7 reasons you are not getting that promotion

Getting a promotion is a shared dream amongst employees. No one wants to continue earning the same amount of money and be in the same position for decades because people seek growth. You might have been eyeing that promotion for years and are wondering when your time will come. There are a few common reasons why the boss keeps overlooking you and picking others.

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You’re not qualified enough

You just do not possess the specific skills they are looking for. You may be good at your job but they may be looking for someone more experienced and with more abilities in terms of the tasks that will need to be accomplished.

This does not mean that you throw in the towel and give up any prospects of ever getting a promotion. Just seek out experts, learn more from them and keep trying. Everyone who got a promotion did not start as experts. It took work to get there.

You don’t stand out

If the quality of your work is the same as everyone else, how will the boss notice you? If you’re just doing the basic required amount of work the same way as everyone else and don’t bother to stand out in any way, they will bypass you every time when selecting candidates for promotion.

Produce very high quality work, arrive earlier and leave later, take initiative and provide solutions to problems and you just might stand out.

They don’t know you’re interested

Maybe they just don’t know you’re interested in the position. Sometimes people apply for promotions in certain companies and if you don’t, no one will ever select you or vouch for you. Make your interest in the position known and be confident that you are the right fit.

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The company isn’t in a position to promote

The company you are working for may not be making as much profit as before and may not have the ability to increase salaries and promote people. Some companies have even down-scaled and retrenched hundreds of workers when they hit bad economic times. It would just not be prudent to promote people at such times.

The boss is looking for very specific traits

Sometimes the promotion role may require a person of a certain age group, a specific gender or a certain orientation. These are for the rigid roles and if you don’t fulfill any of the requirements, you will not be considered no matter what you try. For instance,  in some companies the role of manager has to be someone 35 years and above, not younger than that.

You’re not professional

If you always come to work late, take unnecessary sick leaves without genuine reasons or do not conduct yourself professionally, you’ll never be considered. Promotions are usually given to people who are diligent, committed and produce high quality work.

You don’t take initiative

If you don’t take initiative and are always waiting to be directed, you may not qualify for a leadership promotion. You should be displaying qualities of the position you want to be promoted to long before the promotion happens. This will make your name be among the top contenders when the time for promotion comes.