Internal transfer process

Following best practice

Whether hiring an internal candidate (someone who already works at Sourcegraph) or an external candidate, we always want to follow best practice. What does that mean?

• All candidates go through the same interview process, regardless of whether they are an internal teammate or external applicant. The only difference is: internal candidates can skip the Values Interview, given that we have a pulse on this already.
• The role should be kicked off following the steps outlined here. The role and expectations for the role need to be clearly defined and written down in the form of a job description using this template.
• The team and interviewers are aligned on role expectations and how we are going to measure those things. An interview plan must be created and predetermined structured interview questions should be asked to all candidates.
• We ensure that the person we hire meets the expectations of the role.

We can’t skip any of these steps for internal transfers; we maintain our usual high standards and expectations every step of the way for both internal and external candidates.

Having said that, internal candidates do have advantages in satisfying the requirements if they are interested in a role:

• They have existing/valuable Sourcegraph knowledge and relationships, so they can ramp up faster.
• We might already have important signals on the requirements, and confidence in those signals, based on their existing work at Sourcegraph. This makes an internal transfer less risky.
• We understand how they align with and embody our values.
• They can potentially start much sooner.

Because of these, we encourage our hiring managers to consider internal candidates where possible.

Equitable interview process

If a hiring manager from a team would like to invite someone from another team to consider an open role they have, they should follow the below steps:

1. In order to also ensure an equitable process and account for the reality that no one hiring manager would know the career ambitions of everyone at Sourcegraph, the hiring manager should post in #hiring that they are hiring for a role and, as with any role, we are happy to consider internal candidates, and that anyone interested should let them and their current manager know.
2. If you, as a hiring manager, have a specific teammate in mind for the role, the next step is to schedule time with the person’s existing manager to confirm 1) that they are supportive, 2) ensure they are in good standing, and 3) align on transition timing plan assuming the teammate is offered the new job.
3. Alert the talent team and ask them to set up time with the teammate to discuss the role in further detail.
4. The talent team will schedule them for all remaining interview steps (with the exception of the values interview) just as they would with any other candidate.

Team moves must be clean

Teammates can’t be in split roles for any period of time, they can’t be responsible for finishing up some legacy projects after they switch, etc. Both the previous and new manager need to sign off on the date of transfer, and have all work fully handed off before that happens.

Headcount and budgets transfer with the teammate

Depending on the situation, the team that the teammate departs may have an additional opening (or additional budget) for hiring after the transfer, while the new team would now have a filled spot.

Compensation and level may change

The teammate must accept that the new role may come with different compensation bands and leveling guides, and a teammate’s specific compensation and level may not be transferable. The new role may come with higher or lower compensation, and that change will be reflected either way.