Comments on: ‘But I deserved that promotion!’

By: Patti, SF, CA

Patti, SF, CA — Thu, 07 May 2009 23:09:53 +0000

Sadly I too have been passed over for a promotion that I earned. They brought someone in from outside because ‘…he had experience at a big company.’ Ok, yes…and where is the logic in that? I’m leaving before Mr. Big Company experience shows me the door. I cannot wait to watch this company tank from afar. And tank it will since it is run by arrogant know-it-alls. Clients are already starting to scatter. NOTE: If a company doesn’t treat its employees well, it probably doesn’t treat the clients all that great either. This is not good business and eventually will impact the bottom line. Vote with your feet and leave. And if they promise that the next promotion is yours, don’t be a fool and stay. Get it in writing or get out. Fooled me once shame on you, fooled me twice shame on me.

By: debra abbotsford bc

debra abbotsford bc — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:15:21 +0000

well i was passed up for a promotion and instead of my boss telling me i had to hear it through the grapevine and when i asked my boss why she said i have no doubt that you can do the job but i have to do whats best for the company then i said well please tell me why you did not choose me all she would say was i dont want to get into it with you then i said well there is room for improvement in everyones life what can i do or change so this doesnt happen again to which she replied i told you your an excellent employee and thats all she would say someone please tell me what this means

By: Stephanie, Raleigh, NC

Stephanie, Raleigh, NC — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:33:28 +0000

I was promised a promotion nearly two years ago. Instead, I have been working extremely hard doing work that has become more demeaning and about a step up from burger flipping. I have a BS and I am very well organized and smart. The “plan” seems to change every day, so while I try to stay positive about it all, it gets harder knowing I am wasting my life. Last year, I became depressed and I put any energy I had into maintaining the act. There was nothing left for any other part of my life. If this recession would go ahead and end, I could move on with my life!

By: anne / Long Island / NY

anne / Long Island / NY — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 21:54:58 +0000

re: M Austin Texas:
Instead of refusing your support to your former team, try a different approach. I was in a very similar situation and I put together a killer how-to manual for everything they kept asking me questions on. I told them “Here’s a survival guide for the common questions on this position. If you have any further questions just let me know’. It will help them be more independent and confident that they can do the work correctly, and it will free up your time if they only call when they have more in-depth questions. Hope this is helpful! Good luck!

By: Chris-Ocala, FL

Chris-Ocala, FL — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 14:42:36 +0000

After 8+ years of working for a company I had been turned down for a higher position by outside candidates over four times. Even though I have put my resume’ into applicant pools for competing companies, I have not been hired. I believe this may be my own fault, for I haven’t really been going after what I want because I have been focusing more on furthering my education than leaving the company I am with at this time.

By: M Austin Texas

M Austin Texas — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 21:19:53 +0000

I was promoted to a project management position within 4 months of working for the company. However my old colleges and my old boss, and the person who replaced me, they still expect me to help them with their day-to-day job.
My current boss encourages me to continue to support them, however I never liked my old job and it has been more than 2 months that I still continue with the support.
How do I refuse this without hurting any body.

By: Pat, Dallas, Texas

Pat, Dallas, Texas — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 14:03:19 +0000

I have been in the position three years and have been passed over twice for the top spot. So what! What really matters is that I love the work that I am doing and intend to stay and get as much out of this position as I possibly can —for as long as I want. I refuse to allow others to impact my decisions. I find the work that I am doing thoroughly rewarding and I am now learning every aspect of the business. It is the implementation of knowledge that is power. So, I need this time to build. Looking back, I am glad that I was not selected. I am free!

Posted by Pat, Dallas, Texas August 2, 2007

By: Jennifer, Chicago IL

Jennifer, Chicago IL — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:48:34 +0000

When a former employer hired an external candidate to be my manager instead of promoting me, who then needed me to train him in the most basic tasks, I found another job and left and cited this as one of my reasons for leaving. 8 months later they begged me to come back, and paid me accordingly. My husband was also begged to come back to an employer who had consistently looked him over and underpaid him. He told them where to go.

By: Andi, NY

Andi, NY — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:24:20 +0000

I have also been passed over for a promotion TWICE. I’ve been told that it is because I do not have a Masters Degree – only a BA. While I can understand this is a requirement within the agency, I believe they have discounted my years of extensive experience. They will hire a recent graduate from Social Worker school and start them with considerably more money than I earn and then expect me to be okay with that. Kind of kills any incentive to remain here – time to move on!!!

