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I have been in my current role for 2.5 half years as an administrative assistant. The role has been good to me, but I have reached a point where I want to do more and this position does not really allow for growth. I finish all of my work very quickly and have a lot of free time in between. I don't forsee the people above me retiring anytime soon, so I don't want to wait it out. In the time I have been in this position, I have had about 3-4 internal interviews. It is disheartening because I don't have any reprimands or even a bad reputation, yet I continue to be passed over. Out of 4 interviews, I have known at least 2 of the interviewers, but when I ask for feedback they say that I present myself very confidently, but what it boils down to is job related experience. The truth is that I know that I can learn some of the skills that I am lacking. I work in government so my benefits are great, but I yearn for something more. I a: matter what I do, it is never enough.
The bold print area of your statement gives the answer why you are not being promoted. You are applying for jobs that you are not trained to handle, and think you can learn some of the skills you are lacking.
On the other hand, you are competing with other employees and outside applicants that can hit the ground running as they already have the skills you are lacking.
HM has two choices to choose from.
1: Promote or hire someone that already has the skills and experience to do the job right from the start.
2: OR, to promote you and have to have someone spend time from their own work to train you and help you develop the skills to do the job which could take as long as a year to get you fully trained.
They will take the #1 every time, because if they promote you, the person training you are not able to devote their time to their present job, and may require others having to do part of their work during the training period. It is not cost effective to promote you to those jobs you dream of having.
The only way you will be promoted is there are no other applicants that have the training and experience to take over the job without extensive training.
You can bet that the one that interviewed you like she was wasting her time doing the interview that she had to give you due to your being an internal applicant, and she really resented losing the time away from other duties to interview someone she already knew was not qualified for the job.
2.5 years, you are still a rookie, a baby, and beside you already hired at the company, they got you right where they want you, the dead end job. you want the big man job even though you dont have the time served, go some where else. Not going get it there. and you need about seven years time serves before the seat change
I have been in this current role for 2.5 years but over all in October it will be a total of 6 years in the local government. I was promoted to the current position a few years ago.
Last edited by tigergirl87; 07-19-2018 at 08:52 AM..
there is no company, OP said she works for the government.
And Administrative Assistant is NOT an entry level position, many people stay in that role for their entire work career. It used to be called being a secretary, but the role can encompass much more than that.
I stand by my point that if OP hasn't grown her experience, the next step is to gain skills that make her qualified for another position, not to assume that the passage of time alone means you get a promotion, rather than the ability to do a different job.
Sorry for taking so long to reply back. You are accurate in what you are saying. I do work for local government and I am technicially titled a Sr. Administrative Assistant and there are serveral admins in different departments who have been doing their job for years. They really just want to put in their 20 years and retire. The city I work for has EXCELLENT benefits and it is very hard to go out into the private sector when you have superior benefits.
2.5 years isn't all that long but you are doing something wrong if you aren't being given additional responsibilities - both for your own personal growth but because you apparently don't have enough work to do. Have you asked your direct manager for additional work? Let them know you want to increase your skills and experience and take on the challenges of something new. You need to work your way into a promotion, not expect one to be handed to you with the promise that you'll learn what you need to know after you get there.
The person who was in the position before me was here for about 20+ years and was an older lady. I have changed the scope of the position in the sense as to how processes were carried out. The position requires a lot of coordination and I do mean a lot of coordination of calendars and various events. There is also an atmosphere of fierce competition and anytime one is perceived as excelling is they considered a threat. Although my immediate supervisor is an Executive Assistant she is not particularly respected. It irks her greatly when other departments come to me vs her. There was an instance where got noticiable upset when someone came by the office asking a question and told her that they were going to send her an email yet CC me when I am the subordinate.
I was thinking the same thing? What kind of promotion can you get as an Administrative Assistant? Executive Administrative Assistant? What kind of promotion or job are you looking for? Applying for?
Admin work is ok, but I am looking to do something that requires me to be a subject matter expert. I don't really care to manage or supervise, but would not mind being a paralegal, legal secretary, or even accounting specialist. I never was one who cared about making a six figure salary and really only want a 40 hour a week job. Here's the thing though, I get bored very easily. At my last job I work in a library and usually at the 2 yr mark, I get restless and want something new. I am not sure if this is normal.
Administrative assistant after 2.5 years doing a good job can't get promoted even after 4 internal interviews.
Here's your problem. They only see you in your current role. From the CEO on down. What you need to do, is look for job that is what you really want in another company and do your best to prepare for it by adding those skills. I know this seems odd, why can't you do that there, but that's how they see you as an AA, and don't think or want you to do anything else.
2.5 years is certainly long enough to be on that job and you have given it effort, so look elsewhere. If you really like that place, you take a promotion elsewhere and might come back there to work at even a higher level. It has been known to happen.
I wish you luck, but I really think you need to go outside the company to find a better role for yourself. You situation isn't uncommon.
Oh my goodness I agree with you! I am 30 years old but very freshed faced and there are times when people outside the company think I am an intern because of how I look. I am not an arrogant person by any means, but have been told that I am attractive, so I started to fear that people will always see me as the stereotypical pretty dimwitted secretary, when actuallity I am anything but that. I cannot change the way I look, but I really hate being type cast in certain roles. The only reason I stay is because of the benefits and job security.
I have been in my current role for 2.5 half years as an administrative assistant. The role has been good to me, but I have reached a point where I want to do more and this position does not really allow for growth. I finish all of my work very quickly and have a lot of free time in between. I don't forsee the people above me retiring anytime soon, so I don't want to wait it out. In the time I have been in this position, I have had about 3-4 internal interviews. It is disheartening because I don't have any reprimands or even a bad reputation, yet I continue to be passed over. Out of 4 interviews, I have known at least 2 of the interviewers, but when I ask for feedback they say that I present myself very confidently, but what it boils down to is job related experience. The truth is that I know that I can learn some of the skills that I am lacking. I work in government so my benefits are great, but I yearn for something more. I always take professional development classes through HR when they are available, but it seems like no matter what I do, it is never enough.
