A
female
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:Hi guys, I posted last weekend about beng made to feel like I'm thick since starting my new job, heres the link - http://www.dearcupid.org/question/since-starting-my-new-job-i-feel-like.html.Well I appreicate that everyone I spoke to in person, even a new member of staff that worked there and you guys confirmed I had been thrown in at the deep end. I took alot of your advise on board, like I had already written everything down step by step etc but thank you for the thoughts and comments.Sadly they got rid of me, a few days back. I am guttered, distraught and I feel i have been treated extremely unfairly. I was never given any proper training, only shadowing for half a day, every task I was given was made dificult for me through unclear instructions, I was never given any warnings and everyone being too busy to talk me through it, it was expected that I knew the way the business ran and how people worked when I had not been shown and no one had told me. Ok I did ask and all that but it looks needy when your asking at every single point because no one had bothered to show you. I was also have to train work experience clients to do my job when I had no proper training myself. Also I always felt like a certain team member had it in for me. For example when I made the mistake of forgetting a detail from a customer on the phone (because it was the first time I'd dealt with conferences etc) I tried to call back to find out, only to find the number they supplied me with didnt work, so even if I had done the job perfectly the manager would not have been able to get back in contact. Despite this I stayed overtime to try and resolve the problem through calling another number and emailing (I never got the chance to see if they emailed me back as less than 24 hours later they had dismissed me. It wasn't a serious mistake it was a learning curve, everyone has said people make little mistakes like that all the time. Thing was during this someone asked me to do another job, which they could of done themselves instead of going for a fag break and I said :sure just let me write that down so I can do it once I;ve made this phone call. To which the the quality manager/teacher (who I also felt didnt really like me) said, forget it we'll do it ourselves... I write things down because I learn better than ay however she'd questioned me before as to why I had a note book and was writing everything down, she said just use your iniative. I even had a probation review at 4 weeks and it was pretty decent, there was afew things to add to the job and improve on but I thought that was natural. Definately nothing serious.The following day I asked this quality manager if I could have 15mins with her when she was free to go over afew things as I felt like 1 day of shadowing wasn't enough and I want to perform to the best of my ability. She said yes, and I had always been told to ask if I needed anythng. However when getting called into a meeting with her and the manager (with only 15mins warning by email) the manager stated he felt it wasn't working out and he had to let me go. I had a chance to explain things except it wouldn;t chage anything, I said you knew in the interview I had never done it before but he stated because I was confident he thought I could do the job outright from day one as it was all about using my own iniative. I disagree, how can you use your iniative when you don;t know how the business is ran. The manager also knew I hadn't been managed well at my last job and seemed very understand at first. However he said hes sorry the business is in a challenging place with the expansion and he just hasn't got the time. He feels I can do the advanced stuff but need more time to do the basics and he doesn't want someone who needs the time. I felt so hurt. I even explained I had viral menegtis as a teenager and thats why sometimes I need to ask things twice (which he also knew), yet they didn;t care. Everyone i;ve spoken too claims the quality manager/teacher was behind the decision. All the staff memebers have been messaging me so shocked about the whole situation, I recieved nothing but good feedback from them.I even rang ACAS regarding the situation and they said what they have done is morally wrong and unfair and unethical (as they are a training organisation -ironically, they can't train their own staff) However because I was on probation there was nothing I could do. However they never even told me i was on probation I only found out when I ASKED for a written contract.I blame myself, I feel hopeless, my confidence is ruined and I have NOTHING. And I mean NOTHING, I cannot claim job seekers allowance due to savings which I cannot get at as they are tied up and even if I could that would be my future gone and my deposit for a house gone as well. Even if my some miracle they consdiered me for it I wouldnt get the full amount, possible £30 a week which is better than nothing but I still cannot live off it. I left a stable part time job with a manager who ok rewarded me for favours and gave me extra hours, it wasn't full time but I regret ever leaving, chances are she won;t take me back despite taking other members of staff back as she has now replaced me which she had every right to do. I have no job, no confidence, no income, volunteering would have to be in my local area as money is extremely tight and I couldn't afford the travel/petrol. I have even tried applying for retail jobs again and even part time just to gain something but when assessing they want to know why I left retail and for reception/admin work and now its even worse that I have a dismissal to explain.What did I do wrong? Where do I go from here? Was this really all my fault? I am one of these people that does need abit more support but once I "get it" I very good at it, I jsut need someone who will allow me the time and training but it took me 2 years to find a full time job after my leaving uni simply because they all want experience. I'm terrified that if I do land myself another good position the same thing will happen.
