Getting rejected for a promotion at work - how to respond?

esj13

On Tuesday I had an interview for a new managers position at work. I have worked there for 3 years, I started in my role where there had been no one before me and they were lacking a lot of structure and necessary tools that I would usually expect to do my job.
So I got to work and I started to create all new processed to manage the workload and created several new spreadsheets to manage the work, all of which has recieved consistent praise (verbal only).
My role is housing management. 
I also literally saved the lives of a family who were living in a property and we received a complaint of an unauthorised building that breach planning regs. During the process several people attended who were far senior to me and never picked up on a crucial element.
I had been sent pictures for evidence and I noticed that the flue for the boiler wasn't visible and wa spossibly obstructed, so I raised teh alarm and got a gas engineer to attend site, lo and behold they had completely covered teh flue with waterproof tape.
I received some (what I would consider minor) recognition for my actions from the health and safety director.
Earlier this year my mum passed away suddenly and unexpectedly and I was told I could have 2 weeks off for this. I was a but shocked but not concerned as I would just get a sick note.
2 days after she died I was contacted by work asking me for my professional advice, which I provided. I was only off for 4 weeks in total. This is again something that I don't feel has been properly recognised.
Shortly after I had returned I got a call from the coroner to tell me the cause of my mum's death. There was short staffing that day and I was asked just after to return to work asap.

Now with all of the above in the 3 years since starting, I have been encouraged by my colleagues that I should go for the managers post when it opens as my position has always been considered a somewhat senior one and earlier in the year I was given line management duties in my role.
There is also an annual opportunity for staff to nominate people who they think have done exceptional work, and I feel somewhat conceited for almost expecting that I would get a nomination in some form for some of the things I've done. I did not.
I also used these experiences in my application and interview. I felt almost certain that I was the person for this role and now I have been told no and I can't have feedback until my manager comes back from holiday. I was also told bluntly over the phone and not spoken to again since yesterday afternoon.
I feel that my working relationship has been a facade which has now been tarnished.

I'm not sure what to do now as I feel resentment and bitterness over this. There aren't many places I can go to that would offer better working conditions or job security as it's a local authority.
I don't want to appear whiny or entitled but I do feel I've put in the work, that I deserve this, and have always been told that feelings are valid.

If anyone has any advice/experience on how to respond to this I would appreciate it.

marcia_

 Other than asking for constructive feedback in your interview there is no way to respond. Someone else did better in interview which is most important rather than what you may have or not done in the past 

theoretica

I think you need to wait until you have a talk with the hiring manager - and find out who they appointed, and what can be offered to you that you want other than this particular job.  A little while ago I didn't get the promotion I wanted - but can't argue with the person who did get it being even better suited for it.  Instead I managed to negotiate career development that really lets me focus on the bits of the job I personally want to do, and my new boss is doing all the bits that I would have done because they are part of the job but I find a bit of a drag.  Of course it doesn't come with the pay rise:-(

DullGreyGuy

Firstly you need to understand that applying for a job isnt about being above a certain standard but also being the best person on the day. This can mean you could be able to do a job blindfolded but if someone else goes for the job and already has done it for 5 years they may well be given the role over you.

You need to wait to get the feedback from the process. Hopefully its constructive and not all praise but an ultimate that the other candidate was simply more experienced etc.

Being a manager is very different to being an expert at the coal face, not always do great doers make great managers and managers often dont need to as skilled at the doing as their staff. If this is the path you want to take (dont know if a more technical route is open to you as an alternative) then after getting the feedback discuss development opportunities to help close any of the gaps in your skills/experience

TELLIT01

There is no automatic entitlement to a promotion even if you have effectively been doing the job for an extended period of time.  You need to request feedback on your interview performance, and for clarification on any areas of perceived weakness, as a first step.

The person appointed may have far more experience than you, or simply have been seen by the interviewers as a better fit for the role.  That could be for any number of reasons.

My wife actually worked with somebody who was seconded to a management role for over 2 years, but when the role was formally advertised they were informed that they didn't meet the educational requirements.  Senior managers were unable to explain how this individual had successfully covered the role, simply stating that the role had 'University Degree' as a requirement and they didn't have one.  Probably not surprising that this individual found alternative employment.  That may be an option you need to consider.

robatwork

Nobody is ever entitled to a promotion.

You didn't get the promotion because

1. Someone liked the other candidate better
2. Someone dislikes you on a personal basis
3. Someone dislikes you on a professional basis
4. The other candidate interviewed better
5. The other candidate had similar qualifications and length of service and they just chose randomly

1 and 4 are most likely.

Here's what I would do:

1,3,4 - Try to get a chat with the manager to discuss, with a view to improving yourself for next time
2 - You will need to find another position or wait for that person to move on
5 - Nobody would ever admit this (it does happen in my own personal experience) so you'll never know this was the case. In which case there's nothing you can do

Grumpy_chap

Whenever I've been turned down for an internal promotion, I have always asked what I would have to do to make that move within, say, a couple of years.  What would be the qualifications, experience, etc that I would need to get to that position and how can I work with the company to make that a reality?  Emphasising, of course, how brilliant the company is and how much I want to progress within the business.

