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Yes, the golden promise of career progression an internal promotion within the company is set in motion. You’ve heard it all before— “We promote from within,” “Opportunities are there for those who look,” and my personal favourite, “We recognise talent.”
And for a moment you believe them. You update your CV, put your best foot forward and sit through an interview where they nod along at your ‘ambition’. You leave feeling hopeful. This could be it. This could be your time.
Then weeks later, the internal email arrives:
“We appreciate your interest. However, after careful consideration we have decided to offer the role to Giles. No doubt you will offer your congratulations to Giles!”
Of course. Giles.
The same Giles who accidentally got copied into high level strategy meetings.
The same Giles who once called a spreadsheet a “data thingy” but still got invited to that off-site strategy session.
The same Giles who once networked with the CEO over a £200 company funded steak while you ate a meal deal at your desk.
And now Giles is your new boss.
Now you sit at your desk staring at the screen wondering if they’ll ever notice your talent. Or if you’ll spend the next 5 years watching Giles fast track his career while you take on more responsibilities for the same salary.
And as expected leadership swoops in with their classic reassurance:
“Your time will come.”
Yes, the corporate fairytale. A bedtime story told to employees who work hard but aren’t quite Giles enough to be noticed.
Will it though? Will your time ever come? Or will it always be “soon” (the disguise for the corporate “career carrot”) which in business terms means never?
And that’s when it hits you. Maybe it’s not you. Maybe it’s them.
Because let’s face it if they valued you, they’d have promoted you by now. If they truly recognised your talent you wouldn’t need to sit through these theatre productions disguised as “internal hiring processes”. You’d already be in the job.
And while you could sit there smile politely and wait for the next Giles to be parachuted into a leadership role you could also do something radical.
You could leave. Because out there—beyond the corporate gaslighting and the annual “we value you” emails—there’s a company that doesn’t just say it recognises talent but actually rewards it. A place where progression isn’t reserved for the boss’s favourite pub buddy but for those who genuinely deserve it.
And suddenly updating your CV and going for that new role doesn’t seem like such a bother.
It seems like… freedom.
Final Thought. So when will there be the next “internal promotion” and remember the only thing that’s coming is another Giles (or Jemima)
Question is… will you still be there to congratulate them?
