How many times has a promotion come up at your job that was given to someone else? You put in the years, the extra hours, and the loyalty; yet, it went to a recent hire who is less qualified. What can you do about it?

Most of the time, we walk around angry, frustrated, and confused. At some point, you must make a decision about what the future holds without waiting for someone higher to give us permission to grow. What is the best choice?

Avoid Being Impulsive

I understand! A public announcement is made about the promotion going to the inexperienced newbie. Embarrassment follows because naturally, you feel that everyone is looking at you and questioning why you didn’t get the promotion. With anxiety being high, you want to quit, Right now. Don’t!

Come Up With a Plan

Perhaps you already had a plan in place in case the promotion went to someone else. Stick with it. If you are truly an asset, your manager or leadership team will want to talk you out of leaving and justify the promotion decision. This is where you must determine what you’re ready to give.

Give In

Was the feedback that you were given about the promotion valid? If so, perhaps you might choose to stick around and see what happens. Or, you might risk another dupe months or years from now. If you decide to give in and stay with the company then put so much effort into your role that if another person was chosen it would not make sense.

Make a list of any and all accomplishments, big or small. Become better at your position than you have ever been and document everything. In particular, it involves helping others or if it is metrics driven. There cannot be resentment about the promotion if you choose to stay. That only makes it a toxic work environment for everyone. This leads to the next point.

Give Up

Giving up is only applicable to the job itself. On the contrary, you aren’t giving up on yourself. Recognize your value. If you have made the decision to stay with the company but aren’t quite ready to give in to the demands, maybe going the extra mile is no longer what is important if leadership has made it known that there will be no chance of a promotion.

To be clear, you are giving up on the idea that you can grow with this company. I would recommend continuing to showcase yourself, especially if you might need a reference from someone. Giving up is one step away from throwing in the towel, or getting out.

Get Out

Leave gracefully. There is no reason to leave a job by becoming unprofessional. For example, putting in two weeks and calling in every day until the last day. Before leaving, sit down with everyone whom you would like to provide feedback and tell them how you really feel about things.

This also goes back to planning and avoiding impulsivity. If you want to quit on the spot or put in a courtesy two weeks notice, know what you would like to do next. Are funds in order to last without an income? Is your current industry hiring or will it take time to find another job? Is this a good time for a career change or to start your own business (or hobby)?

Think about what happens next. Quitting a job can be just as demoralizing and depressing as getting fired, so make sure you think about how to keep yourself sane!

Jot down everything you learned from the previous employer, and what your deal breakers are at the next one. Be very candid during the job interview about promotion opportunities to make sure there is transparency surrounding growth.

I’m sending encouragement your way if missing out on a promotion has ever happened to you! It’s a good time to reset your long-term goals and figure out a timeline. You might even share what that timeline is with your direct manager and ask how they plan to help you to get there.