NBC's The Office ran for nine seasons and has remained a beloved series long after the finale episode. One of the interesting aspects of the series is that writers were often actors on the series as well, such as B.J. Novak who played Ryan Howard. Ryan started as a temp in the pilot episode of the series, and in the Season 3 finale, he becomes a corporate executive of Dunder Mifflin. The position could have been filled by other qualified candidates instead of the once-temp, but it still went to Ryan. Here, we breakdown who these other candidates were and how Ryan became executive instead of them.
Michael Scott
The most experienced employee who applied for the job was Scranton branch manager, Michael Scott. Michael really thought he was going to get the job. He handed over his manager office to Dwight with the intention of leaving him to take over the branch when he moved to corporate. Michael had been with the company for over a decade and had a reputation for being a qualified and effective salesman. Upon the financial success of the branch that occurred after its mergers, it would seem that based on the numbers alone, Michael would be the obvious choice.
However, Michael's management style and personality are not appreciated by most people. In Season 4 when Jan is suing the company, it is revealed that corporate never seriously considered Michael for the position and only interviewed him out of courtesy. Despite David Wallace telling Michael that he did not get the job, Michael insists he declines the job because he wouldn't feel right taking the job once occupied by his current girlfriend.
Jim Halpert
Jim Halpert also applied for the job. He has a good sales record and a strong relationship with David Wallace. The two are friendly, get along well, have shared interests, and have a previously established relationship. Jim received a promotion when he transferred to the Stanford branch. That shows a pattern of growth and success within the company, making Jim ideal for the role.
However, Jim turns down the opportunity to give his relationship with Pam a chance to flourish. He left his interview prior to its end and removed himself from consideration. He decided to stop running away from his feelings for Pam and instead stick around Scranton and build a life with her. He did not expect to spend his entire adult life at Dunder Mifflin anyway; eventually, his career path took him elsewhere, and not to corporate life.
Karen Filippelli
Karen Filippelii also applied for the corporate position in New York. She and Jim were still dating at the start of their interviews. When Jim left his interview, he also broke things off with Karen. Karen is equally qualified for the position. She has strong sales numbers and she and Andy were the only salespeople to stick around after the merger, which demonstrates her resilience and commitment to the company.
However, she ultimately does not get the job at corporate, and the reason for this is not very thoroughly explored. Her departure from Scranton is limited to Jim's perspective over their breakup. Later seasons reveal that Karen becomes a branch manager at the Utica office and ends up happily married with a family. However, the reason she did not get the corporate job has more to do with the behind the scenes logistics. During an episode of Office Ladies Podcast, Jenna Fischer explains that Rashida Jones, who played Karen, was moving on to a new role on Parks & Recreation and would therefore not be available to continually guest star as a corporate executive on The Office.
Ryan Howard
That leaves Ryan Howard for the corporate position. Ryan does have a degree in business and made the jump from temp to salesman, showing his qualifications. His actual interview is not shown on screen, and the reveal of his new job is used near the end of the finale episode to prompt his breakup with Kelly.
Again, some behind the scenes logistics helped level-up Ryan to executive. With Ryan getting the job at corporate, his actor, Novak, was able to spend more time in the writer's room working on scripts than onset. If Ryan was not in the office all the time, he would not be expected to show up in many scenes, which would free up Novak's time for writing. Novak, Paul Lieberstein who played Toby Flenderson, and Mindy Kaling who played Kelly were all writers on the series, and that's why they all worked in the annex. So, while Ryan wasn't the most qualified person for the corporate job, it made logistical sense both onscreen and behind it for Ryan to get that promotion.