To be annoyed at this work situation? Advice appreciated.

[Celia24]

I've been working at a company for a little under a year. Really enjoyed it so far and especially in last couple of months have grown hugely in confidence and delivered key project.

Here's the messy/annoying part: my line manager is leaving and I'm disappointed as I love her. In our recent 1 to 1 she told me that she is putting me forward for a senior position in the team. To be clear, there is me (most junior but more 'associate' level), my manager (senior) and the director of department (my boss's boss who I also work with and know well).

She said she had sent on her list of objectives I needed to tick off to get that promotion to her boss. I anxiously asked who they were going to hire to replace her - and she tells me she is going to recommend they promote me and get someone more junior to work under me. At a recent work function two other colleagues approached me and asked if this meant I was getting promoted. And I feel ready.

Well...she is now on holiday and I've seen not one, but two, senior positions in the team open up (clearly instigated by boss's boss). I also spoke to this person yesterday who said he was impressed with me and keen to discuss my future but hadn't had a deep conversation with my manager (clearly: no promotion discussed despite what I've been lead to believe)

To my mind, I am already performing at that senior level. So to see they are now recruiting for two positions above me has really annoyed me. I even looked up one interviewee on LinkedIn and saw they were less experienced. How should I handle this?

I agree with other PPs
Apply for those senior roles

My understanding is that Equal Opps they have to advertise permanent roles (not Acting (interim) roles) , if you interview for a role & are a good candidate but unsuccessful due to strength of other applicants , then if a role comes up within 3 months the employer doesn't have to re advertise- they can offer you that role on basis of interviews already carried out. I'm not sure if I worded that right- I hope a HR person will come along to clarify

Apply for the position!
That is the promotion.
You have been given a list of things to prepare and all.
And being encouraged to it.
So what is the problem? I do not get you.

There may be another colleague in your company with another boss who has also promised them the promotion and now this has caused a problem? Two people going for the same role and now it’s been opened up to give both a fair chance?

I think it is likely that the advertising comes from HR, not from any communication issues.
Just apply.

You will definitely not get the job if you don’t apply for the role - you must apply well within the timing regardless of peoples holidays.
When I joined my company I had a coffee with my now boss. We clicked, it was apparent I fit the role he had in mind. He then had to do a position description, put it up internally and do 3 or 4 sets of interviews with me with progressively senior people. No one internal was a good fit for my job, and he wanted to hire me, but it had to be advertised and the others had to interview me and also agree on the hire. There is nothing personal about making someone follow the process- there might be some miscommunication going on but try not to take it as a personal grievance. Your approach should be ‘we didn’t discuss the two roles plan so that confused me a bit, I’ll be applying for role x I hope that’s what you all had in mind! Looking forward to the interview :)’

I’ve been doing a role as a secondment for best part of a year. When/if the role gets advertised I will have to apply like everyone else.
You’re tying yourself up in knots and wasting time that could be better spent preparing/applying 🙄
And please stop saying boss’s boss 🤣🤣

They say males will apply if they reach 50% of the non spec, females assume you need 100%

Apply for the job

I'm a Project Manager, you need to have a rhino like hide because any thing goes wrong, any tricky stakeholders and the PM is the one who gets the grief. It's fine because I have no technical skills so I figure it's my role to absorb grief on behalf of the team.

It's not a role for a wilting wallflower, it's also not a role for someone who relies on others promises.

Have the conversation with your bosses boss and apply for the role. Take it as a lesson for your job - trust no one until their deliverable is on the table.

I am sorry of I am misreading you OP, but you do seem a little entitled. You have not been with this company for very long and seem to think that you are going to be handed a promoted post without having to go through due processes. You also seem to think that your career progression is the responsibilty of others. If you do not apply for posts then be prepared to sit back and watch other people who do know how recruitment works, leap frog over you.

If you do apply and secure a line managers role I wonder if you will feel this responsible for the career progression/ automatic promotion of those you line manage?

Just apply.

You seem to expect them to just give it to you but that's not going to happen. They are legally obliged to advertise it properly.

Is this your first job? Applying for a promotion is very, very standard. No need for all this overthinking and angst towards your boss. Good luck to you.

