When You Don’t Hire an Internal Candidate

Adam Cannavo, SHRM-SCP, is a senior consultant with Groove Management, a consulting firm in Charlotte, N.C., and has more than 15 years of HR leadership experience. "A best practice that I've seen work well in a variety of contexts is to thank [internal applicants] for their interest in advancing their career with the organization, explain why they didn't get the job, discuss what they can do to position themselves for the next opportunity that arises and facilitate the development of a plan to get them there." This can be an opportunity "to pivot an employee from disappointment to optimism and enthusiasm," Cannavo said.

Your commitment and communication to the unsuccessful internal candidate doesn't stop after the hiring decision is made. Both HR and direct managers can play an important role in helping to develop internal candidates for future opportunities.