Q: I know this sounds ungrateful, but I truly hate my job.  I am a development professional, and I feel that my current job stifles my initiative.  I get caught training a lot of junior member of staff, and this is really not in my job description.  Then, when I bring in more than my quota, I keep getting assigned to additional, non-development tasks.  Even though I just received a salary raise, I am not satisfied.  What do you suggest?

A: It sounds as if you excel at your job and that your employer has acknowledged your worth.  This is a great start for a dialogue with your immediate supervisor.  Prep as follows:

• Specifically identify what you love about your job;
• Precisely identify the portion of the day you spend training junior staff, and
• Think about skills you would like to acquire and additional goals you would like to accomplish that will benefit the organization you currently support.

From here, approach your boss with a personal professional development plan that includes developing additional, specific skills that will benefit your organization.  For instance, if you have been focused on grant procurement and major gifts, see if you can agree that you will reach out more to corporate sponsors and foundations.  You will know the particular mix that will make sense for your organization.  Also, sign up for a couple of local organizations actively engaged in applying the skills you seek to develop.  Have the literature available to show your boss, and present ideas about which specific workshops, seminars and training events you would like to attend.  See if you can get your organization to sponsor at least some of these.  Mention, in passing, the fact that you do not see training as an immediate or productive focus for you at this time.

If you frame this conversation with your organization’s goals in mind, you will emerge from this slump with new action items, revived corporate support and many more avenues for productive, professional networking and genuine growth.  Leverage the job you have to prepare you for the one you may want down the pike.  Your current supervisors have seen merit in your output and probably want to be supportive to you professionally.  Build on this very positive reality to create the reality you would prefer.

Contact Karen Alphonse at Karena@execSearches.com or visit ExecSearches.com for more information about our career coaching services.

ExecSearches.com is a job board for nonprofit job seekers interested in fundraising, management and executive nonprofit jobs.

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