Just apply for the job

When it comes to work don't wait for your talent to be spotted. You are already working at the level you want to be? (which in most places I've been is the minimum requirement for promotion anyway)

Think: what would a man do?
Yes, he would get his CV together, including a summary and examples of recent work at that level and throw his hat into the ring.

Do it. You have literally nothing to lose.

I think you are disappointed, emotional, and are taking this personally. Make your wishes clear. Your work thinks highly of you. Initiate the conversations, make your interest clear (by applying)., and see how it goes. Good luck!

sorry posted too early

She is still my manager until she leaves though. Therefore she is still in charge of my progression so that should surely still mean something?

is this your first job, OP, or are you quite young? Your career progression is down to you. I'm an old war-horse and IME the way to get promoted is to work smart and make sure that you tell people about your successes and improvements. Every time. All the time.

And apply for promotions within your organisation, and jobs at a higher level outside your organisation. And take the one with the better prospects/money.

Annual evaluations are good for you to see what you need to be doing better, but they are generally also a good way for people to see who doesn't fit, who doesn't cut the mustard, and who they can safely leave in role for another year (and that includes the timid mice who do much more than required but don't apply for promotions).

Get out and hustle. If you want it, you have to show you want it, and that includes applying for it.

You said the bosses boss said something that just made me realise what's going on "Boss's boss apologised for the delay - reiterated his interest in my progression (generally, no use of word 'promotion') and said we need to sit down with my manager to clarify what was actually discussed."

He didn't use the word promotion because there's really no such thing anymore to senior roles. There's progression, which means you learn on the job, in preparation either for applying for a role higher up, or in another department but in a field you're working towards. You don't just get moved up (not us lower down the rung people anyway, that's a director level thing to happen).

He also said he needed to clarify what your line manager had told you - that's code for him saying 'I can see that she's said you'll be getting a promotion, but she shouldn't have said that because it's not true, and she was in no position to offer any such thing'.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't apply for the job, far from it - take the initiative back, apply, prep for the interview. If you take the reins back you don't need to complain about her misleading you. You do need to apply soon, the longer you wait, the less likely it is you'll get it - do not wait for this discussion, it's not what you think it is, it'll be what I've just said it is above.

Your boss doesn't think you're quite ready yet. You think you are.

Your boss is leaving.

Your boss's boss is recruiting for the role you want.

If your boss's boss recruits people, you intend to quit.

Honestly, based on all you've said, you have very little to lose by applying directly and cutting your boss out of this process.

I think your misunderstanding this and this is the role with you in mind. Of course the job would need to be advertised and you'd need to apply.

This. If you communicate and behave at work as you come across in this thread I would be deeply hesitant about promoting you, and the objectives you’d need to meet before it even being considered would include demonstrate proactive behaviour, demonstrate confident decision making, improve communication skills, take more ownership, etc.

You are not going to be handed a new role on a plate, you have to apply like anyone else that might be interested. Doesn’t matter what your boss on holiday said or hasn’t said. Apply, you’ve got a very good chance at getting it by the sounds of it.

I'd be speaking if poss to B'sB and saying you've seen the vacancy and you're keen not to miss out on the opportunity. Is there a different internal application process or just follow the external process. Ultimately they'll be marking you against external candidates so any little thing left against the objectives may not matter if you're the best candidate.

You're not reading the room. It's no one else's duty to get you the job. You have to apply for it to put yourself in the frame.

That's exactly what you do

So with that project in mind, you can discuss its benefits to the company, in your interview. Apply for the post. You are in a strong position already working there. If you don't get the job, (I can't believe you won't), they will need to come back with strong justifiable reasons. What should have happened is that you should have been approached encouraging you to apply for the roles. That is if you trust your manager not to be misleading you.

But she's on holiday & you say she doesn't even know about this role. You're being given lots of good advice that you won't listen to.

This thread has reminded me of the poor external candidates' whose time is wasted, when jobs are created for existing employees, yes, it has to be advertised but when you think how time consuming it is to complete an application and then prepare yourself for interview, it is so unfair. Ironic really. It is nothing more than a box ticking exercise, as pp said.