Internal Mobility Posting
Internal posting live with adapted JD, clear application path. Eligible employees and their managers notified. Outcomes communicated explicitly.
Before you start
- Internal mobility policy documented
- Internal job board
- Manager-employee transparency commitment
- Open role(s) eligible for internal posting
- Required qualifications
- Application timeline
The steps
- Confirm role eligibility for internal posting — Some roles are eligible for internal-first (with X days of internal-only consideration before external posting), some are external-only (specialized hire, leadership change). Check policy before posting internally.
- Adapt the JD for internal audience — Internal JDs can be more candid: they know the team, the product, the culture. Lead with what's new — challenge, scope, growth. Don't restate company-about boilerplate they already know.
- Define the internal-application path — Spell out: who to apply to, what to send (internal CV often shorter than external), interview process, timeline. Internal applicants deserve clarity, not 'apply through the careers page'.
- Notify managers of their team's eligibility — Pre-notify managers of team members eligible to apply (those meeting prerequisites: tenure, performance). Managers shouldn't be surprised by their report applying for another role.
- Post on the internal job board — Post with: job title, hiring manager, application instructions, internal-only deadline. Announce in Slack or all-hands if the role is high-visibility. Don't bury the post.
- Process internal applicants — Internal applicants typically get a faster process: skip the recruiter screen, go to hiring manager directly. Final interview involves their current manager (with their consent — internal mobility is an open conversation, not a secret).
- Communicate outcomes — Internal applicants get explicit 'no' if not selected — never silent rejection. Coordinate with the current manager so they know the outcome. Strong internal applicants who don't get this role should get development planning for next opportunity.
If it goes wrong
Internal applicant rejected silently — damages trust
Hard rule: every internal applicant gets an explicit no with feedback. Silent rejection signals 'they're not really considering us'.
Manager retaliates against report who applied to another role
Document retaliation as a serious issue. Internal mobility requires culture support — retaliation kills the program.
External candidate hired despite strong internal applicants
Document the rationale carefully. Sometimes external is the right call, but employees need to see fair process. Pattern of overlooking internals erodes culture.
All OpenLabor playbooks