![By Laura Donovan
From time to time, it’s painful to say congratulations.
You face many occupational hazards as a young professional, but among the hardest is trying to applaud a close coworker who gets a promotion after you’ve been denied one, especially if the two of you deliver identical results and have been employed at the organization for the same amount of time. As excited as you may be for your tireless buddy, internal questions like, “Why him/her and not me?” and “Why couldn’t we both get the recognition we deserve?” cloud your thoughts and may even discourage you from putting forth your best effort.
When your contributions appear less valued than those of another staffer, it’s easy to mentally check out of your position, resent your superiors, and gripe about being unappreciated.
“No one likes to be overlooked and outshined, especially at work,” career expert and bestselling author Nicole Williams told the Levo (League).
Complaints and negativity won’t help you move forward, however, and they have the potential to even get you fired, so here are our suggestions for getting ahead in the aftermath of an office BFF scoring the raise you’d been eyeing forever. Remember: One person’s accomplishments say nothing about your own worth, so try to stay positive as you sort through your emotions on the matter.
Be your buddy’s cheerleader
When a friend gets promoted and you don’t, you experience several feelings. You’re thrilled for your buddy but unsure why you couldn’t have been in his/her place. I’m familiar with the bittersweet duality of being happy for friends moving up and onto greater pastures and sad that I remain unexciting. If one of your friends earns a promotion or salary increase, cheer your pal on and invite him/her out to lunch to celebrate (but ask him/her to foot the bill!).
“If you are relatively happy in your job you do not want to overreact,” Lynn Berger, a career coach in New York City, told the Levo (League). “Simply congratulate your co-worker and try to understand why they got the raise. After a brief period of time you may want to meet with your boss and discuss how and when you can earn a raise not focusing on why the other person got the raise but how you can achieve success.”
It’s wonderful and inspiring to see officemates thrive, even if you have yet to tackle your own world domination plans, so be thankful that someone at work is succeeding. It’s great for your working environment and could even boost morale. You’ll have your day and shining moment, but until then, send good wishes to your buddy.
Don’t change your pace
When you feel your efforts have been ignored, you may lose incentive to produce high quality work. Don’t go down this road. Continue with your rock star ways and maintain an open attitude.
Lindsay, Cross, a writer for professional women’s site The Grindstone, told the Levo (League) that she knows how it feels to be overlooked for a promotion.
“To be honest, getting passed over for the promotion was extremely difficult,” Cross said. “I had a hard time working with the person who got the job. But…I could understand why my company made their choice and I really just wanted to prove that they had made the wrong decision. In that circumstance, I needed to stay and continue to work hard. The person who was given the job actually didn’t last through their 90-day review and I was promoted after they left. However, if I had been passed over numerous times for a promotion, then I think you need to start looking at other options.”
Step up your game
Growing up, my father would advise me to “get mad at it” any time something upset me. When I was unhappy about making minimum wage at my high school food service job, he told me to “get mad at it” and put in more hours rather than mope about being underpaid. That’s the philosophy you should employ at the office, even when extremely disappointed. Think of tenacious California girl, Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde” as she proves to her ex-boyfriend and Harvard law classmates that she’s just as intelligent as any other Ivy league student even though she’s a Los Angeles blonde and sorority princess. Rather than let the flak and discrimination weigh her down, she works extra hard.
For many jobs, the possibilities for growth are endless. If staying the same isn’t doing it for you, muse about ways in which you can alter and improve your work habits. Let’s say you’ve spent a year making sales calls for a company and would like to alter your duties. Chances are, your job still needs to get done and you can’t switch to another department, but approach your supervisor about different tasks you can take on in addition to your expected responsibilities. Get creative, be willing to pick up more work, and increase your stamina.
Ask what more you can to do get a raise/promotion
After you’ve healed from the wounds of being shut down, inquire about what more you need to do to earn the raise you’ve wanted for a long time. If the business budget is tight, say you’d like to know how to get an earnings boost once your company is in a position to provide you with a higher paycheck. Show that you have a good attitude and won’t let this kind of rejection discourage you from working hard.
Williams noted that it’s normal for bosses to forget about your accomplishments because they’re busy overseeing everything else going on. Hence, take initiative and approach your superiors about your hard work. They don’t have time to hover over everyone 24/7, so remind them of what you’re doing.
“If you don’t remind her of all of the achievements you’ve worked [hard] to accomplish – both the ones that have benefited your own growth and those that have served the company – she’ll never fully realize your true worth,” Williams said. “Remember, in the majority of cases, the only person stopping you from getting that raise or promotion is you! Have you sat down with your boss and talked about your position, projects and yearly goals? You can’t sit back and wait for a raise to come to you – you have to fight for it. In this suffering economy, raises and bonuses are scarce – there are only so many dollars to go around. You need to speak up and ask for what you deserve.”
