Benchmarking

Quite how good should an external candidate be to beat an internal candidate?  According to Paul Harper, at least 20%!  “It is increasingly common for managers to be pushed towards an internal candidate who is at threat of redundancy,” explained Paul. “But although having a failing internal candidate can cause problems (see above), not taking account of the often hidden strengths of an internal candidate can be a mistake.”

“We would recommend that the external candidate should be at least 20% stronger.  We have helped benchmark internal candidates’ skills against those in the wider market, but other factors can also be important.  The risk of a culture clash and the ability of a new person to fit into an existing set-up can be incredibly important to the success of a new appointment, and an external candidate is more likely to fall foul of these factors.”

Paul recommends that a full candidate specification is drawn up to allow effective benchmarking. “You may be surprised at who is available and, even with the 20% rule, many managers are deciding on the external candidate.  Such candidates will often be the early leavers, people who have decided they need to move before a restructure in their own company and will also be the stronger, more enthusiastic candidates.  So should you be benchmarking before deciding?

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