Passed up for promotion? Here’s what to do if you find yourself in that situation

Didn’t land that promotion? Fear not as it’s not all doom and gloom. (Credits: Getty Images)

Getting the news you haven’t landed a particular role can be crushing, but even more so when you’re passed up for promotion in your current place of work.

At awards ceremonies, the camera often zooms in on multiple nominees when the winner is announced. The actors who don’t win must then perform the role of gracious loser, smiling and clapping for the winner.

The same goes for internal promotions, only you’re probably not one of the finest actors of your generation. Okay, and there’s probably not a camera in your face. But still, there’s usually people around and you have to put on a brave face.

Asking HR and your manager for feedback is your first port of call of course, and from this you can often glean insights of where you can improve.

But often the feedback isn’t especially insightful – who hasn’t gotten the old “another candidate had more directly-relevant experience” line?

If this is you, here’s what you should consider in the aftermath of a promotion let-down.

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Update your soft skills

According to new data analysing a three-year period, workers with both hard and soft skills get promoted 8 per cent faster than those who only have hard skills.

Soft skills are essential within management and leadership roles, and are also vital in the process of securing a new role.

The top five soft skills with the strongest connection to faster promotions are: organisational skills, teamwork, problem-solving, communication and leadership.

Look honestly at your gaps and seek out formal and informal upskilling opportunities. The latter could be volunteering for a project, joining work’s social committee or interviewing leaders with soft skills you admire.

Broaden your experience

If your skills don’t align with the requirements of the promoted position or if there’s a gap between your current skill set and what the organisation needs, then this is likely to be a large part of why you didn’t land that promotion.

Make a list of the skills commonly listed in the job specs for your desired role(s), and in the coming weeks and months, look for opportunities to develop these. This could be within your organisation or externally, as part of a volunteer group.

More senior roles often require candidates who can inspire and motivate others, make strategic decisions, and effectively manage teams. Ensure you can demonstrate success in all of these.

Make yourself visible

“Tiara syndrome” refers to a familiar workplace pitfall – individuals with this believe that hard effort equals success.

Unfortunately, as savvy career climbers know, there are instances when putting yourself forward is the only path to recognition or advancement.

Shout about your successes in a way that feels palatable to you. This might be hyping up a group project or effort, sharing credit, referring to hard-to-ignore hard data or tangible results, or collecting testimonials.

Make yourself visible over the coming weeks and months, and slowly collate your case studies and examples for the next round of promotions.

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Become a career activist

A career activist acknowledges that managing their career is their responsibility. They pledge to put in the time and energy required to achieve their objectives, and often this work is not visible.

Career activists know their values and priorities. They understand what motivates and interests them in the workplace, and they continuously conduct career development to retain a competitive edge with daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual actions.

Many people find a career coach helps them stay on track as a career activist, while others are self-motivated. Whatever way works for you, you’ll need to balance your wider development with building success in your current role, and all while signalling your ambition internally.

If your current organisation doesn’t align with your ambitions, it’s time to look further afield. Start your search on the Metro Job Board, which contains thousands of open positions, like the three below.

Sales Director UK, Mastercard, London

Mastercard is seeking a Sales Director for the UK market to build and close a strong pipeline of opportunities in the FI, banking and gaming sectors. This role needs strong interpersonal skills, and you will establish and maintain a high sales call volume with director, VP and C-level executives. Working collaboratively and team selling with cross-departmental Dynamic Yield and Mastercard members is central to this role, as is ensuring the successful implementation of customer solutions. You’ll need at least six years’ of experience as an outside salesperson selling SaaS, experience selling to large financial institutions, and experience selling digital marketing solutions to high-ranking executives. A familiarity with the MarTech landscape is preferred. Find out more here.

UK Credit Compliance Manager, PayPal, London

In London, PayPal is advertising for a UK Credit Compliance Manager to manage the planning and oversight of key regulatory deliverables in relation to its UK credit portfolio, and will provide functional leadership as the regulatory / market compliance subject matter expert across the business. You will collaborate with internal teams to identify key steps in managing regulatory changes, and will also partner with government and regulatory relations to maintain productive and positive relationships. You’ll need at least seven years’ experience in the financial industry or equivalent with proven experience in compliance leadership for regulated consumer credit portfolios, as well as experience with the UK regulators and the regulatory exam process in a financial institution, and expertise on FCA & PRA credit requirements. Read more here.

Manager, Pricing Ops – UK & Ireland, Live Nation, London

Join the world’s largest live entertainment company, as a Manager in UK & IE Pricing Operations, and you’ll be charged with establishing and managing operational best practices for Ticketmaster’s growing pricing business. This role will build important relationships with artists and promoter clients to support them operationally, and guide them in reaching their revenue goals. You’ll need expert knowledge of the Ticketmaster Host system, event-build processes and settlement, and will have an understanding of the business dynamics between venues, promoters and artists. At least four years’ work experience is required, as is ticketing experience. A degree is preferred but not required. Apply now.

For hundreds of roles all across the UK, visit the Metro Job Board today.

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