I used to work at a consulting firm as an entry level analyst. Consulting seriously wasn’t for me. I refused to work overtime (aka free labor) so I was always passed over for a promotion. My manager said I needed to show I could DO the job of the next level before they actually gave me a promotion. Correct me if I’m wrong, but why should I put in 100s of hours of free labor? I did my normal job sufficiently and successfully. How is that enough for a promotion?
To add – the duties of the next level up weren’t terribly different. Just a bit more client interaction and helping with proposals. But honestly, I was kind of barred from interacting with clients due to my title and it wasn’t my place to go after new contracts. So how the hell was I supposed to get promoted? I eventually left. But this still bothers me. I always had good performance reviews. No serious issues. I feel like they never even gave me the opportunity to do the things I needed to do to get promoted besides extra grunt work. Anyone else?