More HR managers now promote from within and also make better hires because they have developed new skills. During the past five years, researchers have measured a 242% increase in HR professionals who analyze data. HR pros are using data to help sales managers promote from within the organization. In its 2020 Global Talent Trends report, LinkedIn highlighted the important and developing trend of people analytics. The ability to hire the right candidate and to promote from within underscores the need to use people analytics tools. At least 73% of HR leaders say they believe people analytics is becoming more of a priority.

Using Assessments to Measure and Analyze Skills

To improve profitability, employers are digitizing information about the skills their existing workforce possesses. Managers can use this information to determine who to promote and who may need additional training.  Businesses also need to know more about the candidates applying for open positions. To obtain that information, managers are asking candidates to take sales skills assessments.

When it comes to understanding existing talent and assessing prospective talent, organizations use the following tools. The number of organizations planning to adopt these tools in the future appear in parentheses:

• Identifying skills gaps 47% (23%)
• Identifying flight risks to improve retention 37% (23%)
• Reduce bias in hiring/​promotions 49% (16%)
• Predicting candidate success 19% (28%)

Predicting Candidate Success

You probably noticed that 28% organizations plan to start using tools that predict candidate success in the near future. No other tool scored a higher percentage. Predicting candidate success can be challenging, because many hiring managers in your organization have different opinions on what a rainmaker looks like, for example. Some of those opinions may be right. Others won’t be. In this environment, you don’t have a rational way of knowing who is right.

Having your candidates take a standardized sales skills assessment test levels the playing field. A candidate who impresses the interviewing manager with a great mock presentation won’t be able to hide the fact that they have a tendency to turn into a toxic jungle fighter in some work environments. A good sales skills assessment test will reveal these tendencies, along with the factors that motivate each individual.

Promote from Within

Recruiting from an internal candidate pool is another practice that’s getting more scrutiny from employers. Companies with a notoriously toxic culture or a need to turn around a serious sales slump sometimes have a good reason to bring in an outside employee at a senior management level. Otherwise, organizations are starting to see the value of a policy that encourages leaders to promote from within.

HR professionals realize that employee retention is cost-​effective. Committed employees make a huge difference to the bottom line, especially when they have institutional knowledge. In addition, it’s expensive to recruit and train new employees. When you retain employees, some of these team members will expect to move into the management ranks. Others will be better suited to individual contributor roles at a senior level.  How do you know which employees are best suited for a position in sales management and to promote from within?

The results of sales skills assessments can help. A good sales skills assessment measures an individual’s decision-​making tendencies. Before you promote from within, you need to know if the rep will be an empathetic manager. If the person has never supervised others, they may need some coaching on how to succeed in their potential new role. When you review their assessment results, check their coachability score. If it’s low, they may not be a good fit for a supervisory position. The ability to collaborate is critical for an individual who leads a sales team. In the best organizations, these days, employees benefit from a manager who can function as part of the team. And they expect their manager to secure access to training and professional development for them. Before you promote from within, make sure the individual has the right stuff.