Unfortunately, that is true. I've seen a case where, to go up the ladder at a certain company, the best way was to quit, then work somewhere else for a time, t

Unfortunately, that is true. I've seen a case where, to go up the ladder at a certain company, the best way was to quit, then work somewhere else for a time, then apply for the position you wanted to get initially... (no need for having improved any skills, external hires are just evaluated differently)