ALT-2 Careers how to Handle being Passed over for an Outsider
One of the ways in which a person can increase their chances of getting a promotion is to work for one company for a long time. During that time, you get to know your co-workers, the culture of the workplace and you get to show what you know. The company gets a chance to see what you can do, and you get a chance to build a solid resume.
However, what happens when that isn't good enough? Just because there is a good candidate inside the company doesn't mean that a company won't go looking outside of the office to find a good hire. You might have a good advantage from staying with a company for a long time, but sometimes a company wants to find fresh blood for the position.
This is why you shouldn't get too upset if you are passed over for an outsider. It isn't always a knock on you as an employee, it could just be an indication of what the company wanted to do going forward. Perhaps the problem that needed to be solved wasn't going to be solved by a person inside the company. Maybe the hire was made to appease the public and improve standing in the community.
Hiring an outsider doesn't always work out for the long term either. Experience says that sometimes an outsider isn't really qualified to do the job as well as someone who has worked for the company, or the industry, for a long time. If this happens to be the case, you might be next in line for the job. Keep your chin up and do the best you can to stay in a professional mold.
An outsider can even teach you a few things that you might not have thought of. That fresh perspective, or unique experiences, of the new person can even enhance your career. Perhaps the company brought in an outsider simply to give you more time to adjust to the job while allowing you to learn under someone with experience. The company could be doing this to help you out in the long term.
Being passed over for an outsider doesn't mean that you aren't good enough to do the job. It simply means that the company is looking to do some other things with the position for now. It could be that you will still have the job in six months time and you might even be better off for it in the long term.
