IMO there isn't a concrete answer to "Do you open internal links in the same window but open external links in a new tab?" just like there isn't a concrete answer to UX in general.
I know of sites with internal links that open in new tabs, and other sites with links that open in the same window. Do what feels right.
Opening all of the external links on your recruitment page in a new tab feels right to me. If I want to learn about the company that acquired you, or "Ali's PhD adviser", it's probably because I'm really interested in your company and am going to come back to your site after visiting these external sites. Therefore it'd be easier to just close the tab rather than pressing back a bunch of times.
On the other hand, in the case that you're trying to drive traffic away from your site, or you don't think they would want to come back for a given use case, I'd say open in the same page.