Marcon

esj13 said:

I felt almost certain that I was the person for this role and now I have been told no and I can't have feedback until my manager comes back from holiday. I was also told bluntly over the phone and not spoken to again since yesterday afternoon.
I feel that my working relationship has been a facade which has now been tarnished.

From reading your post, this sounds like one of those nasty occasions where an individual is not perceived as they believe they should be. You've only been in post for 3 years and the things you are citing as 'going the extra mile' may not be quite as impressive to your employers as you believe them to be. You say you 'can't have feedback until your manager comes back from holiday' - why is that such a big deal? Sounds pretty reasonable.

esj13 said:

Earlier this year my mum passed away suddenly and unexpectedly and I was told I could have 2 weeks off for this. I was a but shocked but not concerned as I would just get a sick note.
2 days after she died I was contacted by work asking me for my professional advice, which I provided. I was only off for 4 weeks in total. This is again something that I don't feel has been properly recognised.
Shortly after I had returned I got a call from the coroner to tell me the cause of my mum's death. There was short staffing that day and I was asked just after to return to work asap.


If anyone has any advice/experience on how to respond to this I would appreciate it.

You say you were 'only off for 4 weeks in total'. Taking 4 weeks off because a parent has died is quite exceptional - most people get a couple of days compassionate leave, if that.

This isn't the first time you've felt let down by not being offered an internal promotion: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5974593/rejected-for-two-internal-positions#latest

Difficult as it is, perhaps the time has come to try and take a more objective view of the evidence you have of how others see you may help next time such an opportunity presents? Your post is full of disappointments that you didn't receive recognition etc, but these are pointers from which you could usefully learn? You say you don't want to come over as 'entitled', but from the way your post is written, can you not see that might the impression you are giving - and perhaps consider whether that impression is accurate?

These comments are genuinely meant to be constructive, and of necessity can only be based on what you've written/how you've expressed yourself. If they are wide of the mark, apologies and I hope you will fare better next time you apply for another role.

BrassicWoman

You've been line managing for a max of 9 months. If that is a key part of the role, then that's not a lot of experience.

Technical experts don't automatically make good bosses. In fact they can often be terrible as their focus is on technical solutions, not people management.

MalMonroe

Hi, I'm so sorry to hear of this, especially as you lost your Mum so suddenly and obviously did not have enough time to grieve and I do believe that can have a really adverse effect on anyone. 

It sounds as if you really did your very best in your job - but in all honestly three years is really not a long time in the scheme of things. Please don't despair because not only are you understandably feeling very vulnerable at the moment but I also feel that your job in the public sector will allow you to move sideways and upwards - many councils have free training for staff. You could have a look into that. You may want to try to get into more of a Health and Safety type of career and that surely would be possible with your background. Most councils have a job website and you could have a look on there to see if you fancy a move elsewhere. 

Unfortunately your manager can't give you immediate feedback as they're on holiday but when you do get the feedback you can use that in a positive way.

A few years ago I applied for the actual job I'd done ten years previously, in higher education, with the same boss. I thought it was a given that I would get it. Because - well, he knew me, I'd worked for him for nine years and we got on like a house on fire and I knew the job inside out. I was invited for interview. I did not get the job!! I was mortified and really, really upset. My own job! Ten years on. But the boss phoned me and said, 'what happened at interview?!'. And although I didn't admit it to him, I hadn't tried very hard at interview because I thought the job was mine. Because it had been mine. But it wasn't mine any longer. He very kindly said I'd been 'pipped at the post' but I knew that I should have pulled my socks up. 

I'm not saying that you didn't try at interview but my own interview skills had obviously slipped. And I didn't prove to anyone that I was the best person for (my own!) job. 

I agree in principle with what Marcon, above, is saying but I would also add that you've had a big shock and a sudden bereavement and these things really do affect everything. Be kind to yourself. In the meantime, you still have a job - but you also still have the opportunity to have a look around and see what else might be available for you in your current workplace. I honestly do think that the future is bright for you and that things will start to look up. Local authorities really are full of opportunities, you have to seek them out. 

Have you ever heard the saying 'don't work above your pay grade'? Mostly it's just not worth taking on extra responsibility without being asked, or paid for it, because it just won't be appreciated. 

You should just try not to beat yourself up, you haven't been there long, there will be many other opportunities and you need to get that all-important feedback. Then you can think about what you'd like to do next. You could even re-train, if you think that would be helpful. The world's your oyster and the work you have been doing has not been wasted since you have learned so much already. Local council isn't the only employer with great working conditions, either. 

TELLIT01

Marcon said:

You say you were 'only off for 4 weeks in total'. Taking 4 weeks off because a parent has died is quite exceptional - most people get a couple of days compassionate leave, if that.

The amount of time required depends on so many factors that it is, in my mind, not reasonable to state that a couple of days is enough.  Most of the employers I worked for would give 1 week compassionate leave and look at individual cases beyond that.  I do agree that 4 weeks is toward the top end.  When my brother died suddenly, I was in the position of having to handle everything as I'm the last member of the family.  I tried to return to work after 1 week but knew immediately I arrived at the office that I couldn't cope.  I ended up being off for 3 weeks, and still struggled on return but did cope.