Lever Partners with Aptitude Research for New Findings on the State of Internal Mobility

Lever, a leading Talent Acquisition Suite, recently partnered with Aptitude Research to conduct their latest report, Internal Mobility: Challenges, Strategies, and Technology, uncovering how the investment in internal mobility has changed, where responsibilities lie, challenges, and strategies. While almost three quarters of companies surveyed have increased investment in internal mobility this year, only less than a quarter (22%) plan to keep the same investment going into next year, but well over half (84%) of these companies are incorporating internal mobility in their talent acquisition strategy moving forward.

With companies using more internal mobility tactics during The Great Resignation, recent estimates suggest that managers can expect to receive an average of 10 internal applications for every open job, meaning that 9 employees — 10 if hiring an external candidate — hear “no” each time a job is posted. This same research indicates that rejected internal candidates are nearly two times as likely to leave their organizations, compared to those who were either hired for an internal job or had not applied for a new job at all.

“The amount of lost productivity, combined with the costs of finding replacements for these employees and length of time to hire can be substantial,” said Nate Smith, CEO and founder of Lever. “There are many benefits to offering jobs to internal candidates that companies tend to overlook – these are more meaningful opportunities and deeper insights into talent while supporting broader talent acquisition goals.”

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The report revealed that technology alone will not fix internal mobility, as internal mobility’s key to success is the company itself. While technology can assist with components of internal mobility, companies should start with ensuring their processes, communication, and company culture are set up for success. One in two companies have higher turnover this year than last year, and well over half (70%) of companies believe that employee burnout has increased this year. Given the competitive candidate market, employees have greater demands, greater expectations, and a greater influence over their employers, and employers need to keep this in mind while deploying internal mobility strategies.

“We found that key drivers forcing companies to prioritize internal mobility has become a critical part of Talent Acquisition teams’ responsibility,” said Madeline Laurano, Founder, Aptitude Research. “Internal mobility needs to be seen as high reward and less work; the future of internal mobility and a company’s success is dependent on companies embracing a strategy for both internal and external candidates, personalizing these communications, and better leveraging technology to increase business results.”

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Additional findings from the report include:

The Main Gap for Internal Mobility Success is Communication

• Slightly over a quarter (26%) of companies personalize communication to internal candidates and 55% of internal candidates go through the same interview process as external candidates.
• Only one out of two companies personalize feedback and learning opportunities for internal candidates.
• Under half (37%), state that internal and external candidates have the same apply process.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Impact on Internal Mobility

• More than four out of five companies (85%) stated that DEI is impacted by internal mobility.
• Barely a quarter (23%) of companies believe that internal mobility efforts may hurt DEI initiatives because their organization lacks diverse talent, while 58% of companies believe it will strengthen DEI initiatives.

Lack of Manager Support for Internal Mobility

• Nearly half (50%) of companies surveyed stated that their top challenge to internal mobility is the lack of manager support.
• Over a quarter (30%) of companies stated that managers make it difficult for internal candidates to apply for a job and 27% stated that they do not have the support they need to hire internal candidates when asked why companies are not incorporating internal mobility into their talent acquisition strategies.

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