Getting passed up for a promotion doesn’t give you the warm and fuzzies towards your career, a specific role, your boss, or the company you work for. It’s frustrating as a professional to feel like you’ve worked to get to a certain point and you’re not able to take the next steps to further your career.
It’s important to think logically and understand that being with an organization for an amount of time doesn’t mean you should automatically receive a promotion. The same goes for doing a great job. Just because you are good at what you do doesn’t guarantee you a new title.
Do you still feel like you deserve a promotion you’ve been getting passed up for? These 6 reasons could be contributing to it.
Lacking Necessary Skills
You might be performing your job like a boss, but just because you excel in a specific area does not mean you will find success in that next step up without additional training. For example, if you’re a salesperson, you can be great at closing deals and making money, but you might not necessarily be the best at managing people. So, a Sales Manager role would not fit your current skill set.
Consider the requirements for a position before setting your eyes on it. If there are areas you can improve before letting a superior know you’re interested in a particular promotion, get working on it.
You’ve Outgrown the Company
Some organizations don’t have the room for growth you might be looking for, whether this is due to size or your company not being ready for you to move up. Consider certain factors when determining if you’ve outgrown an organization. Some of these include not being given learning or training opportunities, no longer feeling aligned with a company’s mission, or becoming a clock watcher.
Not Open to Feedback
It’s never easy to hear if you’re doing something incorrectly or not well, but feedback is a positive thing. If a boss or colleague is providing feedback, keep emotions at bay and ask yourself if they are reasonable points. Whenever someone is sharing with you how you can do better, it’s great information to have, especially if you are striving for a promotion in your future. Don’t feel the need to defend yourself. Receive the information and use it to get better.
Haven’t Expressed Your Interest
Step back and ask yourself if you legitimately communicated the interest to your boss or those involved in helping prepare you for a promotion. You might think a promotion is the next obvious step, but it might not be as apparent to your boss. Schedule a time to discuss your goals and aspirations. Don’t assume they know the plans you have for a desired career path.
Acting Unprofessionally
Being a professional means acting professionally at whatever stage in your career and carrying yourself a certain way regardless of who’s around or not. Not every company makes the perfect decisions in the employees’ eyes but talking negatively about your employer or getting wrapped up in workplace gossip is the definition of being unprofessional.
Comfortable Staying Stagnant
If you’re someone hesitant to break out of your comfort zone or good with coasting along your career path, a promotion is not likely in your future. Taking the initiative proves your worth and the level of interest you have in climbing the ladder. Find solutions to better your career portfolio and fix the problems you see within the business you work.
Why else would someone not be promoted? Join the conversation on LinkedIn and check out Email Etiquette You Need in 2021.
