I'm a lawyer in a global firm (based in one of the regions). I'm 5 years' PQE. A couple of weeks ago I was told that it had been decided that I wouldn't be put forward for promotion this year. The rationale given was that I wouldn't be able to demonstrate enough of the competencies required.
This would be fine, but last year my supervisor and I discussed promotion (several times) and she knew I wanted to progress. At no point in the last year did any of the partners in my team flag that I was lacking in any specific areas - feedback has always been positive and so the news came as a big shock. My view is that I genuinely went above and beyond in the last year.
I'm now wondering if this is a sign that I should move on. I feel like the firm has shown it doesn't care about me and my career progression as long as the work is being done.
To complicate matters, DH and I are trying for our first baby. If I stayed I would qualify for enhanced maternity pay. But then equally if I did get pregnant we could manage on our savings for a while.
Any advice?