Promotion given to a younger man

[Whatiswrongwithme1979]

Am I being unreasonable to be angry, feel worthless and to wish I didn't have to go back to work?

Ive worked 20 years in a senior role and was strongly encouraged to apply for a promotion going in my department. As context, I get excellent performance ratings and have won awards in the last year for that as well.

I apparently did very well at interview, with no feedback given. The job was given to a man with less than half my experience, no professional qualifications and who is junior to me in position at work. He is a smooth talker but is rarely seen at work and has an uncanny ability to do very little whilst getting his team to work to the bone - perhaps a leadership quality in itself.

Im angry, dejected and feel rubbish. I'm not quite sure what to do next as it is a clear signal of how I'm valued.

The decision makes me feel like the executive lack integrity and dont live up to the values the company espouses, though I can't put my finger on why.

How do I process this and move on, how do I not feel so angry, am I even reasonable to feel angry about their decision!?

Being rejected always hurts. Is there anyone who was involved you can directly speak to?

You need to formally ask for feedback before you can do anything further.

YANBU. If I were you I would polish up my CV and move.

How much do you like working there? Are you prepared to move? Are you prepared to make a fuss?

I get it's not very nice, but there's a reason they preferred him to you.
years at a company and age are irrelevant.

it's quite a big reaction, I think you need time to cool off

You were better but he was cheaper :(

It's only natural to feel upset at not getting a role you wanted. I would try and avoid sending any messages or emails while you're still feeling angry though, as it's never a good idea to burn bridges.

I would certainly ask for more feedback. It depends on the industry but in some 20 years in a role can be a disadvantage because it's viewed as not very dynamic or ambitious. But as I say, that's not the case in all areas.

How did you work that out? There's absolutely zero Information about salary in the OP.
you also don't know that the OP was 'better.'

as I said, length of service and sex is irrelevant. It doesn't make you trump anyone else who applies for the role.

It’s an educated guess. Most companies these days will employ cheaper candidates if they’re ’good enough’.

Same. But I would also try to get feedback.

Push for feedback

I am guessing he will now be your boss in some manner. That is going to prove difficult for you, not least because he will expect you to help him learn all the things he doesn't know - from what you have said this will entail him dumping work on you! You need to prepare for that - robustly!

AgnesX - good advice, thank you. I asked for feedback and to understand what skills I wasnt as strong in, but was told I performed very well at interview, they just wanted to go in a different direction.

hydriotaphia - thats exactly how I feel just now but as HermioneWeasley asked, I do (did) like working there as they are a values driven business, which is rare in my industry. I won't make a fuss as it will likely reduce further chances in a small pool.

NeverEnterFromTheBackDoor, youre right, age is not a factor. Experience is though, and I have over 20 years in my industry and a strong CV spanning ftse 50 companies, vs his 7 years all in the same company and at a more junior level. Our interviews are formulaic and marked on experience, skills and motivation.

You weren’t as good, or better. That’s no one else’s fault.

They have promoted him for a reason. That’s it. Were you happy in your job before and weren’t looking for a promotion before this was mentioned? If so, just carry on.

Ask for feedback - why did they feel you weren't the stronger candidate? What could you do to get your next promotion? Make it about you, not him. See what their answers are - if you feel they're wishy-washy, then I'd be telling them that you are planning on looking around. How can years of experience "not be relevant"?

Okay, but, they chose him. You don't know how his interview went. I doubt you know all of his working experience in his whole career.

he could have simply interviewed better. Sometimes less years than 20 is better.

if I was hiring for a post (which I have done many times) a 20 year career would put me off. Not enough to not interview, but it would show me a lack of drive and perhaps motivation.

NeverEnterFromTheBackDoor - he joined rhe company as a graduate 7 years ago so that is his full career history.

To give you more context, my 20 year career is across different companies in the same industry. Lack of drive is not a way I would be described, I was made a director at 28, and have moved up since then. This is a senior role and they've appointed someone with considerably less experience, no professional qualifications and with lower performance ratings. Our interviews are very strict and follow a formula, the questions and scoring is on experience, skills and motivation.

Seek specific feedback from the interview to help you understand and process the obvious hurt and rejection you are feeling. Seeking this will also give you time to feel calmer and more focussed. Once you have this you can then make an informed decision about the way forward. It might be that he is excellent in interviews and scored more highly ( doesn’t mean is is actually better at the job ) and the company policy is to give the role to the highest scoring candidate.

So why do you think they’ve promoted him?

Jamesblonde2, fair question, thank you. I was happy enough but far less so now.

TooManyCupsAndMugs - youre definitely right. Im upset and angry because it feels like this is less about why they didnt select me, it is why did they select him. I know the other candidates as well as it was a fairly open process. All are highly experienced and qualified. I would have been disappointed for myself, but pleased for them and the company if they had been successful. It is the promotion on an inexperienced candidate with dubious ethics that is so difficult to understand.

You're quite right though that the options are either carry on or vote with my feet and leave.

Unfortunately sometimes it's not what you know but who you know. Perhaps he has connections.

If your interviews are a strict formula, then he obviously did very well.

I agree with PP, age and sex is irrelevant and he was obviously better suited for the role.

it isn't anything personal to you OP, as much as it feels like it.

100% this. I knew my days were limited when I was earning more than my boss and the Corporate I was working for was busy trying to restructure positions/grades so you had to re-apply for your job!

That just the thing, I don't think age and sex were irrelevant in this decision.

If the three categories are equally scored and I (and the other candidates) score higher as we have worked in same industry (and specialist field) for twice as long, it makes no sense at all how he could have been selected on those criteria.

I could make a fuss, but to what end.

Anchorage56, he has connections that might help the company so perhaps youre right.

I didn't think being related to the right person was a skill or counted as experience though 🫣

What qualifications does he have vs yours. You mention him not having any professional qualifications but he joined as a graduate 7 years ago. Do you both have a degree, masters? Just trying to get the overall picture to compare.