Internal promotion, didn't get the job - but they want all of my ideas?

[Unboundcuriosity]

I interviewed for an internal promotion about three weeks ago. I went for the role as a rank outsider, and as expected, I didn’t get it.

However, part of the interview was to give a pitch on how to improve an aspect of our workflow. Knowing I was at a disadvantage, I really worked hard on my pitch and was really proud of the plan I had come up with and the implementation framework I built around the plan.

I am back today after two weeks' leave. I received an email from the lead interviewer asking me to pass over all the details of my pitch, as they were blown away by the detail, the build work, ingenuity, and the work I had done, and they want to implement the changes I suggested.

Um no?

The person who got the job should be implementing their pitch? Right?

And she’s probably be fired for having a second job

I think I would reply along the lines of

Surely you thought that the candidate who got the job had the same or better qualifications and had the better plan. (Otherwise why did they offer the job to someone similarly or less qualified and who’s plan they didn’t want to use)

Apologies but I didn’t keep something that didn’t merit being given the position.

Honestly….

Begging and scraping, or negotiating and advocating for her own career?

The advocating for her own career was the bit where she applied for a step up role.
That they didn't give it her, despite a clearly strong pitch, shows they either

a) don't value her

Or b) take her for granted
and are a bit complacent thinking they can keep her at her current level but still benefit from her ideas /work at a level beyond her current grade

By politely not handing over this pitch, done in her own time in prepping for the interview, the OP demonstrates that she knows the value of this work and wont allow them to exploit her in that way. If they want her delivering pitches at that level they need to recognise and remunerate her accordingly

This thread is embarrassing

The amount of posters who have suggested “deleting”. Honestly, it’s laughable.

Granted it's probably unlikely; but there are plenty of people who are ruthlessly efficient, and don't have 23,728 emails in their inboxes and hundreds of old documents on the drive, as many of us do.

The instant that it's either done, dealt with or outdated/no longer relevant - as would be the case here once the job that the proposal related to had been given to somebody else - I don't see why it's so categorically ridiculous that it would have been deleted.

Lots of successful people in business live by the policy of only ever picking up a piece of paper once to deal with it and then casting it away, so I don't see why electronic documents would necessarily differ, if you favour the extreme minimalist approach.

Very childish. And I very much doubt that they are all buzzing with excitement about this presentation. Probably vaguely interested one person who asked to have another read. If that

Even if they are only vaguely interested, their interest could only possibly be in stealing and applying the ideas. How many times are people in this scenario apparently nonchalant about your ideas, but then they 'happen to' come up with the exact same ideas themselves a few weeks or months later, and use them to great success?

Why are the managers not childish - in not realising that you have to choose the individual candidate whom you want to run with and you can't just pick and mix from all of them, but just pay one of them for it? It's no different in principle from when you're house hunting: you have to choose the one that most fits your requirements; you can't just go for the one that you generally like, but also get to have the much bigger garden fron the other one that you decided against buying!

Yes, I liked this too.

Or C) she isn't right for the role, irrespective of how good an idea it is

I think this is the most honest and mature response.

I very much doubt the OP could leverage a better position/pay out of this, this doesn’t sound like a big corporate environment. I think they imagine, wrongly, that flattering the OP on her work is enough and she’ll just hand it over. The best she can hope for is to be involved in implementation and add that to her cv for next time.

Most companies don’t just create jobs to keep employees happy, there are all sorts of implications in doing so. More likely they want to save money by harvesting the best ideas pitched to them and rolling them into one job, which the OP didn’t get.

You have spent hours working on something that would benefit the team you work in

but once you find out you haven’t got a promotion

you bring it up, delete it, go in to trash and double delete.

It looks like a tantrum To me. Also someone who isn’t actually all that bothered about improving things at the place where she works

Even if they are only vaguely interested, their interest could only possibly be in stealing and applying the ideas.

oh dear, really?

This.

I truly think the people who believe the OP will get noticed/remembered/rewarded for giving away her presentation are very naive.

The company has already shown the OP what they think of her: not promotion material and taken for granted because they expect her to just give away her work without getting anything in return.

The OP being a good little employee and simply passing on her work to the new hire will result in her being seen as a doormat by her employer and reinforcing the company existing belief that she should be kept in her current role and continue to be taken for granted.

The reality is that to get promoted the best way is often to move to a different employer and to know your worth.

Even if you said you'd deleted it, you wouldn't have deleted the ideas from your brain, would you? No company is that daft and I agree it makes you look petty.