By: mary brady, New york, NY

mary brady, New york, NY — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:54:14 +0000

move on!
that is my advice
If you want to know your market value, get out there and test the market!

By: DD, Portland, OR

DD, Portland, OR — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 18:38:30 +0000

Quick question….I am up for a promotion that orignially no one else in my department wanted to apply for. Then yesterday a coworker of mine decided she did want to apply for it. The afore mentioned co worker would not be a good fit. She is great at her job resonsiblities, but has a really bad attitude and brings down the customers and the staff alike. I don’t want to say negative things about her but there is no way she can successfully handle this new position. I’m afraid that the team we’ve worked so hard to train and aquire will fall apart if she get this promotion. How do I say that without “saying” that? I don’t want to say anything negative, and the only thing in her favor is that sh’es been with the company longer than I, everything else is in my favor, but I’m concerned, not just that I won’t get the promotion, but that all of our teams hardwork up to this point may end up being for nothing because this person is unskilled at the most integral parts of this position. My concern is that I hear my company likes to promote on the basis of seniority more than anything else…any suggestions??

By: Mike, Aurora, IL

Mike, Aurora, IL — Mon, 07 May 2007 04:55:49 +0000

I can relate. I work for a large multi-national on a team creating new businesses. We were promised that if we created these new businesses, we would be creating our new roles. FOllowing much fanfare, I created a really substantial business. Thinking myself highly valued, I continued to deliver. Imagine my surprise when my boss told me after the fact that my two peers would be “promoted” to run the new business I had just created. Not only was I not even given consideration for these leadership roles, I didn’t even know they were staffing them. I am now to “run” the team in their absense while their roles are backfilled. According to my boss, “these things happen all the time in big companies.”

What do you all think I should do?

By: Walter, Aurora, CO

Walter, Aurora, CO — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 17:33:18 +0000

The company set an expectation that a job opening is to be posted, and interviews conducted (criteria for internal potential), whether or not managers already have a candidate in mind. Recently, two managers (less experienced and less time in the company than many) passed others up for a director position. The jobs were not posted. Those passed up do not understand the double standard, nor the criteria for promotions. We can only speculate.

By: Mike, Kearny NJ

Mike, Kearny NJ — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 11:30:48 +0000

Get out of that company. The company likely has too many disincentives to keep moving you up and increase your years of service. In fact if there is some sort of defined benefit pension plan you salary times years served is likely a large factor in your benefit calculation. You are already at 12 years…you are a liability and they have you already. Many companies I believe are looking no have people on staff more than 10 years.

Run from that place. The job maret is presenting many opportunities and if you have skills as I suspect you do, you may find greener pastures.

By: Dan, Boston, MA

Dan, Boston, MA — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 17:25:17 +0000

From a Senior Manager’s point of view . . .

Yes there is a lot of politics in promotions in large organizations – and the comments about pay grades and classifications relative to your boss are on target. And the fact that you made a bad impression on someone five years ago can matter.

But the most difficult personnel situations are those that deal with people who overestimate their own ability. And many internal promotion issues fall into exactly that category. Being good at your current job doesn’t mean much – you have to be good at your boss’s job, have been able to demonstrate that you are, and be lucky enough to work for a boss who doesn’t see it as a threat. For example, someone who is a topnotch engineer might be hopeless at dealing with the budget, people issues and financial justification of projects required of a manager. Too often, people evaluate a boss critically while not understanding the real nature of his/her job. When promoting someone internally, you have to see evidence that the person understands the nature of the job to which they aspire and are going to be able to break with their peers in the old job.

That being said, we are all free agents and when things don’t go well, it is time to move on. Several years ago, I was in a position of working for a boss who was relatively new to a company in which I had many years and was well networked. He blocked a promotion because he felt that I was too valuable where I was. So I spent the next year looking for a new job and trying to get him fired. I was successful in finding a new job before I achieved the other objective – but did seriously harm his position at the company.

Whenever I’ve gone outside for someone, I am implicitly making the decision that the internal candidate can leave. If you are in that situation, it cannot come as a surprise.

But first, look at yourself totally objectively – it the problem is you, it will go with you when you leave.

