# Internal Mobility Conversations: Explore Skills, Interests, and Next Steps A practical guide to discussing skills, career interests, role requirements, and agreed next steps in an internal mobility conversation. - Canonical URL: https://www.harmate.com/en/blog/internal-mobility-how-to-awaken-sleeping-talents-instead-of-hiring-externally - Author: Harmate Team - Published: 2025-12-11 - Updated: 2026-10-20T02:29:49.654352+00:00 - Language: en ## Content # Internal Mobility Conversations: Explore Skills, Interests, and Next Steps Experience gained elsewhere in the organization or an interest in a new direction can open a mobility conversation. These are points to discuss with the person against a specific role, not automatic proof of capability or a prediction that someone will leave. A useful review separates what the person has said, what has been observed or documented, what is still missing, and what they want to explore. This short template helps prepare that conversation without inferring a career profile from a job title or free-text response. ## Start with a real opportunity, not an assumed profile Before reviewing information about a person, describe the role or assignment and the requirements it truly needs: activities, context, expected autonomy, practical constraints, criteria that can be learned, and criteria that must be present from the start. Separate essential requirements from team preferences. A skill named in a self-description does not by itself prove mastery. Conversely, a missing keyword in a résumé or record does not prove the person lacks relevant experience. A volunteer role, temporary project, or activity outside the job may be worth exploring if the person wants to share it; it should not automatically be treated as a transferable skill or a sign that they intend to move. Our [skills matrix](/en/blog/skills-matrix-why-your-excel-file-is-already-obsolete-and-how-to-make-it-dynamic) offers a way to distinguish statements, reported experiences, and reviewed material. ## Human review template: statement, experience, evidence, follow-up Use one row for each relevant item. Keep the person’s exact words in quotation marks when they help preserve meaning. If the source is an earlier note, record its date and context; do not present an old preference as current without checking. | Item to review | What to record | Fictional example | Human review question | |---|---|---|---| | Expressed aspiration | Exact wording, date, context, and how definite it is | “I’d like to do more coordination, but I don’t want to change teams right now.” | Is this still what you want? What appeals to you about the activity? | | Reported experience | Situation, role, actions, and timeframe as described by the person | “I organized the volunteer schedule for an event.” | Which tasks did you personally do? Under what conditions? | | Material reviewed | Source actually available, date, and relevant passage | A dated project note describing preparation of the schedule | Does the source support that specific action? What are its limits? | | Role criterion | Concrete, observable requirement tied to the assignment | Coordinate several contributors with different deadlines | What would show that this criterion is met for this role? | | Follow-up to verify | Missing information, who to ask, and an agreed next step | Clarify availability and interest in a three-month assignment | Does the person agree to this conversation? What other context is needed? | | Person’s view | Confirmation, nuance, disagreement, or correction | “I coordinated the schedule, but not the budget.” | Does the summary reflect their words? Would they correct or add anything? | These examples are fictional. This is not a rating scale: do not calculate a skill score, fit score, or readiness level from the responses. Evidence may help answer a specific question without summarizing the person or guaranteeing success in a different context. ## Hold the conversation while preserving nuance Start with the role’s needs, then ask what the person wants to explore. Open questions help clarify without assigning a career path: - “Which activities would you like to do more of, and which less?” - “Can you describe a situation where you did something similar? What did you do yourself?” - “What in that context helped or made the work harder?” - “What would you like to try, learn, or check before deciding?” - “Which timing, location, or working arrangements should we take into account?” - “What have I misunderstood or left out?” Keep the person’s words, reviewed material, and your interpretation distinct in the notes. Let the person review the summary, record disagreements, and leave questions open when information is missing. An aspiration may be exploratory, conditional, or limited to one activity; do not turn it into a firm intention to change jobs. Our [observation checklist](/en/blog/observation-checklist-focus-the-inquiry-without-rating-a-person) also helps frame an observation without rating the person. ## Agree on a next step without deciding for the person At the end of the conversation, choose a proportionate next step with the person: ask for another example, arrange a meeting with the team, offer a relevant work sample, identify training, or pause. Explain what will be shared, with whom, and for what purpose. An application or placement then follows the process defined for the role, using explicit criteria and a human decision. Record only information relevant to that purpose, avoid excessive comments, and define who can access the notes and when they should be reviewed. The [CNIL outlines principles for employee-management data](https://www.cnil.fr/fr/les-regles-pour-la-gestion-du-personnel), including relevance and proportionality of comments. This practical guide does not replace a review of the rules that apply to your organization and context. To structure a written questionnaire and review answers alongside their source excerpts, see [open questions](/en/product/open-questions). People and HR leads remain responsible for interpreting responses and making mobility decisions. To connect an internal lead to an assignment decision, see the guide to [project staffing](/en/blog/project-staffing-moving-beyond-availability-to-integrate-compatibility). ## Conclusion A stated experience or aspiration can open a conversation; by itself, it cannot establish qualification, availability, or an intention to leave. A template that preserves wording, sources, limits, and questions to verify makes the conversation clearer and lets the person take part in interpreting their own path.