Don’t Just Post It—Pursue It: A Smarter Way to Surface the Right Talent
From Role Gaps to Growth Paths: A Smarter Way to Fill Open Seats
Posting a job isn’t enough. The real value comes from uncovering the skills already growing within. If you’re still waiting for fit to find you—you might be missing your next great leader.
We’ve all heard it before— “Post the job, follow the policy, wait for applicants.” But when we only do that, we miss a powerful opportunity to truly activate the skills our workforce already holds.
I believe the path forward is skills-first and system-smart.
Yes, you can blend internal talent discovery with policy-driven job postings. The key is evolving your systems and mindset. Define open roles not just by title, but by the full range of capabilities required—from technical skills to behavioral strengths like decision quality, communication, and adaptability.
Then do two things:
Post as required to meet transparency and compliance expectations.
Launch a targeted search from within, beginning with those who’ve recently grown their capabilities—even if they haven’t yet had the chance to apply them in a new role.
But here's where the magic happens: we also need to support individuals in making their growth visible. That means encouraging employees to regularly update their internal profiles with new skills and learning experiences. HR can foster this by:
Offering prompts after major projects or development milestones.
Tying internal profiles to performance conversations.
Recognizing those who’ve modeled growth through reskilling or upskilling.
We can’t future-proof our organizations if our systems only search for what people have done. We need to tap into what they’re capable of doing next.
Action Steps:
Expand your role templates to reflect performance-based capabilities.
Build a culture that values ongoing profile updates and skill transparency.
Use internal systems to search for potential, not just prior titles.
Recognize mobility stories to reinforce that growth is worth sharing.
We’re not just filling roles—we’re cultivating leadership capacity at every level.
I’ve worked with organizations to bring this inside-out, skills-first approach to life—refining protocols, energizing talent systems, and unlocking potential that was already there. If this is something you’re looking to activate in your organization, I’d be glad to explore how we could make that happen together.
#TalentMobility #SkillsBasedHiring #InternalGrowth #FutureOfWork