HR and Talent Development teams must help employees explore internal mobility opportunities
Human resources – in partnership with other business units (notably L&D) – can roll out certain programs to help employees grow in their careers and explore internal mobility opportunities.
Internal mobility can help every strategic business unit in the organization meet its goals, so its scope is much wider than just HR.
Internal mobility can help every strategic business unit in the organization meet its goals, so its scope is much wider than just HR.
However, ideally someone in the HR department should be responsible for building out this function.
Today, only 1 in 5 organizations feel they are creating extensive opportunities for career growth, according to a 2022 report by Josh Bersin.
One of those organizations that is doing it successfully is Rocket Companies — watch this on-demand webinar to hear how their Chief Learning Officer worked across business units to align internal mobility with their company strategy.
What goes into a successful career mobility program?
Some key elements from our successful career mobility program guide include:
Executive leadership: An executive accountable for internal mobility, particularly if they have a measurable goal (i.e. 50% of roles filled with internal talent)
Clarity on their talent needs: A deep understanding of current talent needs, including what roles are open, which roles have the longest time to hire, etc
Skills aligned to strategy: A view into what skills and roles are needed to support future business strategy, such as cybersecurity, supply chain, tech roles to support digital transformation, etc
Career mobility platform: A platform that helps connect employees with the visibility into the skills and education needed, access to that education, and the roles and careers they can move into
Culture of opportunity: A culture of internal recruiting, with the right policies and hiring practices in place
Top 8 internal mobility programs and initiatives for employers
There are a number of internal mobility initiatives you can launch at your organization. We have picked a few to highlight here, but this is by no means an exhaustive list.
1. Skills mapping and gap analysis
Conduct skills mapping exercises to identify the skills and competencies required for different roles within the organization.
This information can then be used to assess employees' current skills and identify any gaps. Employers can use the exercises in this career mobility workbook.
2. Education benefits
Offer funding for employees to go back to school and learn new skills that can help fuel career growth.
These kinds of benefits can cover foundational courses, short-form learning, and degrees.
Expert tip: Just make sure you offer tuition assistance instead of tuition reimbursement.
It's important to note that if you are going to invest in fully-funded education programs, you should make sure to align them with the skills your business needs.
For Guild partners: Guild helps employers build a personalized catalog of programs from our Learning Marketplace that are vetted for superior adult learner outcomes, and then house them all in our Career Opportunity Platform for employees to explore.

3. Career pathways
In addition to education benefits, create career pathways to ensure education and new skills learned today map to tomorrow’s careers.
At Guild, for example, we help employers map out career pathways from frontline roles into destination roles. An example of this could be:
Frontline: Inbound call center representative
Gateway: Junior data analyst
Entry-level: Data analyst
Destination: Senior data analytics lead

4. Dedicated career growth coaching
Provide support for employees in navigating programs, and make sure they know which programs can lead to which jobs.
For Guild partners, find out how our enhanced coaching services are accelerating career mobility.

5. Talent development programs
Create targeted development programs that focus on enhancing the skills and competencies needed for different career paths within the organization.
These programs can include workshops, training sessions, mentoring, coaching, apprenticeships, and stretch assignments.
Here are some additional tips on how to make talent development programs that motivate and engage employees.
6. Recognition and rewards for internal mobility
Recognize and reward employees who transition to new roles or advance their careers internally.
This can be done through:
7. Lunch and learn sessions
Organize regular lunch and learn sessions where employees can share their knowledge, expertise, and experiences with their colleagues.
These sessions promote cross-functional learning and provide employees with insights into different roles and career paths within the organization.
8. Internal mentorship programs
Establish mentorship programs that pair employees with more experienced colleagues or leaders within the organization.
Mentors can provide guidance, share their experiences, and help mentees navigate their career paths.
If you want to learn more about what career mobility initiatives are moving the needle at Fortune 1000 companies, check our beginner’s guide to career mobility programs or contact a Guild expert.