The saddest part of this all is that in my position, I have access to directors and work in the CEO's office so I have the ability to network, but I don't understand why I keep getting interviews, but am never selected for these jobs when my work ethic speaks for itself. I never had a desire for managment or supervisory work, but would like to do something different than what I am doing now. Does anyone have any advice regarding my predicament? I get paid fairly good for what I do, but I don't want to be pigeonholed into my role.
Finally, the first interview I had the person basically grilled me and upon me walking into the interview she looked me up and down in a bad way, so I knew my chances of success were going to be low, lol.
Ok - so you don't have any reprimands or a bad reputation. Do you have a good reputation? Are you known for your attention to detail, for getting things done accurately and quickly? During your downtime, are you known for offering to pick up where help is needed? Are you a "go to" person?
You have to make yourself seem valuable to your employer "Gosh, I don't know what we would do if tigergirl87 wasn't here." "I know I can count on tigergirl87" blah, blah, blah.
Look for outside professional development opportunities. Not just those offered by your HR. And opportunities that are meaningful for the positions in which you aspire. Work on those skills you are lacking now. If you want to be an accounting specialist, take some accounting classes. If you want to be paralegal, take some paralegal studies classes. Don't wait until you have the job to start working on your professional growth.
The person who was in the position before me was here for about 20+ years and was an older lady. I have changed the scope of the position in the sense as to how processes were carried out. The position requires a lot of coordination and I do mean a lot of coordination of calendars and various events. There is also an atmosphere of fierce competition and anytime one is perceived as excelling is they considered a threat. Although my immediate supervisor is an Executive Assistant she is not particularly respected. It irks her greatly when other departments come to me vs her. There was an instance where got noticiable upset when someone came by the office asking a question and told her that they were going to send her an email yet CC me when I am the subordinate.
Well, that changes the picture. I would consider thinking about a lateral move to get into a different department with better dynamics where you'd have an easier time of moving up. If being a paralegal sounds interesting to you, try getting into the legal department in an admin role and get to know the work in that department, and work your way into a paralegal role. As a lawyer, I don't necessarily recommend taking paralegal classes - a degree and experience is fine and many attorneys prefer to train someone do things the way THEY want rather than how a paralegal program does it. But you could talk to the people in that department and see if they do recommend any programs or courses, because of course talk to 2 attorneys and you'll get at least 3 opinions!
The bold print area of your statement gives the answer why you are not being promoted. You are applying for jobs that you are not trained to handle, and think you can learn some of the skills you are lacking.
On the other hand, you are competing with other employees and outside applicants that can hit the ground running as they already have the skills you are lacking.
HM has two choices to choose from.
1: Promote or hire someone that already has the skills and experience to do the job right from the start.
2: OR, to promote you and have to have someone spend time from their own work to train you and help you develop the skills to do the job which could take as long as a year to get you fully trained.
They will take the #1 every time, because if they promote you, the person training you are not able to devote their time to their present job, and may require others having to do part of their work during the training period. It is not cost effective to promote you to those jobs you dream of having.
The only way you will be promoted is there are no other applicants that have the training and experience to take over the job without extensive training.
You can bet that the one that interviewed you like she was wasting her time doing the interview that she had to give you due to your being an internal applicant, and she really resented losing the time away from other duties to interview someone she already knew was not qualified for the job.
I work in a local government so the people who usually do the hiring it self would be the director or managers of the particular department. In the municipality this seems to be a bit of a pattern. Let me give you 2 examples. I have a friend who works down in Engineering and has been there for over 15 years. She had the degree and the experience as the position she applied for was within her department. Her manager, who was also the one who made the hiring decision , went with an internal employee but she was in a completely different department and had to be "trained" for this position. I am not going to pretend I know all of the details, but after talking with my friend she is very dissapointed and her hiring manager attempted to pacify. She was of course upset by this and the manager in question attempted to come up with some bogus excuses, but the new hire required a lot of training and this was a high level managerial position, and the new hire just recently got her Bachelor's 5-6 months.
The same instance also happened to someone who has been in Human Resources Generalist where he has been in his position for a while (as most gov. employees) and he was passed over for someone from another municipality. Again, he had the degree, the seniority and he had the skillset for this position, knew the company culture particular to that department and they went outside. So, I have to disagree with you when you say that they want someone who can hit the ground running because in both cases the individuals they hired had to be trained as one was an outside hire and the other was from a different department.
You may ask how I know these things, well the department that I am currently employed in makes me privy to a lot of information that others would not have and I also have a lot of contact with different departments due to the nature of my position.
Last edited by tigergirl87; 07-19-2018 at 10:49 AM..
but what it boils down to is job related experience. The truth is that I know that I can learn some of the skills that I am lacking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tigergirl87
Admin work is ok, but I am looking to do something that requires me to be a subject matter expert. I don't really care to manage or supervise, but would not mind being a paralegal, legal secretary, or even accounting specialist. I never was one who cared about making a six figure salary and really only want a 40 hour a week job. Here's the thing though, I get bored very easily. At my last job I work in a library and usually at the 2 yr mark, I get restless and want something new. I am not sure if this is normal.
What steps are you taking to invest in yourself and your career? Have you taken recent classes or earned certifications in those areas? Internal promotions can be challenging to get because you need to demonstrating that you have been preparing yourself for the next step in your career, beyond mastering your current responsibilities.
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