By: Elizabeth, Rowland Heights, CA

Elizabeth, Rowland Heights, CA — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 20:46:54 +0000

For a moment I thought I had written this email to Annie. I was with a well known company for 5 years. My evaluations were great, half of the company knew who I was, as I started way at the bottom and moved right up. However, when I started applying to other positions, I kept getting passed over. They hired another girl in my department, who before moving on to her new desk and department, asked me to help her use Excel. (!!!) If Excel was the major requirement, why did she get it? I applied for another position- and I wasn’t even given a ‘decent’ interview by HR. They simply told me that I didn’t have the degree they required. I applied to another position months later- and two HR people kept dropping the ball and never gave me a chance to interview and the spot was filled. I continued to get second opinions, as a lot of people saw my potential and could not understand how they kept passing me over. Half of them told me that probably my supervisor was not being honest and giving bad references behind my back. I stopped applying and I begin to hate my job. A friend of mine connected me to this other company- happend to be a Vendor for a company I was currently working for. I gave my current employer a chance, and applied to another position that I knew would not fail. I had all the qualifications and then some. I was interviewed three times. I thought I finally nailed it. Then the hired another girl in my same department- Her own co workers told me that they only hired her because she was cool with someone that worked there and because she was hot, and she wouldnt blamed me if I quit. Well, sure enough I gave my two weeks. And here I am working in another company. I’m less stressed, and more appreciated.

By: jess, pittsburgh pa

jess, pittsburgh pa — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 02:39:10 +0000

Simple fact – your employer doesn’t care one bit about you. You are there to generate enough revenue for the big whig at the top to make their million dollar a year salary, and helping you out is not on the agenda. If you stay with the same employer long enough to know how to do everything, you’re going to be expected to DO everything. Your loyalty to the machine of corporate is foolish. That loyalty is not reciprocal.

If you’re as good at your job as you think you are, you need to move around every 2-5 years. Not only does it keep you current, but when things tank at 4:30 on Friday, they don’t drop the problem in the new person’s lap.

By: Ms. Mary Kay Director, Atlanta, GA.

Ms. Mary Kay Director, Atlanta, GA. — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 22:12:23 +0000

The short end of it: I took a 6month paid “leave of absence” then resigned, started my OWN business and work PT temp jobs as insurance during my businesses development.

I’m 29 yrs old. Worked at my co for 9 yrs. When I was 27 I was was passed over for a promotion for an outside candidate, though I had been doing the job for the last 2.5 yrs, in addition to my own and parts of other positions the management neglected to use the appropriate resources to get done, seeing as how I was soo “efficient”.

The one thing they did get right was to fire the manager and demote the supervisor BUT they didn’t hire me for the management position. They must have thought I was silly enough to hang around and train the new manager on dept. business. NOT!

Move on sweetie. Best of success to you!

By: Barb, Aurora, CO

Barb, Aurora, CO — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 14:45:45 +0000

I (woman in my 50s) was recently passed over for an internal candidate, a young man with about half my experience and only a BA (I have an MS, recent, in my field). I would add that as satisfying as it is, it is probably best not to quit a job until you have another. I am losing weight (down two dress sizes, two more to go) and inventorying and polishing the skills I will need for my dream job. I have hired my potential replacement and am training her (they aren’t thrilled with this, as I had also made myself indispensible and this is how I plan to correct that). My target job hunt begins this fall. I will leave with stellar references and resume bullet points, and a vested pension. I work in government, so they can’t just lay me off. That process would take about a year if they were so inclined, and I am heading that possibility off with my timeline. I plan to go where I am new and valued as a prize.

By: Edward Williams, Dearborn, Michigan

Edward Williams, Dearborn, Michigan — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 14:41:42 +0000

All comments excellent. My flow chart:
1. Denied promotion #1.
2. Ask boss “What are the weaknesses that prevented me from getting it?”
3. IF useful-criticism
THEN put corrections into place (e.g., get more training, lead a team, stop interrupting in meetings, etc.)
ELSE if soft-soap EXIT
4. IF Receive 2nd promotion opportunity
THEN accept
ELSE
EXIT.
Example of useful criticism versus soft-soap:
I took a chess lesson with a master and asked him “Why did I lose this tournament game?” The answer was NOT “Well, better luck next time, keep up the good work.” The answer was “Your 37th move, f4, was very bad. It threatened your opponent’s bishop, true, but that threat merely drove the bishop to a better square. The move also weakened a diagonal leading to your castled king. Notice how your opponent’s 44th and 47th moves exploited that weakness. Replay game # 577 in Informant #66 and observe the results of a similar mistake and its exploitation in a master game. At our next lesson, come prepared with your analysis of that game.” A good manager will have an answer like that to “why didn’t I get that promotion?”