I've been working at an international bank for almost two years now in what is perceived to be one of the most prestigious graduate programmes around.

The problem I have is that I have been pretty much treated like a temp worker in almost every department I've been posted to. I'm usually given very little responsibility and ownership on tasks that don't have much material impact.

The label graduate trainee is in name only and this is certainly not what I have signed up for. The only good thing about the programme is that I get lots of classroom training; though I would rather manage a proper project than listen to someone talk about how to manage a project.

I now have one more year until I ‘graduate’ from the programme and I'm torn between taking up a real job somewhere else (within the bank or not) - where I would be given real responsibility and ownership and concrete targets - or sticking it out so I could earn that guaranteed promotion and pay increase.

My question is, should I have a honest chat with my programme manager about this and tell him what I think? Is it realistic to expect HR to explore solutions for a junior manager like myself?
Fred H

Patricia Soldati from Management Issues.com says:

Run, don't walk to your manager and have a respectful, positively-positioned heart-to-heart conversation about what you've been doing, the lack of challenge, your expectations, etc.

Offer specific examples of what you've been assigned vs. what you feel would be more challenging and worthwhile - and why you feel you are up to the challenge.

At the two year mark, this is way overdue - in fact, with such a prestigious program I would have thought these conversations would be built-in to the system.

Have the conversation with your manager first, and then with HR if the situation doesn't quickly change. Any manager or HR professional worth their salt will respect your desire to contribute more and take on assignments with greater impact.

Perhaps the greater lesson learned here is that you must always forge your own way in the corporate world - look out for your own best interests and work clearly, and always respectfully, to that end.