It's time to say the quiet part out loud. Have you ever wondered why upper leadership are so terrible at their roles, have no expertise related to their core functions, and can hardly string together a coherent sentence? It's because they were never qualified to begin with. VPs, Sr. Directors, Directors, etc., they're school mates, college roommates, they attend the same church. That incompetent Associate Director who somehow gets away with doing no work at all? Well, the VP just so happens to be his uncle Dave. Uncle Dave even fashioned the role description with his nephew in mind. The truth is that...you never had a chance.
The recruiters are aligning the resumes of their friends and families to hiring manager specifications, and influencing the hiring decisions. Think you're a perfect fit for the role? Well, so does the recruiter. So much so, that they ensure your resume isn't seen by a hiring manager. It's important for them to quell the competition, after all.
Nepotism and Cronyism aren't new, but have increased in this abysmal job market. If you're not getting interviews, you aren't to blame. If you're making it to the final rounds of interviews but have no luck, it’s because you're being used by the hiring manager to meet an interview quota...they were never genuinely interested in you.
For all you overachievers who are excellent at your roles, your leadership feels the same way—which is precisely why you're being blocked from promotion. They want you to remain right where you are.
So, don't blame yourself. You're not imagining things and you haven't done anything wrong. You are just navigating a system that was never made for you to win. The good managers who support their teams are purged while Incompetence reigns supreme. But don't give up. If VP uncle Dave is trying to squeeze his niece or nephew into that management role...let's not make it easy for him 😉.