We value merit based advancement within the organization. Does this strike any thoughts in you?
The old merit-based versus seniority-based advancement philosophy within an organization can be a very polarizing subject as people often sit on one side of the fence or the other in their beliefs. With Smith & Nephew valuing and practicing promotions and advancement based on merit and job performance, your interviewer will be looking to hear that you value this practice. Talk about why you feel this is important and also talk about your experiences working with one or both of these philosophies.
"In the manufacturing world, it was once a very common practice for promotion to happen on a seniority basis and I've personally seen the devastating effects of putting the wrong person in the wrong job. In all honesty, I was promoted into my current Production Supervisor role based on my tenure with my company. But, for many years, the manager of my department consistently put in my performance reviews that I would be the top candidate for a supervisor position if tenure wasn't involved. In my mind, technical skills and people skills are the best traits for advancement to new jobs rather than simple time put in with the organization."
"From my point of view, the best person for advancement within an organization or a promotion to a higher level job should be evaluated on the work they perform, their ability to lead others, and their technical acumen. Because of this, HR departments at organizations go through a detailed application and interviewing process to help determine the best candidate for a particular job. Upon researching Smith & Nephew, I was very pleased to see that the organization values merit-based advancement from within because I share this same value."
