Smart companies are merging recruitment and internal mobility because they create a holistic talent strategy that reduces costs, improves retention, and builds a stronger workforce. This integration leverages internal talent, boomerang employees, and external recruitment to create a seamless talent ecosystem.
Many talent acquisition (TA) departments face a conundrum. To fill critical vacancies, is it better to nurture homegrown talent, engage retirees, alums, and part-time leavers, or explore external talent pools? Smart companies understand the importance of integrating talent acquisition, employee retention, and internal mobility to build a more comprehensive approach to workforce management. When companies combine these functions, they better understand their total talent landscape.
Mobility within a company involves identifying, developing, and deploying internal talent across different organizational roles or departments. Once considered a separate function from external recruitment, mobility is now seen as a critical component of a unified talent strategy.
“Back to the company,” or boomerang mobility, involves someone who leaves an organization and later returns to the same company. This could happen after pursuing another job, furthering education, or exploring personal goals. Boomerang employees often rejoin the company in the same or a different role, bringing back their previous experience along with new skills or perspectives gained during their time away. Benefits include faster onboarding, proven cultural fit, and established relationships.
When aligned “into the company,” external recruitment, boomerang, and internal mobility create a seamless talent ecosystem. External and boomerang recruitment bring fresh perspectives and expertise, while internal mobility ensures existing employees are continually engaged and upskilled. Together, they build a resilient workforce capable of adapting to change.
There are several reasons for businesses to integrate the various types of mobility. Some of these include:
Forbes estimates the cost of recruiting a “mid-career software engineer” to be roughly $30,000. By contrast, an organization may spend approximately $20,000 less to train and upskill an existing employee. When accounting for potential salary and recruiting savings, an organization could save up to $116,000 per engineer over a three-year period.
Hiring professionals can also leverage this integrated model to improve retention rates. In the aftermath of the Great Resignation, Pew Research Center surveyed workers who quit during the mass 2021 exodus. Participants were asked to cite reasons why they left and categorize those motivators as “major reasons” or “minor reasons.” Sixty-three percent of participants cited “no opportunities for advancement” as a minor cause and 33% considered it a major reason. Employees will leave if they don’t have the opportunity to advance their careers.
Internal mobility reduces the time it takes to fill roles by allowing businesses to access a pool of qualified in-house talent. These candidates already understand company culture and processes, leading to higher success rates in new roles. Our partner, Paradox AI, uses conversational software to engage candidates 24/7, helping companies reduce hard-to-fill roles by up to 80%.
Quality candidates are attracted to companies that demonstrate investment in employee development and internal career progression. Prospective talent who sees opportunities for advancement within the organization are more likely to accept a position. Companies like The Muse provide professional, branded content development services, helping you highlight your unique culture and values to connect with next-generation talent.
Employers value boomerang and internal candidates because they require less onboarding and already understand the company culture. Boomerang employees may also bring fresh ideas and innovations, making their return beneficial for both parties.
A well-thought-out strategy is the foundation for a successful merger between recruitment and internal mobility.
Forecast future needs and opportunities
Plan beyond immediate job openings to be proactive. Use data to identify patterns in past recruitment trends and project future needs. Modern tools like machine learning and predictive analytics can help recruitment teams make accurate, data-backed decisions.
Improve succession planning
A comprehensive view of internal, previous, and external talent pools allows for more strategic decisions about developing internal candidates or recruiting externally for key positions.
Practical, transparent processes
Establish clear guidelines to ensure fair and consistent hiring practices. Shifting the focus to skills required for roles rather than rigid qualifications helps businesses integrate recruitment and mobility.
Create internal job boards
New opportunities should be displayed so employees can easily view them before opening them to external applicants.
Continuous recruitment
Companies maintain a talent pipeline by practicing continuous recruitment, always running job ad campaigns, engaging with prospective candidates, and avoiding scrambling when staffing needs emerge.
Stay engaged with past employees
Create returnship programs that offer flexible/part-time roles, mentoring opportunities, and consulting arrangements to maintain communication with former employees. Target former employees for roles during peak periods or special projects.
C-suite support
The success of a recruitment and mobility merger hinges on organizational leaders championing internal mobility as a core value and demonstrates that they support long-term development.
Retrain mid-level managers
Management personnel need skills to support their team members’ career growth. Leaders at all levels should regularly communicate the benefits of internal mobility and provide resources to help employees navigate their career paths.
Robust analytics
To understand talent strengths and weaknesses, hiring professionals should explore AI-powered tools that analyze employee skills and match them with available roles.
Recruitment technology
A comprehensive recruitment strategy is most effective with technology that helps the recruitment marketing team understand what’s working, what’s not, and where opportunities for improvement exist.
Tip: Recruitics’ Vision™ Analytics helps identify robust talent sources.
Career pathway mapping tools
TA professionals can visualize what milestones and certifications employees should focus on to support long-term career growth.
Hiring professionals can take several steps to merge recruitment, boomerang, and internal mobility effectively.
Assessment of current state
Look at existing recruitment and internal mobility practices. Are the two siloed, or is there already some overlap? What are the most significant barriers to merging these processes? The goal of this assessment is to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
Enhance the employer brand
Audit the brand to understand how candidates view it and where improvements can be made. Include everything from the company career site and social media presence to the messaging channels used to communicate with prospective and current candidates.
Technology evaluation and selection
Implement tools that support the integration of recruitment and mobility. Solutions that leverage analytics and artificial intelligence offer the most value.
Implementation roadmap
Develop a detailed roadmap that outlines clear milestones for rolling out new processes and technologies. Setting measurable project goals ensures the deadlines don’t stretch the TA team too thin.
Merging mobility strategies may compound existing hurdles by requiring hiring professionals to integrate recruiting, hiring, and employee development processes. These challenges can typically be grouped into one of two main categories.
Many line-level team members would jump at the opportunity to take on new challenges. According to MIT Sloan, 67% of professionals want to advance their careers. However, some managers resist organizational initiatives aimed at increasing internal movement. There are a few reasons for this.
Losing top performers
Fill the talent pipeline with quality candidates who can step in and fill new vacancies. Also, create a culture that prioritizes organizational success over department-level wins.
Concerns about job security
Be transparent with managers about the convergence of recruitment and internal mobility so that no one feels they will be easily replaced.
Hesitation to discuss career goals
Cultivate an environment where everyone is comfortable discussing career aspirations. Making internal opportunities visible to all employees, setting up strategies for checking in with employees, and assisting team members with goal setting is encouraging.
Internal structure is limiting
Employees who don’t know about internal openings are at a disadvantage. Hiring professionals should work with leadership to implement internal job boards or talent marketplaces to bridge the gap.
Traditional job descriptions
Transitioning to a skills-based job architecture ensures opportunities align with employees’ and candidates' capabilities and goals. Hiring professionals should list skills, certifications, or experience in the “Must Have” section of job descriptions while focusing less on degrees.
Organizations that integrate recruitment, boomerang, and internal mobility gain a competitive edge in today’s hiring landscape. By building an effective talent pipeline and investing in their past and current workforce, businesses reduce costs, increase retention, and create a winning culture.
—-
Bridging the gap between recruitment and internal mobility requires timely, high-quality data. Explore Recruitics today to elevate the way your organization recruits, develops and retains talent.
