How to Respond when you are Denied a Promotion
There are many reasons for being passed up for promotion; sometimes, people simply are not ready for the job, or in other circumstance they are, just that there is a better-qualified candidate. On other occasions people just don’t interview well, whereas other people are victims of contracting companies, where the promotion opportunity had been snatched away at the last moment, in the name of cost or economic malaise.
Being denied a promotion is therefore a fact of life – and unfortunately something that many people can relate to. It is difficult, but there are ways to embrace job rejection, and turn that negative into a major positive.
The first thing to do would be to take a step back or ‘take five’. Maybe it would be more than ‘five’, but people passed up for promotion are advised to sit back and take stock of what happened. Some people may choose to leave early for the day or others may like to indulge in some retail therapy – anything to get them away from work and into a better mental place. This may assist in keeping away reflexive negative thoughts and allow the employee to press a metaphorical ‘reset’ button.
Of course, the ‘retreat’ approach is very useful in the short term but at some point the issue of how and why one was denied a promotion needs to be addressed. Seeking feedback is therefore fundamental to the rejection process (a good manager may have already offered this themselves). After hearing the bad news, an employee should ask not what they did wrong, but what they need to do to improve. Maintaining good resolve and a great impression is vital; in the feedback meeting the employee should actively listen, take notes, and dig deeper into the manager’s reasoning until the areas for improvement become crystal clear and properly embraced and understood.
Ideally the employee would leave that meeting feeling – at least to some degree – more motivated and empowered to act upon the feedback (after all, it is all too easy for someone to say that they will change, but continue to plateau at the same old level of performance). Showing a manager that their feedback has been acknowledged and acted upon is a powerful tool – it shows them that the employee has bounced back, as well as taking charge of their career and doing what needs to be done in order to progress.
Whatever happens when an employee gets back to work after being rejected for a promotion, it is vital that they stay stuck in and engaged with what is going on around the office. ‘Moping’ around will not solve anything and would only demonstrate to managers that the right attitude – whatever that may be – is lacking (and also may prove that rejecting the employee was justified).
Another method of bouncing back, one that is connected with keeping stuck in, is in keeping positive. Sometimes advising an employee to ‘keep smiling’ after a knock back such as a job rejection is an empty suggestion – in the employee’s eyes it would be easier said than done – but positivity is crucial. It is beneficial in sending the right message out to the manager and also in getting the employee in the right frame of mind to keep on trucking, keep on digging in and performing until a promotion can be applied for in the future. Employees should be encouraged to view a rejection as an opportunity to acquire new skills, or build upon existing ones.
As the employee gets back on the road to recovery and working towards the next opportunity (it will come!) they should understand the virtue of patience. In the current economy, promotion opportunities are fewer and far between, but employees must be tenacious and keep aiming towards the future. Likewise, they should not be tempted to jump ship, resign or rashly consider other, different job opportunities to numb the pain of rejection. These are all options, but need to be carefully considered which is why any denial of promotion should be carefully thought about, before the employee acts.
Being rejected for a promotion can be as hurting and de-motivating as being denied any job offer – and with many things in life, there is a right way and wrong way to deal with the bad news. Despite a myriad of knee-jerk reactions being available to the afflicted, employees should avoid the temptation to shout, swear, take it out on the boss or colleagues, or even to simply resign.
Instead, take a measured, professional approach and push forward into the future; after all, a job rejection is merely the first day of the rest of the career, and a rich – albeit painful – learning experience.