Interview your buddy about what he/she did to get the raise
You may think you deserved to move up just as much as your coworker, but obviously, they took a slightly different path than you to get ahead. Ask your friend what he/she thinks ultimately landed them the reward and you can perhaps do the same. Take their advice into account and you may be able to get a career boost sooner than you originally anticipated.
After you’ve had this conversation, spend some time mulling over other ways your coworker got ahead. Judith Gerberg, a career counselor based in New York City, says employees should ask themselves what their coworker did to earn the raise in the first place.
“What had your colleague contributed to the company? Was her raise (separate from yours) justified?” Gerberg said. “If I was denied a raise I would probe to see what you would need to do to receive one going forward.”
Williams offered similar advice and suggested putting the disappointment and letdown to good use by working twice as hard.
“In terms of your colleague, take a look at the way she performs and consider if you can take a cue from her,” Williams said. “At the end of the day, jealousy isn’t pretty. Use your frustration as a source of inspiration. You want that raise and really dislike how you feel? Give your work all you’ve got and make sure you don’t miss out the next time around.”
Present the data and facts
If a promotion or raise are really important to you, compile evidence of your results and contributions for your employer. Social media managers can explain how much the company Twitter and Facebook pages have grown in popularity since taking on the role. Internet scribes can print out Google Analytics page view data to show readers love their work. Saleswomen can list their number of clients. Your supervisors can’t monitor the entire staff’s performance 24/7, but if you remind them of what you’re up to and present the facts, your chances of getting what you want go up.
Shop around your resume
Working a job that’s not right for you is similar to dating a guy who just isn’t the one. To achieve ultimate happiness, you’re eventually going to have to move on.
In some cases, there’s nothing you can do to receive an increase in pay or promotion. Perhaps your skills only suit the company at your current level. If you find you cannot get ahead because your talents will always and forever only work in a specific position at the office, think about applying to other organizations and companies that will optimize your abilities and provide you with opportunities for growth and advancement.
If you’re not ready to leave your job yet but need some time to yourself, ask your boss for a few extra vacation days. It’s the least they can do if they’ve slighted you.
“If you DO think you have done an exemplary job and deserve some compensation, don’t forget to inquire about perks,” Williams said. “You could ask for an extra vacation day, flexible hours, work from home options…Companies want to keep their valued employees happy and should be willing to compromise.”
Laura Donovan is an editor and writer for Levo.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly424p0xmc1rnojvoo1_1280.jpg)
By Laura Donovan
From time to time, it’s painful to say congratulations.
You face many occupational hazards as a young professional, but among the hardest is trying to applaud a close coworker who gets a promotion after you’ve been denied one, especially if the two of you deliver identical results and have been employed at the organization for the same amount of time. As excited as you may be for your tireless buddy, internal questions like, “Why him/her and not me?” and “Why couldn’t we both get the recognition we deserve?” cloud your thoughts and may even discourage you from putting forth your best effort.
When your contributions appear less valued than those of another staffer, it’s easy to mentally check out of your position, resent your superiors, and gripe about being unappreciated.
“No one likes to be overlooked and outshined, especially at work,” career expert and bestselling author Nicole Williams told the Levo (League).
Complaints and negativity won’t help you move forward, however, and they have the potential to even get you fired, so here are our suggestions for getting ahead in the aftermath of an office BFF scoring the raise you’d been eyeing forever. Remember: One person’s accomplishments say nothing about your own worth, so try to stay positive as you sort through your emotions on the matter.
Be your buddy’s cheerleader
When a friend gets promoted and you don’t, you experience several feelings. You’re thrilled for your buddy but unsure why you couldn’t have been in his/her place. I’m familiar with the bittersweet duality of being happy for friends moving up and onto greater pastures and sad that I remain unexciting. If one of your friends earns a promotion or salary increase, cheer your pal on and invite him/her out to lunch to celebrate (but ask him/her to foot the bill!).
“If you are relatively happy in your job you do not want to overreact,” Lynn Berger, a career coach in New York City, told the Levo (League). “Simply congratulate your co-worker and try to understand why they got the raise. After a brief period of time you may want to meet with your boss and discuss how and when you can earn a raise not focusing on why the other person got the raise but how you can achieve success.”
It’s wonderful and inspiring to see officemates thrive, even if you have yet to tackle your own world domination plans, so be thankful that someone at work is succeeding. It’s great for your working environment and could even boost morale. You’ll have your day and shining moment, but until then, send good wishes to your buddy.
Don’t change your pace
When you feel your efforts have been ignored, you may lose incentive to produce high quality work. Don’t go down this road. Continue with your rock star ways and maintain an open attitude.
Lindsay, Cross, a writer for professional women’s site The Grindstone, told the Levo (League) that she knows how it feels to be overlooked for a promotion.
