There’s nothing quite like the disappointment of not getting a promotion when you had your heart set on the move.

Maybe you were passed over in favour of a colleague. Or, perhaps your request for promotion was denied simply. Whatever be the reason, eventually, it is time to dust yourself off and move on.

There are numerous things you can do, starting right now, to help the page turn. You might even find that one day you look back on this entire thing from a completely different perspective. It will be the beginning of the next phase of your career. Get a few tips that help you move on.

How to move ahead when promotion got turned down?

• Don’t let yourself overwhelmed by this for too long.

Just like so many things happen in life, the way you think about this rejection is important. The sooner you get to the point where you regard it as disappointing rather than devastating, the better off you will be.

Eventually, this experience can help you walk toward other opportunities and other promotions. But, if you adhere to your negative emotions, it will send you in the complete opposite direction.

• Don’t do anything rash.

In the immediate aftermath of this setback, you should allow yourself to feel whatever emotions surface for you. It’s necessary to wade through these challenging feelings to move past them. But, you don’t need to take action based on these emotions. Acting out or reacting, without really considering the consequences, is not a good idea.

• Take some time.

When you are feeling stronger, you can work on turning these lemons into lemonade. But first, you should take care of yourself and get back on your feet. You don’t need to start a yoga class or take up knitting — self-care can be simple and easy. Just do what feels right for you.

You should also spend some moments thinking about other things. Schedule some fun activities with family and friends. Or, maybe a weekend gets away. You will be more equipped to turn this thing around once you have taken some time.

• Try to understand what happened.

If you are going to flip this negative into a positive, you need to grasp why you didn’t get the appraisal you thought you deserved. You might think you know the reason behind it, but it is probably a good idea to check those assumptions.

When you are ready, have a sit-down with someone who can answer your queries. It’s absolutely all right to express that you are depressed. But, consider it as a context of learning from the experience and continue to grow and develop professionally.

Listen carefully to whatever feedback you are given without becoming defensive. Remind yourself that you need to seek to understand first. You can fret about what to do with the information later.

• Come up with a powerful action plan.

Once you get to know what went wrong, you can start planning how to move ahead and improve in the future. Have a conversation with HR or your boss about your goals and how you can work to accomplish them. Then, come up with your action plan and give yourself a timeline that’s reasonable for achieving them. You might even request a follow-up meeting later so that you can check in about these goals.

• Keep your network active.

There might be other reasons why you didn’t get this promotion. Some of them will be within your control and without your control. Despite what happens next, it can’t hurt your options to stay active within your professional network. So, dust off the cobwebs around your connections that can help you. You never know what opportunities could land in your way.

• Remember that moving forward is always an option.

Sometimes, after exhausting other alternatives, it becomes evident that there isn’t a path to the job you want with this firm, or maybe even within the industry. In this scenario, it could be time to consider moving on.

However, you should stay on good terms with your colleagues from this job. So, never burn any bridges on your way out the door. And, remember that you are not just leaving a job behind. You are walking toward one, too. You will end up grateful for this experience in the long run.

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