When you don’t get a promotion that you deserved in your workplace.When you don’t get a promotion that you deserved.Ways and strategies to handle the situation of the promotion denied.

Ideally, your boss will reward you with a promotion when the time comes. But what if that time has passed and you are left tapping your foot? Now you will think to offer him a little nudge. After all, it never hurts to ask. Once you’ve asked for the promotion or the raise you believe you deserve, your manager calls you in to talk. Then, he met you with a shake of the head: “Sorry, not this time.”

Whatever you do, don’t panic. Yes, this response will make you feel like you got a punch to your soul and a hit to your delicate ego. You might feel frustration, disappointment, and even anger. Yet, it’s essential to keep yourself together and survive this situation. You should realise that this is a crucial time in your career.

Rather than storming out of your employer’s office, take these proactive steps to help you qualify for that promotion in the future.

Proactive steps to help you qualify for a promotion

1. Thank your manager

Take a moment to process what just happened and then swallow your pride. Now, genuinely thank your employer for taking the time to consider your request. We know that, after receiving the disappointing news, this won’t be the easiest thing to say. But it’s a meaningful gesture that will likely mean a lot to them.

2. Ask for feedback

Even though you might want to leave the room as soon as possible, stick around and ask your boss for feedback. It might add some salt to the already gaping wound, but soliciting feedback will show your employer that you are forward-thinking, and you are ready to continue to grow and work even harder.

Ensure the feedback is accurate and that you can set actionable goals to overcome the setbacks. If he says, you need to “do better work,” push for some details. What specific areas do you need more attention? What are the different ways you can use to improve?

3. Map out a plan

After leaving the meeting room, try not to dwell on the negative news. It’s time to take proactive measures toward that promotion you are after.

With your employer’s feedback, map out a plan for yourself. It doesn’t need to be a five-year plan. Instead, set some short-term goals you can achieve within several months.

• What can you focus on improving yourself?
• Are there any extra tasks you can add to your workload?
• How can you prove you are skilled and qualified?

When setting your goals, try following the SMART method: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Setting realistic, specific goals is essential, especially when you know what exactly you want your next step to be.

4. Keep tabs on your wins

There is no need to document your every move, but try starting a brag book. You can use a small notebook, which you keep in your desk drawer or can use a Google document. That’s up to you; it doesn’t need to be very large. In your brag book, start logging your gains. Here are a few useful examples:

• You completed a big project well before the deadline,
• When You received positive feedback from your client,
• Ifsoever You organized a new research committee,
• You identified a problem and resolved it before anyone noticed it was a problem.

Note that these examples are vague. You should include more details to help quantify your successes.

Make an attempt to add more to your brag book each month or each week. When it comes time to get considered for a promotion again, revisit your brag book to remind yourself of your achievements.

5. Stay focused on yourself

Sometimes you may start comparing yourself to your colleagues.

• How does Joseph have a senior title when he’s late to work every single day?
• Why did Molly get the promotion when you completed more assignments than her?

However, it leads to rabbit holes of frustration, anger, and feelings of helplessness. After a promotion gets rejected, the only person you should focus on is yourself. Stay focused on yourself and your performance. Analysing co-workers’ actions will be counterproductive.

6. Pat yourself on the back

Yes, you deserve a pat on the back. It took a lot of courage to ask for that promotion, but you did it. At least now you are not left in the pit of darkness. Instead, you have spent time taking a good look at your job, and your performance and you have created clear steps that help you achieve your goals.

Try not to sweat it. It might feel slightly cramped when you bump into your employer at the coffee maker the next morning. Fret not. Just offer him a smile to let them know it’s fine and that you are moving forward.

7. Remember you have options

You should never quit your job just because you were denied a promotion. That’s absolutely a wrong reason to quit your current position.

But sometimes this punches to the gut and make you feel like you’d thrive better in a different work environment or a different position. There are always more opportunities out there, and sometimes that’s a nice thing to keep in mind.