Applicant pool -- internal vs. external

It is important to determine the target audience for the recruitment. For example, are you seeking applicants with knowledge of VCU specific systems and policies? If so, conducting an internal recruitment, open to VCU employees only, may be most effective. Alternatively, if you want to recruit applicants with a very niche or specific skill set, it may be beneficial to cast a wider net and advertise externally. To encourage promotion from within, departments should consider posting to internal applicants only for the first five days.

Internal recruitment affords existing employees the opportunity to apply for the job opening and can also be linked to succession and career development. Internal recruitment can include promotions to a higher level position as well as lateral moves to a same level position. The benefits of recruiting current VCU employees are:  

• managers may already have a good idea of the employees’ capabilities; 
• It rewards employees for past performance; 
• It shows the University's investment in the employee; 
• It reduces the amount of time necessary to orient the person to the new position; 
• It encourages positive morale and retention.