Didn't get promotion... Because I didn't know about it
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Anonymous
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So, I've been at my workplace for 7 years now. I have developed a specialized interest, one shared among a group of people in my workgroup. My mentor is head if this "special" group and over the past year or so, I've asked him if he thought I would be good candidate to assist him on the group and have an official title "assistant director of X." He seemed very supportive, but said it would depend somewhat on my work output compared with others in the special group. We haven't discussed in a while (6 mon or more?) and he's been promoted.
Last week, we got a company wide email that a woman 3 years my junior was promoted to "Directir of X." (By the big boss, not by my mentor) I like this woman. I saw her in the office and asked (hopefully casually) about what mentors role would be and she said, oh, he hasn't been doing this job for ages - I think it was in name only... He really wasn't interested in it; don't you remember when I started that you took a lot of time with me to introduce me to the special intetest? My question is: how do I ask (or can I???) how she was chosen? I feel like this is not the first time a position/title has been created and assigned without transparency... It's clearly how our workplace works, but I'd really like to be seen as more of a leader now and not sure how to make that happen. |
Anonymous
What? I don't know but the first thing is you need to learn how to communicate clearly. Perhaps you didn't get considered because no one knew you were interested. Perhaps that one conversation was not enough to throw your hat in the ring. Quiet doesn't work. The squeaky wheel gets oiled; the open mouth gets fed. If you want to move up, then your superiors should know you are working towards that goal. Don't be bitter. Lesson learned. |
Anonymous
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I don't know, but when your boss is promoted, if you're interested in his job a natural thing would be for you to express your interest to him and to his boss(es) and let them know it.
As the PP said, if you didn't do any "marketing" of yourself you leave yourself open for something like this, even though the lack of transparency certainly can be an annoying and troubling trait for any organization. |
Anonymous
| Yup to pps. No ask, no get. Go read the book "Women don't ask." And be very careful hanging your hat on a mentor. I've seen people burned so many times. Often people, for some reason women in particular, are remarkably ignorant of the true power players in an organization and hitch their wagons to people with hardly any political capital. |
Anonymous
| He was your mentor, not your boss. |
Anonymous
| Given your communication skills I'm not surprised. What the fuck did you write? |
Anonymous
+1000 I work in government consulting and at the end of the day, especially in this climate, you have to know who to run with and who truly has your back. |
Anonymous
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OP, you have expresses two very common misconception about the workplace. First, you think the fact that the other woman is junior to you (and I can't tell if you mean you have been at the company longer or have more over all work experience) ismirrelevant. Seniority is only a valid complaint in setting that have established seniority rules, such as companies with unions. Otherwise promotion decisions are made based n a person's skill-sets, performance and visibility t the people making he decision. Second, you thnk that your employer owes you some level of transparency when it comes to making promotion decisions. It does not. Your company is not run like a democracy, everyone is not entitled to have a fair shot at a promotion.
As someone else said, don't get upset, just view this as a lesson learned. Mid you want to talk to anyone about it, I suggest you speak to your mentor (who does not seem like that great of a mentor). Ther is no way, NO WAY, you can ask the woman who got the position about how she got it without seeming like you feel you were wronged and he position should rightfully be yours. And that will not get you assignments from her. |
Anonymous
If you have not established yourself as a leader in your seven years at the company, it is doubtful you can change their perception of you at this point. If you want to move up, consider moving out of the company. |
Anonymous
no one owes you an explanation for how or why this woman was promoted. but your mentor has a responsibility to show you the steps you need to take. but the reality is after 7 years, your chances of promotion are probably slim. you have plateaued. |
Anonymous
| trust me, there's a reason why you were not promoted, and it was not because you "didn't know about it" |
Anonymous
| Work is a real blower. |
Anonymous
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Not being vocal enough is the least of your problems. If the company thought you were a leader, you would have been promoted without you asking for it, given the time you spent with them. In fact, it is assume, unless workers has previously refused promotions, that everyone wants a promotion. I am very doubtful that your expressed desire for promotion was actually forgotten; people very rarely forget stuff like that.
Also, your post here is very portly written. I know it's just DCUM but good writers almost never produce anything so poorly written. Perhaps this is your weakness. Do not ask the woman how come she was promoted (what???). Take it as given that she is seen as better suited for the leadership position. It's not all about who came first and you are certainly not entitled to know how decisions of that sort are made. In any case, after seven years and no promotions, I highly doubt you are going to get very far in your company. |