Coworkers spend 6 weeks competing for management position, company hires external candidate instead: 'We're trying to recalibrate'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Apr 28, 2026 7:45 PM EDT

Should a company interview internally and externally at the same time?

Technically speaking, there is nothing wrong with this practice in most industries. If professional success really is meritocracy, then it makes sense that they want to heighten their chances of finding the candidate who is the best fit for the role. That is not always going to come from the employees who already work there.

Still, it is frustrating to have the opportunity of career progression dangled in front of you, only for it to be snatched away by a person who hasn't even been tried and tested yet. A company that retains employees and reports a high level of job satisfaction is usually the kind to nurture and reward the talents of those whom they have already hired, not ignore them in favor of something shiny and new. This is part of what makes the hiring process a temperamental practice. It can destabilize the workplace dynamic.

When a potential promotion turns into the disappointment of adjusting to a new manager, there are two ways to go about things. Either you try to make it work with what you have, or you start to look for a job elsewhere. The likelihood is that you will not be seeing much professional progress if you stay where you are.

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  • A young businesswoman smiles, holding a laptop under one arm and putting her hand in her pocket with the other, as her colleagues sit behind her out of focus
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A young businesswoman smiles, holding a laptop under one arm and putting her hand in her pocket with the other, as her colleagues sit behind her out of focus

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • In this story, three coworkers competed against each other when a new senior manager opportunity was advertised on their team. They spent six weeks preparing to interview for the role, and nobody was sure who would be successful.

    Everybody was shocked to hear that the new manager was going to be an external candidate, and what's more, she was going to be directly managing all of those who had interviewed for her role. The established employees were disappointed and left wondering how to proceed now that their prospects had been dashed. 

  • My company hired someone externally for a role three of us internally interviewed for and put her directly in charge of the people who applied

    Quick bit of context, been here almost four years, project management, mid- sized company, the kind of place that regularly talks about investing in its people and promoting from within. When the Senior Manager role came
    via PinkTemp-tress
  • up above our team it felt like a genuine opportunity, three of us applied, went through the full process, two rounds of interviews, presentations, the works.
    via PinkTemp-tress
  • The whole thing took about six weeks. Six weeks of preparing, of quietly recalibrating your sense of what your career here looks like, of trying to act completely normal in the office while knowing your colleagues sitting nearby are going for the same thing.
    via PinkTemp-tress
  • Then last month HR emailed to say the role had been filled and we'd each be getting individual feedback sessions. Before any of those sessions actually happened, the new hire appeared for her first day.
    via PinkTemp-tress
  • She seems perfectly fine as a person, that's almost beside the point. The point is that all three of us now report directly to someone brought in from outside while our feedback sessions still haven't happened, rescheduled twice now with no real explanation. So we're
    via PinkTemp-tress
  • sitting in team meetings with her, taking direction, giving updates, trying to recalibrate professionally, without ever having been given a proper explanation of why we weren't considered good enough for a role we've essentially been orbiting for years.
    via PinkTemp-tress
  • The atmosphere between the three of us has shifted too, nobody's said anything directly but there's a certain collective deflation that everyone can feel and nobody wants to name out loud.
    via PinkTemp-tress
  • One colleague who has been here six years and genuinely deserved the role has gone very quiet in the last few weeks. The kind of quiet that usually means someone is updating their CV.
    via PinkTemp-tress
  • Did the company have the right to do this? Absolutely. Does it sting in a way that's quite hard to articulate? Unreasonably so. Has anyone been through this and actually stayed? How long did it take to feel normal again?
    via PinkTemp-tress
  • Cheezburger Image 10627370496
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A young businesswoman holding a laptop takes a call on her cellphone with her colleagues sitting behind her

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • redrosebeetle Don't stay. You know what your teammates are doing? They're looking for jobs right now. Jobs that you're qualified for. But they're going to get those jobs and you're going to be stuck in a workplace that doesn't want to advance you. You'll be left picking the leftovers.
    via redrosebeetle
  • Ragnarsworld Time to go. They clearly don't think you or your coworkers are good enough for the job. Or maybe the new hire is someone's father's, brother's, nephew's, cousin's, former roommate. Either way, bail as soon as you can find something better.
    via Ragnarsworld
  • wanderlustpassion Try 4 months of interviewing for a job you have already been backfilling for years only to find out the went with an external candidate.
    via wanderlustpassion
  • Soggy-Attempt Time to level. You've hit your ceiling with this company.
    via Soggy-Attempt
  • LastOfTheAsparagus Unfortunately this happens all the time.
    via LastOfTheAsparagus
  • Ok_Young 1709 It does happen a lot sadly. I've not seen it happen in my teams, which is honestly shocking considering the teams I have worked for, but it does. They don't appreciate you, so your best option is to leave.
    via Ok_Young1709
  • PastrychefPikachu One of a few things happened. They either felt you were too valuable in your current position, and having to fill your current role was more of hassle than they wanted to deal with, or they saw something lacking in your leadership style.
    via PastrychefPikachu
  • Either way, you have two options. Accept you weren't promoted and keep going, or move on and look for another job. The choice is yours.
    via PastrychefPikachu

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promotion boss employee manager work coworkers workplace job interview
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