Inside Outside Upside Down
(Politics, Spin & Picket Duty)
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Job Postings - Inside First?
Wednesday I wrote that I agreed with CUPE's position that the city should maintain the current system of posting jobs internally before advertising externally.
Here is differing opinion:
I would argue that allowing the jobs to be posted externally at the same time is what really reflects confidence by the city in their workers, and by the workers in themselves.
In any reasonable organization, an internal candidate will always be chosen over an external candidate when their suitability for a job is similar. That's because you know what you're getting with the internal candidate, whereas you're taking a chance with the external candidate.
If the 6000 or so people who work for the city are so professional, and confident in their abilities to do a job, why are they scared to compete with someone from outside? After all, that person has no ideas of the inner workings of the organization, no way to impress their potential new boss other than in an hour-long interview, no way to access decision makers except via HR.
Given all the advantages an employee has over an external applicant for a new job, if the current employee doesn't get the job, they would really need to look seriously at themselves. But, of course, it's much easier to blame evil managers. After all, it's only union employees that are honest, hard-working and trying to the do the best job they can.
I would argue that allowing the jobs to be posted externally at the same time is what really reflects confidence by the city in their workers, and by the workers in themselves.
In any reasonable organization, an internal candidate will always be chosen over an external candidate when their suitability for a job is similar. That's because you know what you're getting with the internal candidate, whereas you're taking a chance with the external candidate.
If the 6000 or so people who work for the city are so professional, and confident in their abilities to do a job, why are they scared to compete with someone from outside? After all, that person has no ideas of the inner workings of the organization, no way to impress their potential new boss other than in an hour-long interview, no way to access decision makers except via HR.
Given all the advantages an employee has over an external applicant for a new job, if the current employee doesn't get the job, they would really need to look seriously at themselves. But, of course, it's much easier to blame evil managers. After all, it's only union employees that are honest, hard-working and trying to the do the best job they can.