Being passed over for a promotion can certainly leave you wondering what to do next and where your place in the company really is.

If you've been passed over for a promotion, you have several options available to you. Before you do anything rash like quitting your job or starting to look for a new job you need to get the facts.

Before doing anything you might quickly regret, take some time to see how things work out and try to find out why you weren't chosen for the position.

Is there a particular skill or experience that the successful candidate has that you don't have?

Is there a legitimate reason that you weren't promoted this specific time?

Have you been passed over for promotion more than once which might lead you to believe that the writing is on the wall in terms of your long term ability to progress with this particular company?

I certainly wouldn't act before seeing how things play out but I'd certainly try to get as much information as possible regarding why I wasn't chosen for the job.

Depending on the answers you get as to why you weren't promoted and depending on whether or not you've been passed over for promotion before, the answers to these questions might very well determine what you do next.

Based on what you find out, you can plan your next course of action and you can decide whether or not this includes looking for a new job elsewhere.