'Most Senior Person Eligible' Rejected At Promotion Interview Despite Troubleshooting For Manager, Training Newbies; Here's Why

Getting a promotion at work is not easy, but a viral Reddit post has gone viral for highlighting just how unfair it can sometimes be. An employee, who described themself as the most senior and qualified candidate for a promotion, shared how they were rejected for a surprising reason.

Taking to Reddit, the employee explained that although they had spent nearly four years in the job, handling everything from scanning documents and updating databases to helping people find old permits, they were denied when asked for a promotion. The reason? “You make it look too easy”.

Take a look at the Reddit post below

"I’m not allowed to grow?"

Describing what they were doing as “boring stuff”, they looked for a level up. That’s when their manager replied, “You’re so efficient in your current role that we’d struggle to replace you. You make it look too easy”. That reason, they said, left them stunned. “So basically, because I’m good at my job, I’m not allowed to grow?”, the employee asked rhetorically in the post.

“I was easily the most senior person eligible,” they wrote, adding that the interview “went fine.” But to their disappointment, they didn’t get the better role.

Over time, the Redditor had become the go-to person for troubleshooting, even for his own manager, and had trained the last two new hires. Confident in their abilities, they applied for a promotion that offered slightly more pay and autonomy.

Who got that promotion?

“Now I’m stuck pretending I care about tasks I could do in my sleep,” they wrote.

To make matters worse, the promotion was given to a colleague who had only joined the team six months earlier.

Despite the rejection, the employee made it clear they weren’t planning a dramatic exit.

“I’m not quitting. Not staging a rebellion. I’m just here. Clocking in. Doing exactly what's asked. No more, no less.”

Published on: Wednesday, May 21, 2025, 02:39 PM IST