Feeling Overlooked for a Promotion? Here's Your Game Plan to Bounce Back Stronger

Dear [Root] Access,

I've been with my current company for nearly four years, consistently putting in extra hours, volunteering for challenging projects, and maintaining an excellent track record of delivering results. I've received positive feedback in all my performance reviews and have even trained several new team members, including a colleague who joined our department about 18 months ago.

Last week, our department head announced a promotion for a senior position that many of us had been eyeing. To my shock and disappointment, my colleague — the one I helped train — received the promotion instead of me. While my colleague is certainly competent, I can't help but feel frustrated since I consistently take on more responsibilities, have more institutional knowledge, and have demonstrated greater commitment to our team's success.

When I discreetly asked my manager about the decision, I was told that my colleague "shows great leadership potential" and "communicates well with upper management." I'm trying not to be bitter, but I feel overlooked and undervalued. I've invested so much in this company, and it feels like my contributions aren't being recognized.

Should I start looking for opportunities elsewhere? Or is there a way to address this situation professionally without seeming like I'm just complaining about being passed over? I genuinely want to advance my career, but now I'm questioning whether that's possible at my current workplace.

— Feeling Undervalued and Overworked

Dear Undervalued and Overworked,

Loyalty and hard work, it turns out, are not prerequisites for promotion. Perception is key.

This pattern sounds familiar: You took on more responsibility and got positive feedback, but the promotion didn't pan out. You only received constructive feedback after the role was filled. It could be that your colleague was just as deserving of the role; we only see a portion of our teammates' work products and professional interactions. Regardless, it's time to move forward.

The feedback you received seems like the deciding factor. Whether fair or not, your promoted colleague's leadership and communication style resonated with upper management. If you stay, use this insight to grow by observing what the organization rewards. How does this colleague communicate with leaders? What mediums, format, tone, style, and language do they use? How do leaders respond to that communication? If you pursue a promotion again at this organization, your work's style matters just as much as its substance. You'll need to communicate in a way that the leaders vibe with.

! Job Interview Tips for IT Job Seekers

Other organizations may value a different approach to communication. My current company applauds employees who show their work to explain how they reached a decision. But I've worked at places that preferred a directive, concise style.

When considering whether to stay or go, reflect on what you value about this workplace. Does the leadership and communication style align with yours? If so, regularly ask your manager for feedback about your communication as you continue to pursue a career there. Opt into reflection opportunities like 360 feedback cycles and ask for input from peers about your deliverables. Act on their responses to demonstrate how you respond to criticism — a crucial skill for leadership roles. If you realize you prefer a different environment, don't ignore that. Feeling valued at work is central to our engagement and life satisfaction. We all deserve to work somewhere that appreciates us.

Best of luck as you respond to and act on this feedback, all in service of identifying what sort of work environment will bring you the most fulfillment. I hope you'll write back with an update on which route you choose!