YOU’VE BEEN PASSED OVER FOR PROMOTION

‘When this happens, it can create a feeling akin to character assassination,’ says George Brown, head of Employability and Careers at the London School of Business and Finance (www.lsbf.org.uk). ‘An individual may begin to feel devalued and unworthy, which in turn sets off a cycle of self-doubt and de-motivation. This is the sting, and the only remedies are perseverance and self-analysis.’

Brown says that there are multiple reasons that people who were convinced they were going to rise up through the ranks suddenly find the rug pulled from beneath their feet: You may lack the necessary skills and experience; it may be that management thinks you wouldn’t be well suited to working within a particular team. ‘Sometimes an insecure manager may feel threatened by a worker’s performance and worry they could be out-shone or lose their own position,’ adds Brown. ‘It is important not to hang onto any negatives and instead, look to improve yourself as best you can. Continue in this vein and your day will come.’

In order to be able to move on

– and stop feeling sorry for yourself – Brown says it is a good idea to have a conversation with the hiring manager. ‘You need to gather constructive feedback and explore potential new work opportunities within the team or organisation which are suitable for you,’ he says. ‘This approach also allows the hiring manager to state their case. However, if you are constantly passed over for promotion and you experience dismissive behaviour when seeking feedback, the matter can be escalated to the next level.’

Ultimately, Brown says that not being given the leg-up you were expecting can be a chance to explore how you need to better yourself professionally. ‘Look at failure as a direction on the road to your final destination – success!’ he says.

‘Try and develop a growth mindset. This will better serve you in seeing all temporary failures as opportunities to learn new strengths and for personal growth.’

Don’t do this: Scream ‘I quit!’ in anger. There will likely have been multiple options for hiring managers when it came to candidates, and just because your face didn’t fit this time, it certainly need not mean that you have reached your ceiling in this particular workplace. ‘It might just be that it wasn’t the right job at the right time,’ says Brown.