One of the worst news you’ll ever hear is that you have been passed over for promotion…again. Even if you have a follow-up discussion with your boss about what you didn’t get the promotion you had thought you deserved, nothing can make you feel better. For sure, you don’t have any idea what to do next, either.
The truth is, your boss also feels uncomfortable talking to you about why the management didn’t favor you. But of course, he or she knows exactly why someone else was given the opportunity to advance in their career.
Below are the things that bosses find really hard to tell those employees who have been passed over for promotion:
1) You Don’t Have the Skills Needed for the Job
Many employees believe that promotion decisions are based purely on an employee’s performance in their current position or role. This is an important consideration, of course, but there are other things management considers when choosing someone for a higher position. You have to understand that being good at one thing doesn’t always guarantee you will be good at another. Employers know this, so they promote those who have the skills required to do the job they will be promoted to.
If you want to be considered for a promotion, you have to first be familiar with the requirements for the position. Then figure out what skills you have and what skills you still need to improve on to be qualified for it. Talk to your boss, and let the management know that you are doing the necessary steps that will make you eligible for a higher position.
2) You Lack the Necessary Soft Skills
Soft skills are just as important as technical skills. Especially if you intend to move up to a management position, you need to have particular soft skills, such as diplomacy, conflict resolution, business communication, and others.
You may prepare for this by developing the soft skills you will be needing for the position you want. You may also consider becoming an informal mentor to a new member of the workforce. When you do this, your boss will notice your eagerness to lead, and he or she may seriously consider you for a promotion.
3) You Are Not Good at Taking Feedback
Nobody likes to be criticized – that’s a fact. But as a professional, you have to learn how to take feedback positively and with an open-mind. Especially when the feedback is from the management, you have to consider it as their way of helping you become a better person and professional, perhaps because they can see potential in you.
Whenever you receive feedback, try really hard not to resist and defend yourself. Just take it in, and see what lesson you can gain from it.
4) You Lack Initiative
By taking the initiative to solve problems around the workplace, you can show that you care, not just about your own job and career, but specifically about the condition of the business and the people in it. It is not enough that you document every problem that you see. More importantly, you have to analyze the issues, and figure out a way on how you can improve the situation.
5) You Expect to Be Promoted
It is important that you realize that in today’s competitive workplace environment, even tenure is not anymore a guarantee that you deserve a promotion. No matter how long you’ve been with the company, you won’t be considered for a higher position unless you have proven time and again that you are a contributor. Thus, part of your career planning should be how you will be an important part of an organization , and you shouldn’t just focus on what your organization could do for your career.