Would like some input on work/promotion situation

I'm in a frustrating situation at work and would like some advice/input. This might be kinda long and it involves a very large retail chain so I won't use any names.
I worked in the receiving department of a massive retailer(I'll call it company A) for 22 years, four years ago I decided to semi retire so I gave my notice and left on good terms.
I got kinda bored so after a year off I decided to get a part time job with company A's competitor doing the same thing, working in receiving.
Fast forward to a month ago which at this point I had been with the company 3 years, my supervisor advised me that a full time position was opening up and to apply for it if I wanted to, since full time means a raise and full benefits so I applied.
About a week after I received an email telling me that I was not selected for an interview so I kinda brushed it off thinking they went with someone in the company with more seniority but it turns out they hired someone off the street which is very un-usual for a full time position.
So a few days later I hear that the guy failed his background check and the position was opened again so I apply again got another "you were not selected" and another person was hired off the street.
So at this point I'm kinda frustrated wondering why not only did I not get the position why I wasn't even interviewed so I politely asked my manager and he had no answer saying he doesn't select interviewee's he just does the interviews and he would ask the HR lady. A week goes by and he never asks the HR lady so I decided to, I asked nicely why I was passed up for an interview twice and it was obvious she wasn't ready for the question, she stared at me doe eyed then says "uhhh, I'll have to ask the store manager" so a week later I still don't have an answer.
So, even if I straight up ask should the company give me the reason I was passed up? I'm assuming no.
I've been racking my brain, I've got perfect attendance, I'm respectful and do my job quickly and efficiently and 25 years experience.
Just a few days ago my supervisor vents to me what a disaster the new guy is, always on his phone, has no experience and has caught him sleeping a few times.
Maybe this is just the way things are done now, pick an employee with a computer program or hire who the government tells you to hire. It also sucks that almost all communication is via text and emails.
Guess this was more of a rant than search for advise

 

Quite the bumber, sorry to hear about you being passed up twice. If it’s not about your performance, etc. I would definitely start the search and move onward. Since you left off great with company A why not return there?

 

First thought in my head is that maybe they think they can get the guy off the street for cheaper.

Other than that I don’t think it hurts to ask - especially if you frame it as a “I’d like to know how to do better” scenario.

 

Sounds like age discrimination but that's hard to prove. I've dealt with that before myself. Document your meetings and questions in case you have a case and want to pursue it.

 

It was overnight position and I about had enough of living like a vampire lol

 

Agh, yeah been there. That will do it

 

A fellow employee thinks the same. The manager that hired me actually took my experience into consideration and started me off with a wage she thought I deserved and I was happy with it.

Could be, at 53 I'm older than anyone in management in that store but impossible to prove.

 

Was thinking about contacting corporate HR but am leaning against it.
Funny thing is is my supervisor asks me to work an extra day or stay later and its pretty much to make up for the lack of work from the guy they hired of course I say no.

 

You will never get the real answer, because the company doesn't to open them up to a lawsuit. Most likely, it was due to your age. Obviously you're qualified to do the job and do it well, or they wouldn't have kept you on so long.

Maybe it's a good thing they didn't hire you? Try not to take it to personal, even though it's hard.

 

Your vent is well received and deserved, sorry to hear it.

The prior advice to frame your question about why you didn’t get the promotion as seeking self-improvement is a great one. Turns a potentially negative conversation positive and more likely to get some straight feedback that way. I would keep gently pressing, you deserve that feedback. However you may never know the real answer.

It could be any of a number of things you might suspect; or it could be some factor totally unknown to you and out of your control. If you can get feedback, you’ll know if there’s anything you can do to improve your position. If not, it is what it is. All you can do is reevaluate the situation from time to time, stay open to internal and external opportunities, and not worry about things you don’t have control over.

 

It could also be they lack someone to fill your current position, so promoting you to a more senior or involved role will leave a big opening to fill your part time position which could have significantly less applicants or difficulty filling, rather than them hiring someone outside qualified or not for this full time role. The company could be seeking to hire more employees to meet some threshold or standard for new hires(maybe someone in HR can comment there). Either way, its not fair when you are perfectly happy in your current role, and then they dangled a golden opportunity in front of you and they simply take it away - twice, its really difficult to continue to stay positive within the organization.

Devise some kind of solution to make yourself happy in the current role so you can put this on the back burner because the thoughts won't go away. Think: Raise, maybe more flexible hours, more PTO, more responsibility. Otherwise I would take a look at what else is out there in your field and plan to move on; 53 is young...easily another 10-15 years in you to continue working part-time if desired, how is that exempt some any promotion? Doesn't sound like this company has many long term employees there which is another point you bring up given your experience.

 

Sounds like a typical "big company" type of thing. Whether you find the real answer or not, it won't change the situation, so don't be discouraged. Your work history proves you have the skill and commitment, but that doesn't always mean you'll get the job. It could be anything from discrimination towards you (for whatever the case), an HR dominant entity with no possibility of managerial influence, an HR dept that doesn't trust your manager (or his recommendations), or anything else. It could be you, it could be them, but the result remains unchanged. If it means enough to you, pursue some real feedback from manager/HR, set deadlines for responses, and expect to never figure it out and move on. Congrats on retirement, you earned your keep; don't fret over trying to start over somewhere else. If those benefits/money aren't a true deal breaker, remember why you chose to retire, and why you chose to occupy "some" of your time again.

 

Thanks all for the advice/input/comments. I’m just going to let it go. I'm probably going to move out of this god forsaken state of CA some time next year and would like to transfer to another store and it’s easier if you aren’t marked as a troublemaker

 

For internal applications, I have always sent the hiring manager my resume directly after I applied for a position. This way, if I'm filtered out for whatever reason, the manager can still tell the recruiter/hr that they want me to be in the pool of interviews.

I do also think it's a bit ridiculous they can't even give you a reason for not selecting you for an interview. Companies should want to help their employees grow, not hold them down.

I hope it all works out for you, even if you have to move somewhere else.

 

That right there would improve your mental health alone.