u/LarkingOnANewLife

Once upon a time I was a SDR and was promoted from Corporate accounts to Mid-Size accounts. I now work in the nonprofit field working directly with disadvantaged youth.

I have no trouble explaining the actual work and making it relevant in my new field. But the job titles confuse people. Corporate to Mid-Size doesn’t sound like a promotion, and even if it did, it doesn’t mean anything to them. I used to just lump it all under one SDR title but now I’d like to emphasize the promotion.

What other job titles can I use? It’s unfortunately not accurate to say I went from a junior to senior position; I was only there for a year and a half.

I currently work multiple part time jobs at very worth non profits, but I’m broke and tired. I need more stability. A great solution has just become available, but I’m stuck on how to do it.

Two months ago I briefly met a director at another non profit and we chatted. She told me to keep an eye out on their careers page.

They posted a part time job that is PERFECT for me. I applied, easy, done. They also have a full time opportunity posted, which I initially ignored because it’s more of a stretch for my skills and I really wanted to keep working at one of my part time jobs.

Now I’ve fully accepted I need to leave that job (see my posting history) and that full time opportunity is looking very tempting. The application window is open for another week so I have plenty of time.

I want to reach out to the director I met and ask her advice. What should I put in the email?

My fears:

1. I am (on paper) perfectly qualified for the full time job, but I know the realities of this job market. It’s a stretch.

2. I’m much more competitive for the part time one. I don’t want to lose my chance at that if I go for the full time one instead.

3. I don’t want to appear wishy washy by applying for both. But I do want to be considered for both. But I don’t want the consequences of applying for both. You get me? All rewards, no risks, please and thank you 😅

What would you do?

Thank you for your time.

How should I address my boss publicly taking credit for my work?

I know, I know, it’s a tale as old as time. Dolly Parton sang about it. But I’m in a tricky spot. My manager is explicitly and publicly saying she did something that is 100% me, and I’m not in a good position to tell her otherwise. 

I work for a small nonprofit that serves kids. Last winter I presented a proposal for a new program, including a budget and “soft-launch” plan to make it possible on our limited funding. My manager loved it and promised to take it to the executive director. Then it was quiet for months. I was told the plan was being considered, but since I wanted to launch in the spring, it seemed like it wasn’t going to happen. 

Then my manager tells me that actually, over the winter they had tried to get a grant with a new program that is verrrrrry similar to my proposal. The grant didn’t go through, but the ED is still excited about the idea and wants to hear my pitch directly. I let it go that they were trying to edge me out of my own idea and present to the ED, and get clearance to go for the soft launch. It’s a barebones program, but it will exist! And I have an explicit conversation with my manager and ED that this will be a stepping stone for a larger role for me within the organization. 

So I make it happen. I’m not a manager, not a team lead, nothing. I just lead the activities for the kids. But for this, I’m writing curriculum, I’m recruiting volunteers, I’m making it happen. The management team is doing literally nothing, and sometimes (often!) actively hinders the project by creating delays. I recruit the participants, I teach the lessons, I coordinate with parents. No one is helping me. But it’s happening!

Now comes the fun part: our end-of-program celebration. The kids have been working hard to create their projects and I’m inviting relevant guest speakers to a panel event. I have no connections, but the management team does, so I write up scripts for them to use to send out requests to potential guest speakers. 

Lo and behold, my manager is telling them that she launched the program. Actual quote: “This spring, I launched [program name].” And down at the bottom it says, “LarkingOnANewLife, who has led the program, is cc’d if you have questions.”

Along the way, my manager has told me things like, “I’m so glad I can trust you to lead this program; you care as much as I do.” And because I’m always asking her for things (more hours, more funding, etc.) I have just let her act like it’s her baby. But it’s literally my baby! Not only that, but I have a horde of witnesses, emails, powerpoints, and more to prove it. My manager could not even tell you what we do day-to-day in this program; she has been completely hands off. 

So how do I raise this with her? Do I raise it with her? This is a career-defining project for me.

I’m grateful to have been allowed to launch this program, and my manager is responsible for getting me that green light. But the way she talks about it drives me crazy. I would be perfectly happy if she said “This spring, we launched [program name],” but the fact she has repeatedly chosen “I” feels shitty. Am I wrong here?