Have you been passed over for a promotion and don’t know why? A missed promotion can be frustrating, especially when you feel you’re doing great work. But promotion decisions aren’t always about how well you’re doing in your current role—they’re often about what’s next.
This week at Career Recruiters Inc., we’re sharing our insights to help you make sense of promotion decisions—and what you can do when you’ve been passed over.
It’s not just about your performance
Promotion decisions come down to whether you have the right skills for the job, not just how well you perform in your current role. For example, managing your own workload is important, but leadership or strategic thinking might be essential for the position you want.
Ask your manager what skills or experiences the next level requires and focus your efforts there. If you don’t yet have these skills yet, now you know what to work toward.
A missed promotion shouldn’t be your wake-up call
If the only time you’re hearing feedback is during an annual review—especially after being passed over—that’s a missed opportunity. A good manager helps you course-correct in real time. Ongoing, honest conversations about what’s going well and what could improve help you grow and prepare for the next level.
If feedback feels vague or like it’s coming out of nowhere, ask for regular check-ins. It shows you’re serious about improving before it affects your chances of being promoted.
What You Can Do If You’ve Been Passed Over
You are entitled to know why
If you didn’t get the promotion, you deserve to know why. Great companies provide constructive, specific feedback to help you grow.
Don’t hesitate to ask for clear, specific feedback. Approach the situation with curiosity: “I’d really appreciate your thoughts on what I can do to better position myself next time.” The more you know, the better you can prepare.
Be more visible
Doing great work isn’t enough if no one knows about it. To get noticed, speak up in cross-team meetings, share your wins in team updates and volunteer for projects that involve other departments. Improving your visibility is one of the best promotion tips for advancing your career.
Work on your soft skills
Promotions aren’t just about technical expertise—your interpersonal skills matter just as much. Qualities like effective communication, teamwork and emotional intelligence often play a key role in who moves up.
If people find that you’re hard to work with or notice you’re often excluded from team discussions, it’s time to take a step back. Improving your emotional intelligence, active listening and your ability to give and receive feedback can make a big difference in how others perceive you—and your chances of getting promoted.
Should you keep working on that promotion or move on?
If you’ve been passed over more than once—even after addressing feedback, it’s worth stepping back and asking: Have you worked on your skills gaps? Do the right people know you’ve made progress?
If your efforts still aren’t opening doors, ask yourself whether your current company truly supports your development. If you’ve been passed over a few times despite trying to address the issues, it might be time to reevaluate.
Promotion decisions aren’t always fair or easy to understand—but they’re not the end of the story. If you keep learning, growing, and showing up with the right mindset, the next opportunity might be closer than you think.
