Promoting internally is often preferable to hiring from outside your organization. You save considerable resources on hiring, onboarding, and training. By filling an open position with a current employee, you have the advantage of having a track record of performance within your organization. Promoting from within also creates a culture of opportunity which keeps employees engaged, loyal, and consistent. Building career paths within your company is doable but might require some strategic tweaks.
Identify potential leaders.
As a project manager, leadership is one of the main traits to look for in great employees. While most craftsmen have a fierce sense of independence and a can-do spirit, a handful stand out as natural leaders. These professionals command the respect of colleagues, go above and beyond their job description, take the initiative to make improvements, and genuinely care about the success of the company. Identifying these potential leaders makes it easy to nurture their development, making for a smoother promotion when the time comes around.
Offer training and development programs.
Another effective way to prime craftsmen for internal promotions is through training programs. Offering targeted development protocols such as further education, certificates, or apprenticeships equips employees with essential skills and knowledge required in a leadership position. This add-on value can improve job satisfaction and loyalty while ensuring they have the essential abilities you’re looking for. Moreover, employees willing to undertake these additional responsibilities demonstrate their commitment to the organization and further their skills.
Implement mentorship schemes.
Mentorship programs are powerful strategies for fostering leadership within your organization. You’re transferring relevant knowledge, expertise, and skills from more experienced employees to novice craftsmen. This creates a dynamic learning environment that speeds up the time it takes to nurture an employee into a leader. It’s also a great way to create cohesion between green and seasoned employees. You can bake this mentorship into your onboarding processes or strategically pair employees for projects based on experience levels. If all else fails, it might be necessary to set aside time after work to transfer this knowledge.
Establish transparent promotion criteria.
Objective criteria are vital for internal promotions. Establishing clear performance metrics gives employees a roadmap to success, improving their work and removing the guesswork. At the same time, these clear metrics standardize your company’s performance evaluations for consistent and merit-based results. Without these criteria, promotion processes are subject to bias, unpredictability, and chance. Make sure these formalized metrics fall in line with your business’s main goals and direction to keep everything moving in the right direction.
Foster a culture of recognition.
A pat on the back might seem relatively insignificant to project managers, but it makes a big difference to craftsmen. And, as a result, it has an impact on your overall organization. Creating a culture of recognition and appreciation improves employee engagement, reinforces positive performance, and elevates the quality of a team. These atta-boys can come in the form of formal awards, public shout-outs, or a simple “job well done.” The most important thing is that employees feel appreciated and recognized for their hard work.
Hire the right people (from the start).
The effectiveness of internal promotion will always be defined by the quality of initial hires. The more talented, qualified, and better-matched your recruits, the better options you’ll have when it comes time to promote. This requires an in-depth analysis of their skills, experience, and performance along with a determination of how they fit into your business’s culture, goals, and processes. If you’re struggling to achieve this caliber of hiring, consider outsourcing your recruiting needs. It’s an effective way to save money and time while improving the quality of craftsmen who join your team. You’re also optimizing your ability to promote from within as your company grows.
If you’re struggling to find the right talent, the staffing experts at Madden Industrial Craftsmen can help! We specialize in pairing leading employers with top-tier talent. Fill out a job order to get matched with the best-fit candidates within minutes!
