12 reasons why you didn’t get the job or promotion (and what to do about it)

Here is the raw truth that might be difficult, but necessary to hear. And if they feel like they hit so close to home, that’s not a coincidence. These are all from real situations— lived experiences of myself, clients, and others throughout their careers. Sharing with you so you can avoid these same mistakes.

1/ You’re only seen as a “doer”.

Hard workers aren’t always the ones who will get the promotion or get the job. Stop taking so much pride in being a “doer”. Instead, notice how leaders enable others to do, how they inspire teams to get motivated, and how they lay out a long-term vision. These are the types of qualities that usually get noticed much more than just doing the work.

2/ You think your work speaks for itself.

Just doing the work alone is not enough. No matter what you were taught, you need to realize and understand that if you don’t advocate for yourself, nobody else will when you’re not in the room. I’m not saying to be boastful and overly confident even when you don’t know anything about the topic (you know the type of person I’m talking about). Just remember that doing the work, and talking about + sharing the impact of your work with your manager and others is okay. It’s not bragging. In fact, it serves as a good reminder of what type of impact you have beyond just yourself. Managers are busy also and they are humans. They forget. The more you can share about the impact of your work, the more top of mind it is for them and others–especially when you’re not in the room.

3/ There is a gap between how well you think you do your job versus what your manager experiences.

Have you had a real, honest discussion with your manager about how they view your work? How they experience your abilities? Often, I have clients coming to me frustrated and saying their manager doesn’t “see” what they do and they don’t feel appreciated. “What evidence do you have that shows your manager doesn’t appreciate your work?” is sometimes a question that I ask. At the same time, it’s important to also ask yourself if you’ve asked your manager these two simple questions:

“What is something that I should continue to do more of?”
“What is something that I should do less of?”

4/ You’re not clear on what your manager cares about.

Your manager is there to do a job and to create results for the team and the company. In order to land that promotion or get that job offer, you have to know your audience. Sometimes, that audience isn’t just your manager. Maybe they care about how they look in front of their boss. Maybe they care about how efficient the team is being. Maybe they care about the team survey results. You have to understand who your manager is and see what motivates them. Then, position yourself to be part of the solution which brings them that thing they care about.

5/ You’re doing too many things.

More is not always good. If you are the type to raise your hand and accept many projects and be involved with everything, it’s time to pause and see how you can be more intentional about your time and energy. Being involved and “visible” on projects is not always a good thing. It’s better to do your core work and maybe do 1-2 other projects great, versus just sustaining your core work and doing 3-4 other projects decent. Decency and “good” doesn’t distinguish you from the others when it comes to promotions and job offers.

6/ You talk about getting a new job or promotion too much.

Can you think of a kid who asks their parents for ice cream and the parents keep saying no. Yet, the kid continues to ask, hoping and expecting a different answer each time? Don’t be that kid. It’s okay to know what you want and to ask for it–at the same time, there is an art to balancing between being firm/assertive with confidence, versus being downright annoying. Put together a strategy with how you want to approach the job promotion pitch or how you want to show up in your job interview. Don’t just find every single time slot you can and fit that conversation in.

7/ You tell yourself and others that you don’t “play into the politics”.

If you’re ignoring or simply not acknowledging the fact that politics are everywhere, then you’ve already lost when it comes to getting that job promotion or successful job interview. Politics is about knowing your audience. It’s about communication. It’s about influence. You don’t have to be fake about it, but you definitely need to know how to articulate your message and understand that politics very much exist everywhere. At the end of the day, managers are humans. Humans have bias. Humans have comfort zones. Humans have complex emotions. Humans have certain perceptions which are formed by their past experiences. Seeing these and knowing how to approach certain types of people and situations is often labeled as “politics” in the workplace. Don’t ignore all of that.

8/ You jump into problem solving mode quickly whenever issues arise.

Sometimes our instinct (especially for high achieving people) is to jump in and solve something. To put out the fires. But how often do you see those people who “put out the fires” or burn the midnight candle get promoted or get recognized with a great job offer? Not as much as others. Because managers aren’t necessarily looking for you to solve a problem as quickly as possible or work as hard as possible. They are assessing how resourceful you are. How innovative you are. How expansive your thinking is. They want to understand how you approach problem solving. They want to know that if you are thrown into a future uncertain situation, that you can figure it out. They want resilience. They want resourcefulness. They want flexibility. That’s what they want to know about you–not just how quickly you can jump in.

9/ You don’t spend enough time on building relationships.

Similar to the politics one–you must not be a lone wolf. Being a lone wolf can only get you so far, and only for very niche types of roles. Decision makers are humans and humans rely on patterns and information. Humans are also social beings (yes, even the introverts like me). If you don’t focus some of your time and energy on relationship building or, yes, the cringy word “networking”, then you are limiting your own growth and influence.

10/ You think of a brand solely as a product, not yourself.

Just like any brand out in the market, you are something that people experience. You have to start thinking of yourself as a brand. You are representing that brand in every interaction. Every meeting. Every email. If you show up without consistency or authenticity, people will see right through that and they will stop “buying” from you. Think of yourself more as a brand, and be intentional about what qualities you want to represent as your own brand.

11/ You secretly are very hard on yourself in your mind

If you show up confidently and speak confidently, but deep down don’t FEEL that, nothing else will matter. Others will be able to smell it out of you. That imposter syndrome will reek and it won’t matter what you say or how confidently you want to portray yourself as. Put in the inner work to truly feel confident in your capabilities, your knowledge, and your experience. You don’t have to do it alone either. Get a coach, a mentor, a trusted guide to start practicing that self assurance. If you don’t believe it yourself and if you’re telling yourself harsh things in your mind, it will come across in any job interview or conversation.

12/ You’re scripting and memorizing your interview responses

Stop trying to come up with the “best” answer and stop writing everything out. As humans, if we write something out and have pages and pages of notes in front of us, we will have a mental and emotional reliance on those notes. Which then makes us come across much less natural–even if you’re not reading from those notes. Yes, you can write out some of your thoughts but do not spend so much time scripting out responses and memorizing them. Remember, you are your own brand. And a brand isn’t something you “create” for yourself. It’s something you live. Stop thinking you need to have the most insightful, profound answer. Instead, focus more time on using clear, simple words to articulate your message in a way that feels most natural to you. When you’re natural and confident, the person you’re talking to will feel more at ease and pleasant.

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About Ricky Koo

Ricky Koo is a seasoned corporate executive, entrepreneur, and certified Leadership & Communication Coach with a passion for helping professionals lead with authenticity and impact. With a background in Psychology and as a former Big 4 CPA, he built a distinguished career in Fortune 500 companies across banking, consulting, and technology, leading global teams and navigating complex business environments. Ricky’s unique perspective and strong instincts as a business leader enable him to successfully guide people through challenging situations while developing and fostering strong cultures.

As an instructor for UC Berkeley Extension, he passionately blends a strong technical foundation with real-world leadership experience to deliver transformative learnings on communication, influence, leadership, and career development. His approach bridges science with practicality, creating meaningful impact for audiences worldwide—from the classroom to the boardroom.

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