Dear Cindy – Unfair Promotion!

A coworker recently got a promotion that I feel should have gone to me. I'm angry, because I'm more qualified and have been at this hospital longer than "Joe" has. What makes me even angrier, is that I found out that Joe, who has a side job as a landscaper, helped to landscape the manager's front yard before the promotion! Should I confront my manager?

Sincerely,

Angry!

That must've been a spectacular landscaping job if someone was promoted in a healthcare field because of it. Perhaps the manager had a body that he needed to have disposed of and the Mafia was booked up?

But seriously: You may have been at the hospital longer, but how do you know you're more qualified? Have you seen Joe's résumé? What's his earlier experience like? What about his education? Does he have more/higher education than you? Are his interpersonal or people-management skills better? Has he been more helpful and/or been pulling extra duty (e.g., committee work, extra hours)? Can he play politics better?

Look for an opportunity to ask your manager why your promotion was declined (in favor of Joe's), and what you can do to make your application stronger. If the manager can't come up with legitimate reasons to explain why Joe is better qualified, you will have the satisfaction of having your suspicions confirmed. However, there's probably nothing you can do unless you want to open a very large can of worms.