaining a high level of professionalism and decorum. Without this adaptability, even the most qualified candidate can fail to thrive in their new environment.
Generally, your best chance at getting accurate information about your candidate’s skills is to be specific in your questions. Ask for concrete examples. If they describe something in vague terms, ask a follow-up question about the skills they used or the context of that experience. It’s a great way to assess the depth of their direct involvement in the examples they’re sharing.
Review the expectations with the hiring team for the position you’re assessing candidates for. You have to understand what you’re looking for yourself in order to gauge another person’s expertise and consequently make the right decisions.
Ask your candidate’s supervisor how they would assess their skills. What are their strengths and weaknesses? Do they meet the technical requirements of the new position? Hearing their supervisor’s opinion first can give valuable context for the candidate’s answers.
When assessing hard skills rather than soft ones, there’s always the option of a technical assessment. You or another technically qualified person can ask questions about specific skills, or you can use a technical assessment tool to evaluate aptitude.
Often, an internal promotion or transfer can bring more reward than an externally sourced hire. With these internal interview questions, you’re now ready to evaluate internal candidates for that open role. Best of luck in your search!
Olivia Jones is a freelance writer and marketing consultant. She helps companies create compelling content. Learn more about what she does on her website or connect with her on LinkedIn.
What are the top internal interview questions? Key questions include understanding the candidate's unique strengths, their vision for the new role, leadership style, and recent professional growth. What is the best way to prepare for an internal interview as an HR professional? HR professionals should familiarize themselves with the candidate's past performance, seek feedback from their current supervisors, and understand the requirements of the new role. Why are internal interviews different from external ones? Internal interviews focus on the candidate's growth within the company, their contributions, and their potential for future roles, making them distinct from external interviews. How can HR ensure objectivity in internal interviews? HR can maintain objectivity by involving multiple interviewers, using standardized questions, and comparing internal candidates with external ones. Why is understanding a candidate's motivation crucial in internal interviews? Understanding motivation helps gauge genuine interest in growth and ensures the candidate is ready for the challenges and responsibilities of the new role.
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