I started this role (Office Coordinator) as a 4-month contract in March, covering a leave.
In June, they extended it until the end of the year.
In August, they had confirmation (or decided) the employee would not return, and offered me the role permanently. I turned it down. It wasn't personal; I just didn't want to be the office busboy again, and was ready to move on. My boss (the Director of HR) was shocked and told me how impressed the Leadership team was with me, and how much potential they saw in me, and would love to have me working in their Practice Groups. The Director also spoke of a potential entry-level position in HR and asked if I would be interested in it. I was, as that was the team I worked most closely with, and also I did HR in College (albeit twenty years ago). I agreed to stay on and see how my growth in the company would go.
Six weeks later, they hired an Intern for HR - without telling me first. When I questioned it, my boss assured me this was strictly a temp to cover another employee leave - I have proof that this is not true, and the candidate was offered an Internship-with-the-possibility-of-permanent role. I have no idea what happened in those six weeks, but decided to pursue some of the other leads my boss mentioned to me, and arranged meetings with two VPs.
The meetings were all positive - I asked about the skills and qualifications necessary to work in their Practice Groups, and how they would feel about me working more closely with their team to build upon a potential role. The feedback was extremely supportive and I did not get any hesitation or concerns from either VP; I approached my boss about it (she knew beforehand), and told her I would be willing to pay a temp to come in one day per week to cover my regular duties so I could work more closely with the aforementioned VPs Practice Groups', and her reaction was rather nonplussed and non-committal. I can see neither of those opportunities are going to happen, either.
So I am a bit stuck. I completely understand that there will be instances where an employee has ambitions beyond their capabilities - or when the firm isn't interested in seeing an employee grow beyond their current role - but these were roles my organization approached me about, not the other way around. Why did they present roles they had already decided I would not get? I have received no negative feedback, criticism, warnings or areas to develop or improve upon. The feedback I have received has been positive - almost gushing, and several employees confirmed I was the favourite (or perhaps I am very obtuse).
DL, what am I missing here?