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

sammyjammy

MalMonroe said:

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. 

Just because the OP needed to return to work it doesn't mean they couldn't continue to grieve, if they were still struggling they could have asked for another fit note.

Work is work they don't owe you anything other than to follow the law and pay you as agreed.

Ath_Wat

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.

Sorry, but in what way do you expect this to be "recognised"?  

OutdoorQueen

You need to find out how your local authority decide on the most suitable applicant,   I work for a local authority and I expect they are all different.   

Where I work, I find they are looking for key phrases in my answers.  I have learnt the hard way.  It doesn’t matter how hard you have worked, or how many times you helped with a difficult situation.  It is how you answer the questions on the day that matters.   If another candidate gives better answers, they will score higher and be the successful candidate. 

I think it is harder if you know the people interviewing you.  When answering the questions I have learnt I need to answer as thou I am speaking to a stranger who doesn’t know me and I need to state the obvious.  I may include a case study that I told them about last week, even though I know they know all about it.  

I also find all the questions are in the advert or job description.   You just have to find them.  I now practice answers to 4 or 5 questions that I think may come up after scrutinising the advert, job description and person spec.  I have also been told it is acceptable to take notes in and also any visual aids.

Your HR team or another manager may be able to provide some interview practice for you.  

After about 6 years in my current post I applied for promotion.  Everyone convinced me the job was mine and I should apply.   Another candidate with 6 months experience at the lower grade got the job.  I was gutted, but they answered the questions better on the day.  My previous experiences counted for nothing.   

Appreciate every situation is different, but this is just what I have found / learnt.  

Ath_Wat

No sensible interviewer gives a job to a stranger over someone they have known and worked with for years because they have answered a few questions better on the day - not unless they have reservations in the first place about the second person's suitability for the job.
If you don't get an internal promotion that you believe you were perfect for, it's almost certainly quite simply that your superiors are not as convinced as you were that you were right for it.

theoretica

Ath_Wat said:

No sensible interviewer gives a job to a stranger over someone they have known and worked with for years because they have answered a few questions better on the day - not unless they have reservations in the first place about the second person's suitability for the job.

 If they work for an organisation with a strict scoring system for interviews and appointment they may have much less freedom than you anticipate.

Ath_Wat

theoretica said:

Ath_Wat said:

No sensible interviewer gives a job to a stranger over someone they have known and worked with for years because they have answered a few questions better on the day - not unless they have reservations in the first place about the second person's suitability for the job.

 If they work for an organisation with a strict scoring system for interviews and appointment they may have much less freedom than you anticipate.

I said no sensible interviewer.

DanDare999

Ath_Wat said:

theoretica said:

Ath_Wat said:

No sensible interviewer gives a job to a stranger over someone they have known and worked with for years because they have answered a few questions better on the day - not unless they have reservations in the first place about the second person's suitability for the job.

 If they work for an organisation with a strict scoring system for interviews and appointment they may have much less freedom than you anticipate.

I said no sensible interviewer.

And how does a sensible interviewer manipulate said scoring system?

Ath_Wat

DanDare999 said:

Ath_Wat said:

theoretica said:

Ath_Wat said:

No sensible interviewer gives a job to a stranger over someone they have known and worked with for years because they have answered a few questions better on the day - not unless they have reservations in the first place about the second person's suitability for the job.

 If they work for an organisation with a strict scoring system for interviews and appointment they may have much less freedom than you anticipate.

I said no sensible interviewer.

And how does a sensible interviewer manipulate said scoring system?

They don't take a job in such an inane organisation in the first place.

Elliott.T123

Ath_Wat said:

They don't take a job in such an inane organisation in the first place.

Unfortunately from my experience virtually all public sector jobs are like this. They cover themselves so heavily from any form of complaint by unsuccessful applicants that they do not allow interviewers to use common sense. I know instances in the NHS of staff applying for a promotion in a team they have worked in for 5+ years, are exceptional and everyone knows they would be perfect for the role, however on the day they were slightly off their game and didn't interview well and an external applicant did. Despite having had an informal off the record reference on the external applicant because on the scoring system they were better they got the job... and to no ones surprise they were awful.

Fully agree it is a terrible system, much better to use a bit of common sense and give the hiring manager some freedom, if they know someone is right then give them the job don't follow some tick box exercise. But unfortunately the world isn't full of common sense! 

Andy_L

Elliott.T123 said:

Ath_Wat said:

They don't take a job in such an inane organisation in the first place.

Unfortunately from my experience virtually all public sector jobs are like this. They cover themselves so heavily from any form of complaint by unsuccessful applicants that they do not allow interviewers to use common sense. I know instances in the NHS of staff applying for a promotion in a team they have worked in for 5+ years, are exceptional and everyone knows they would be perfect for the role, however on the day they were slightly off their game and didn't interview well and an external applicant did. Despite having had an informal off the record reference on the external applicant because on the scoring system they were better they got the job... and to no ones surprise they were awful.

Fully agree it is a terrible system, much better to use a bit of common sense and give the hiring manager some freedom, if they know someone is right then give them the job don't follow some tick box exercise. But unfortunately the world isn't full of common sense! 

A sensible interviewer could avoid that problem by only advertising the job internally first.