Internal vs. External

A common theme of business that will never stop happening is hiring new employees to fill open positions. This brings to light the important question of where this new employee should come from, mainly internally or externally.

An internal employee knows the system and the company. They know all the internal functions of the company and the people that work there. This reduces the need for excessive training which can be timely and costly. An internal employee as has a larger likely hood to have a better team oriented attitude towards the company because of their time and experience there. You as management also know what to expect from these employees. Because they have been working for you there should be no character surprises that arise once they are given the job. This can clearly be beneficial to an employer in any case.

An external employee on the other hand has no predetermined biased. Many times someone who has been involved in a company can carry the negative attributes or opinions that you do not redistributed throughout the company. This is where an external hire can be beneficial. A new person will have no ill will to offer the company and can provide a ‘fresh start’ that could be greatly needed. An external employee can also offer the company skills unique to the company and what it does. This is beneficial for when you are planning to expand what the company can do. If your company only sells product A and everyone that works there only knows how to sell product A, then when you plan to expand to product B you will need to hire a person who knows about that product and how to sell it. External employees are a good chance for a fresh start in your company.

Whether you choose external or internal employees to hire is all dependant on what your needs and circumstances are. Both can be a positive experience, but that just all depends and what your needs are.