Job passes over long term employee for internal job 3 times despite having perfect reviews and stats: 'Time for an external job promotion'

Nobody wants to feel overlooked. 

Everyone deserves recognition in the workplace, and you should not have to fight for it. The best employers know how to make their employees feel valued. They not only do this by words, but by actions. There is only so much "good job" you can hear before you start expecting something more. You want to feel like your work is valued, and that you can move up in the world if you so choose. You want to feel like you won't just stall out at the same place forever, kicking around in the same job. But often, if you're good at your job, they might want to keep you exactly where you are. They might hate to lose you and your work at your current position. Then they'd have to find someone else who might not have your aptitude for it. But they would be wrong to keep you in the same spot. 

Everyone wants mobility. Even if they like their job, they probably are thinking about where it could lead in the future. They're thinking about their lives 5, 10 years down the line and they're thinking about what they want it to look like. They're wondering where they might live, what kind of living situation they can afford, and a job is a key part of that. If you feel like you'll just be middling in the same position forever, you might want to get out of that as quickly as you can. But that's easier said than done.