“To be honest, getting passed over for the promotion was extremely difficult,” Cross said. “I had a hard time working with the person who got the job. But…I could understand why my company made their choice and I really just wanted to prove that they had made the wrong decision. In that circumstance, I needed to stay and continue to work hard. The person who was given the job actually didn’t last through their 90-day review and I was promoted after they left. However, if I had been passed over numerous times for a promotion, then I think you need to start looking at other options.”
Step up your game
Growing up, my father would advise me to “get mad at it” any time something upset me. When I was unhappy about making minimum wage at my high school food service job, he told me to “get mad at it” and put in more hours rather than mope about being underpaid. That’s the philosophy you should employ at the office, even when extremely disappointed. Think of tenacious California girl, Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde” as she proves to her ex-boyfriend and Harvard law classmates that she’s just as intelligent as any other Ivy league student even though she’s a Los Angeles blonde and sorority princess. Rather than let the flak and discrimination weigh her down, she works extra hard.
For many jobs, the possibilities for growth are endless. If staying the same isn’t doing it for you, muse about ways in which you can alter and improve your work habits. Let’s say you’ve spent a year making sales calls for a company and would like to alter your duties. Chances are, your job still needs to get done and you can’t switch to another department, but approach your supervisor about different tasks you can take on in addition to your expected responsibilities. Get creative, be willing to pick up more work, and increase your stamina.
Ask what more you can to do get a raise/promotion
After you’ve healed from the wounds of being shut down, inquire about what more you need to do to earn the raise you’ve wanted for a long time. If the business budget is tight, say you’d like to know how to get an earnings boost once your company is in a position to provide you with a higher paycheck. Show that you have a good attitude and won’t let this kind of rejection discourage you from working hard.
Williams noted that it’s normal for bosses to forget about your accomplishments because they’re busy overseeing everything else going on. Hence, take initiative and approach your superiors about your hard work. They don’t have time to hover over everyone 24/7, so remind them of what you’re doing.
“If you don’t remind her of all of the achievements you’ve worked [hard] to accomplish – both the ones that have benefited your own growth and those that have served the company – she’ll never fully realize your true worth,” Williams said. “Remember, in the majority of cases, the only person stopping you from getting that raise or promotion is you! Have you sat down with your boss and talked about your position, projects and yearly goals? You can’t sit back and wait for a raise to come to you – you have to fight for it. In this suffering economy, raises and bonuses are scarce – there are only so many dollars to go around. You need to speak up and ask for what you deserve.”
Interview your buddy about what he/she did to get the raise
You may think you deserved to move up just as much as your coworker, but obviously, they took a slightly different path than you to get ahead. Ask your friend what he/she thinks ultimately landed them the reward and you can perhaps do the same. Take their advice into account and you may be able to get a career boost sooner than you originally anticipated.
After you’ve had this conversation, spend some time mulling over other ways your coworker got ahead. Judith Gerberg, a career counselor based in New York City, says employees should ask themselves what their coworker did to earn the raise in the first place.
“What had your colleague contributed to the company? Was her raise (separate from yours) justified?” Gerberg said. “If I was denied a raise I would probe to see what you would need to do to receive one going forward.”
Williams offered similar advice and suggested putting the disappointment and letdown to good use by working twice as hard.
“In terms of your colleague, take a look at the way she performs and consider if you can take a cue from her,” Williams said. “At the end of the day, jealousy isn’t pretty. Use your frustration as a source of inspiration. You want that raise and really dislike how you feel? Give your work all you’ve got and make sure you don’t miss out the next time around.”
Present the data and facts
If a promotion or raise are really important to you, compile evidence of your results and contributions for your employer. Social media managers can explain how much the company Twitter and Facebook pages have grown in popularity since taking on the role. Internet scribes can print out Google Analytics page view data to show readers love their work. Saleswomen can list their number of clients. Your supervisors can’t monitor the entire staff’s performance 24/7, but if you remind them of what you’re up to and present the facts, your chances of getting what you want go up.
Shop around your resume
Working a job that’s not right for you is similar to dating a guy who just isn’t the one. To achieve ultimate happiness, you’re eventually going to have to move on.
In some cases, there’s nothing you can do to receive an increase in pay or promotion. Perhaps your skills only suit the company at your current level. If you find you cannot get ahead because your talents will always and forever only work in a specific position at the office, think about applying to other organizations and companies that will optimize your abilities and provide you with opportunities for growth and advancement.
If you’re not ready to leave your job yet but need some time to yourself, ask your boss for a few extra vacation days. It’s the least they can do if they’ve slighted you.
“If you DO think you have done an exemplary job and deserve some compensation, don’t forget to inquire about perks,” Williams said. “You could ask for an extra vacation day, flexible hours, work from home options…Companies want to keep their valued employees happy and should be willing to compromise.”
Laura Donovan is an editor and writer for Levo.