I've also definitely interviewed people who were technically very good at a task etc but couldn't demonstrate the required strategy/leadership/etc skills- you could be great at one part of the job but not show how you'd be great at the others.

The sensible thing to do, as others have said, is to offer to get involved with the project (and speak to your line manager about it first). It then shows that you're ready for the next step up. I often encourage my team to take on 'stretch' tasks that they can then use in promotion interviews. You said you were a 'rank outsider' so I'm guessing you know you have a bit more to do for promotion.

Wow, ok - Hi everyone. Thank you for your replies

1. The person who got the role is a stand-up guy. I have a lot of time for him. He has two particular skill sets the role required, I only have the one, but I am also good at what I do & I was hoping it was enough to bridge the gap
2. The pitch, build, and system were all constructed using work programs - but on my own time
3. I like my job. I have been here for years. It fits around some significant disabilities they adapted for (without fuss) and are really, really keyed into making sure I have what I need and check for updates and changes every year to ensure i have the latest tools/adapations - they have also, mindful of my needs, given me an insanely flexible approach to working hours, and the pay is good - so I'll not be leaving. I also like the people I work with.
4. I absolutely do not have the bandwidth to do any work on top of what I do day to day - we are all close to burnout, but the promise of new staff is what is keeping us working at a level that is wild and unsustainable - taking on a project is absolutely beyond me right now
5. I have a history of innovation, and I think that it's become kinda accepted that I can routinely knock up ideas and hit it out of the park while also being one of the top performers on the team - so I don't think asking for recognition is going to get me further or line me up for something in the future.
6. The head of the interview panel goes on leave from today - it's already been two weeks since the interview as I was off on leave I am hoping the request will get forgotten about in the rush to get everything done before going away
7. Rather than delete, I might do some changes to repurpose it for a workstream I am currently tasked with, which will give me a legitimate reason to make the changes, and I will have been solidly using it for three weeks by the time the panel lead returns. I will not be able to unpick it all by that point but can show it had good reason to be used and it will benefit me during that time.

The head of the interview panel goes on leave from today
Whilst the cat is away, the mice will play. Are you going to suggest a casual meeting with stand-up guy to see what he thinks of all this.

Spot on!!

Rather than delete, I might do some changes to repurpose it for a workstream I am currently tasked with, which will give me a legitimate reason to make the changes, and I will have been solidly using it for three weeks by the time the panel lead returns. I will not be able to unpick it all by that point but can show it had good reason to be used and it will benefit me during that time.

Do this, and when the interview person is back, ask for detailed feedback on the bits you're less strong at, and see if there are options for mentoring or shadowing- something to build your experience so next time you can nail it all.

Why would it necessarily be a tantrum and not just a considered business decision - just like the management made in deciding to hire somebody else instead of OP?

Supposing you were a contractor and you spent hours in drawing up personalised house-specific plans for a potential client - and then the client told you they were going with somebody else who was cheaper/they liked better/a friend... but as you've already drawn up all the plans specifically for their house, would you be a good egg and let them have them for free anyway, so they can hand them to their chosen contractor?

Or a wedding photographer, and they decided not to but any of your photos, as Uncle Tony git some great ones on his phone - but as they're no use to anybody else, could they have them free anyway, to print off themselves; and could Tony ask them for a few tips for future reference?

Would either of these people be petty in saying a firm No? OK, they may not say that they've deleted the files - but they're definitely not handing them over free.

I don't think OP has actually clarified exactly how her plans would have made things easier for the team, has she? Maybe they would make no difference to the employees' actual workload, but just make savings for the company; or even streamline things so much that they would look into laying off team members (including OP?) once they're up and running?!

Well, what other purpose can you think of for them asking? Are they keen to get them so that they can lock them away in a drawer without ever reading them and the company never benefit from them?

This! Don't respond straight away, see if they come back again, then negotiate.

Even if you said you'd deleted it, you wouldn't have deleted the ideas from your brain, would you? No company is that daft and I agree it makes you look petty.

No, but forwarding an existing document takes a few seconds; whereas OP recalling and re-presenting the whole spiel is hours of actual human time, which even the cheekiest company wouldn't be expecting her to give them for free, surely?

I like your positive ideas. Good luck.

She works for the company though. I wouldn't do it if I didn't already work there (and therefore presumably all working to the same objective).

I suppose if you were going to be super petty about it you could ask for toil, but she had an interview, and prepped for it- which she would have had to do whether her idea was good or bobbins.

If she likes the guy who got the job, I'd just have a coffee and a chat with him. He might have a totally different approach planned anyway. It's all good relationship building.