So, you were up for a promotion and someone else got the job. That sucks, a lot. Looking for some life and career advice? Don’t let it get you down, being passed over for a promotion happens to almost everyone at some point in their lives. If you are wondering what to do when you didn’t get promoted, you can use this disappointment as an opportunity to reevaluate your career and how you want to live your life.
Seriously, for whatever reason, we seem to need dire situations to help pull us out of our contentment, stop us from just skating along and force us to assess our lives. Now, is one of those moments where you might just be seeing more clearly than you have in a while. Use this as a time of reflection to understand what you really want out of your career and if staying at your company is right for you or something you have been doing, just because it’s easy. What to do when you didn’t get promoted is take action to be sure you are setting yourself up for success in life, not just at work.
You didn’t Get Promoted. now, Ask yourself these questions about your current role
- Do I enjoy working here?
- Is this role providing me what I need to take my career to the next level?
- The right experience?
- Great connections?
- Needed development?
- Is there anything I could have done differently? If so, how will knowing this help me in the future?
- Do I have support from those more senior than me at work? If not, is this something I can gain?
- Are there other opportunities I am interested in at my current company?
How do your answers to these questions make you feel about your place at your company and your current role? Do you think you have the ability to advance in your current company? Is this the right role for you to be in right now?
Ask For FEEDBACK and career advice
Knowing how your feel is imperative to making a decision about what to do you with your life and career. Knowing how other’s feel helps to ground you and ensure any decision you make is based on the reality of your company. How you perceive yourself may not be how other’s perceive you. And, asking for feedback helps to further confirms you want to grow. The truth is you won’t really no why you were passed over for the promotion until you ask. So, do that. Ask your manager and those whom you interviewed with for feedback on why you didn’t get the role. Remember to keep the conversation focused on you and how you can grow. Keep it positive and don’t let it turn into a comparison of you and the person who got the role.
Look for Support
In order to move forward you’ll need to do more than just a great job. You’ll also need support from those more senior than you. If you didn’t get promoted, this support may be missing, be sure it’s something you can gain. It’s also true that you have a family to think about. If this job is simply a means to an end, giving you a paycheck and flexibility to be with your family, that can be OK for now, but is not what you want for the long run. Most importantly, you’ll need to answer: Is the role setting you up for the future and a life you love? Now that you have thought about the job, it’s time to think about your life.
Ask yourself these questions about your life
- Do I feel fulfilled?
- Do I feel like I am making a difference?
- Is this job providing me what I need in this moment and for the future?
Take Time To Breathe
Now that you have used the strong emotions and clarity you are feeling to provide perspective on your current work and life situation, take a breath. Take a deep breath, wallow in the disappointment (it’s OK to feel bad) and let a couple days go by before you make any decisions. After those 48 hours have passed, pick yourself up, revisit your answers to the above, trust your intuition, and adjust your career plan accordingly. Remember that difficult decisions can provide the most significant change. You have one life, focus your energy and time on what will make the most of it. You got this.
If you want some tactical ways to get ahead, check on this career advice post on how to get ahead without staying late. If you aren’t doing all 5 things on this list, start today.
