Internal Hiring: Leveraging Existing Talent
One of the biggest advantages of hiring from within is that your employees already understand your business. They know how your operations work, they’re familiar with your processes, and they’ve likely already been exposed to the ERP system. Training someone internally not only saves on recruitment costs but also reduces the onboarding time. Instead of spending months searching for an external candidate who fits your culture, you can tap into employees who are ready to hit the ground running.
For businesses that are early in their ERP journey, internal promotion can be a particularly effective route. You don’t always need a fully-fledged ERP expert to begin with; often, someone from customer support, finance, or operations who works with the system daily can transition into a more technical role.
“At Gymshark, we moved people from customer service and logistics teams into technical ERP roles because they were already using the system. They understood the operational flow, and that foundation made the technical training much easier.”
- Maxime Ossieur, Commerce Thinking
Here’s where internal hiring shines:
- Customer Support Team: Employees in customer support often deal with operational workflows on a day-to-day basis. They understand the processes and pain points of your business better than anyone else, making them ideal candidates to transition into an ERP administrator or manager role.
- Finance Team: Those working in finance are already familiar with the intricacies of data, reporting, and often work closely with systems like NetSuite. With the right training, they could make a natural transition into managing or overseeing your ERP system.
Internal hires don’t always need to come with technical experience. If they’re proficient with tools like Excel, or if they’re already solving operational problems using internal systems, they can usually be trained in the technical side of ERP management within a few months.
Of course, this strategy works best if you already have a senior ERP expert or technical lead who can mentor the internal hire. Without this existing expertise, it may be necessary to first hire someone externally who can then help train your team.
"One of the key advantages of promoting internally is the ability to streamline the onboarding process. Employees already understand the business, making them quicker to adapt to the ERP system. With the right support, internal hires can grow into the role just as effectively as external candidates"
Luke Plane, Founder, Fulfilled Talent
External Recruitment: Bringing in Experience
While internal promotion has its benefits, there are cases where bringing in an external expert is the right move. If your ERP system is already deeply integrated into every facet of your operations, or if you’re scaling rapidly and need someone who can handle advanced customisations, hiring an experienced ERP professional may save you time and avoid costly mistakes.
External candidates often come with a wealth of hands-on experience, having worked across multiple ERP platforms or industries. They’re more likely to be familiar with advanced automations, system integrations, and complex workflows. This experience can be invaluable, particularly if you’re looking to scale quickly or if your ERP setup has already reached a level of complexity that requires expert handling.
However, external recruitment comes with its own set of challenges:
- Longer Hiring Process: Finding the right external candidate can take 6 to 12 months, especially for niche ERP platforms like NetSuite. It’s a competitive market, and candidates with the right experience are in high demand.
- Higher Costs: Not only is external recruitment more expensive, but hiring an experienced candidate also typically means offering a higher salary package, especially if they’re bringing deep technical knowledge or experience from a similar industry.
That said, external candidates can bring a fresh perspective. They may have insights into how other businesses in your industry are using ERP systems or best practices that could improve your operations. If you’re struggling to find someone internally with the right mix of skills, going external might be the faster path to success.
"External hires bring a fresh perspective, especially when your ERP system is integrated across multiple departments or requires complex customisation. In e-commerce, where automation and data-driven decisions are vital, an external ERP expert can help uncover efficiencies that may have otherwise been overlooked."
Luke Plane, Founder, Fulfilled Talent
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