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?

You seem to have very little grasp of how the workplace actually works!!

If there's a job you want, you need to apply. Also it is unlikelybthst someone who is leaving has much influence over whether or not you will get promoted in the future. I'd take everything the person who is leaving says with a heavy pinch of scepticism.

Why can't they give me it directly? I was told it would be a promotion after 6 months ideally, I thought that was how promotions worked is it not?

No it is not. Not in most, structured workplaces, and definitely not in any public sector role.

You will almost always be interviewed for a role - even where it's an internal role only - and any organisation that doesn't do this is poorly structured.

It's a good thing - you demonstrate your ability for the role, the organisation is being properly accountable, and it addresses any charges of unfair treatment.

I am amazed at how naive you are. I can almost guarantee you have got the situation with your LM wrong - regardless they are leaving, a post is advertised that you can apply for & stand an excellent chance of getting - so as per PP advice, go for it!

For the love of God, no more conversations with your boss about this. It is really tiresome as a manager to be put in this position. They cannot give you the confirmation you require about the role.

Be proactive and good luck 💐

Perhaps the Line Manager is having to leave because they keep promising things that they are not in a position to promise.

I also wonder if the timing of job ads and manager's holiday, is a bit more than coincidence.

@Mississipi71 That can be true, I've lost out on jobs more than once because of it - I even got told in my feedback on two occasions that I did the best interview, but they chose to go with internal candidates!

But saying that, where I work now they're stricter - they work on your progression, which can help during an interview because it's something you can show on paper; but other candidates can show the same, and there is no guarantee you'll get the role if someone interviews better than you. They don't even have your line manager in the interview, they use someone else in order to make it less biased.

Also I think in this instance the OP has got it wrong - I don't think this role has been created for her. I think her line manager knew there was probably going to be a role coming up, because you know if the business/project you're working in needs that extra person; and she either got confused herself as to her own role in terms of hiring, or was just carrot dangling for some unknown reason. From what the big boss has said it doesn't sound like this role has been tailor made, it's just a role they know they need, so they're advertising for it.

even got told in my feedback on two occasions that I did the best interview, but they chose to go with internal candidate

I've never come across this. Internal candidates often get the job - but they absolutely have to prove themselves at interview.

If an organisation told you this; they are clearly unprofessional & you had a lucky escape.

You sound very young and inexperienced in the workplace OP. Many PP have explained how promotions generally work but you don't seem to want to take it on board.

Your boss sounds like they have been supporting supporting and cheerleading you...it just seems that timings of holidays might have got in the way of intended conversations. But they can't hold your hand the whole way or hand a job to you on a plate, you need to show some initiative.

Just bloody apply for the job.

Is this your first job? You seem a bit naive to how things work. Take on board everything PP have said, it will serve you well.

To be fair to the OP, within my line of work, if you are ready for a certain role, you get it - no interview. So, if she had targets to achieve to become ready and she thought she'd achieved those targets, I can understand the frustration.

To be really clear, I'm private sector. I appreciate it's very different in the public sector and there is more red tape around promotions.

With how recruitment works I doubt that the LM is unaware of these roles, probably signed off on them prior to leaving on holiday

Yep same here. Large private sector business and most new roles are filled via recruitment agencies - often not advertised and no opportunity to apply.

hm. OP have you ever applied for a job with Marks and Spencer?

😱😂

Is this to do with steak and chips 😅

Managers - even the lovely ones - talk shit all the time. Discussing progression and promotion with your line manager is all well and good but unless they are the one making all the decisions you need to take it all with a pinch of salt.

Yes it's true!

I'm currently in a 12-month contact, ending in 3 months, and my line manager has literally said, "We will make your position permanent and you'll be getting something in writing soon." That was two weeks ago.

I'm still job-hunting! With the best will in the world, anything is possible and nothing is definite until you have it in writing.

You still need to apply - you can't just be handed a role.

This has been the case everywhere I have worked