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reader, anonymous, writes (31 March 2014): To be honest, this company doesn't sound the best given that they didn't even give the proper training. Half a day shadowing somebody is a complete joke, no wonder you struggled. Surely if they were actively looking to hire somebody it would be in the best interests of the company to make sure that person was fully trained to do the job wouldn't it?? Sadly though office work can be a very dog-eat-dog world, especially when you're on probation. If one person does not like you for any reason I.E. the team member who had it in for you and they've got certain stature within the company you're not likely to last very long. It's unfair I know but that's just the way it is sometimes. Focus on the positives though; you were chosen for this job ahead of probably dozens of other people. Think about what skills and characteristics you have that made you favourable over the other applicants and apply them to your future job applications. You may have spent 2 years looking for a job prior to this but you hit the nail on the head, employers want experience and you now have this, even though it was brief it's hugely beneficial to you. Keep trying, keep smiling. You'll get there.Good luck
A
male
reader, devont +, writes (30 March 2014):
 Firstly, I agree that this is unfair and it is not nice to be asked to leave a job. On the positive, you've not not been dismissed. You were on your probation and they didn't confirm your employment. You can twist this to your benefit and still put them down as a reference, don't forget they can't give you a bad one, as long as you were always on time and didn't have time off sick. I know, because something similar happened to me. When you are explaining why you only lasted six months in an admin job and are now looking at retail again, just make something up about how you prefer customer facing roles and having more interaction with people. You can sidestep the fact that they asked you to leave. I read your last post and I'm sorry, but this doesn't come as too much of a surprise. If you don't get training, you really need to be responsible for your own development and that means asking lots and lots of questions, even if you are asking the same thing over and over. New members of staff often apologise when asking questions, but I always say "I would rather that you ASKED and got it right, rather than you didn't and got it wrong". Also, if you are asking lots of questions it SHOWS that you've not had any training and they may consider actually giving you training. That is the first lesson to be learned here. I would start applying for retail banking. It is less of a 'step down' than going straight back to Tesco, and it looks ok on your resume, as well as keeping the door open to admin and receptionist work. Even if you can't claim benefits, you need to show you are doing something during your 'time off' (for vetting purposes at a future job), so go down to the Jobcentre anyway. Even if you're not entitled to anything it is worth looking into and they provide very sound advice on job searches and can help you with training or how to update your resume to make it more tailored to the type of work you're looking for. I'm sure it will all work out... You've got some experience under your belt, so that is a positive. Keep your chin up and keep applying for jobs. All the best.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (30 March 2014): So sorry to hear this! Will you at least be able to get benefits? Can someone help out with your living expenses until then?I wanted to reassure you that this happened to me too.. except I made the choice to leave because I too took on a job as export clerk for a food company in my twenties and I made it clear that I had zero experience but was keen and willing to learn and I was told I would be trained and receive support.The reality was I was sat at my desk on Monday morning having no idea what in the world I was meant to be doing, a whole load of paperwork waiting for me to process, zero training and all the other staff were too busy to help me. I was at a bad point in my life in other ways and after 3 or 4 weeks of this and trying to speak to a manager to organise my training, I called in one day and said I'm not coming back. What also made it intolerable was that the company had literally just taken over another company and made a lot of people redundant and there was massive resentment between the old staff left on the shop floor and the new company coming in with new staff.It wasn't the end of the world and I managed and then got another job soon after that. Chin up... but you could also be in for some compensation for unfair dismissal. Someone has written earlier about legal issues so it could be worth looking into.Remember, one door closes, and another most definitely will open!
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A
female
reader, Honeypie  + ♥, writes (30 March 2014):
 Yikes, I am sorry.
That is quite a blow.
Here are my thoughts though. They will go through a LOT of staff if they assume that anyone (with a uni degree) can just waltz in and take over a job. It's an unrealistic view from their perspective. This isn't about you not being good enough, but I do think you should have been more forward in asking help and directions. However, hindsight is useless. Now you know.
YOUR first priority is to try and get a job (anything really) asap. Get your feet wet in anything you can think of. Something that will help you feed yourself and pay the bills.
Your second priority is CUT your budget to bare-bones. EVERYTHING you don't exactly need, cut it. Like cable/ internet, if you have a fancy phone consider selling it and get a "burner phone" and cards with minutes. If you have a spare-room, think about renting it out. Cut your food budget, no more dining out, no fast food, no buying coffee at $2-6 a cup.
Your 3rd priority is go over the job you had and recognize YOUR weaknesses. It will not help you immediately, but for your next job it will. Then recognize your strengths. You have those too, without doubt.
Your 4th priority is to accept that even with a good education you are no magician. And when thrown to the wolves ( I think that fits better then in the deep water) you doubt yourself, so that needs to be worked on.
The 5th is to apply to as many job interviews and you can find that interests you. Even some that might not interest you but can give you experience. Going for smaller companies can be an advantage, but so can large ones, it's all about the climate.
When you DO get an interview ASK about training. If they have the same "she will either sink or float" attitude as the job you recently got let go from, it's NOT for you.
NO ONE out there is expecting you to be perfect at your job from the first minute you walk in.
Also consider looking for a temp agency. It can get you in the door and give you experience a little at a time. I worked for a company that went under (owner embezzled) and was left without a job and not enough (11) months to claim a kind of workman's comp - so I needed a job asap, to pay my car and my house note. I sent out SO many applications but also went to a temp agency - the agency got me a job 3 days later for a 3 months temp job. I needed up spending 6 months because the boss kept extending me.
Last but not least STOP beating yourself up. This company and YOU were not a good fit. Now you know WHAT you need from them and hopefully you will have learned a few things even in all that chaos. It WILL get better.
Chin up, tomorrow is a new day.
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A
female
reader, PeanutButter +, writes (30 March 2014):
 First of all, I am really sorry that you are stuck in this hole right now but I don't want you to feel like this was all your fault. Sometimes people make judgement calls that they feel are in their best interest and perhaps that is what your employer did and they don't really think about the long term for the staff, they think about their company and so, while it was aweful, there is probably not much you can do, especially seeing as they said you were on probation, which I assume means this was a temporary stint while they figured out if you were right for the job. If you didn't know you were on probation then that IS their fault as they should have made this clear. Did they send you a letter of work offer when you signed up for the job? I think you could have a case if it were unclear that this was probationary, but I am not sure where you might go from there. In the states they would be looking at a law-suit perhaps, so it might be worth calling a lawyer over there in the UK And see what they have to say and if there is grounds for something like wrong dismissal or something that would at least help.
I would advise calling your local Citizens Advice Bureau. When I lived in the UK they were a HUGE help whenever I had a problem with just about anything and everything! They will have a huge list of resources to put you on track and get you moving in the right direction.
I would suggest putting this past job down to experience and start looking for another job as soon as possible - even apply for jobs that arent in your niche for the short term so you can earn some money to get you through until you can find a job that you strive for.
You can NOT hold on to this as a bad experience and carry it around with you as you will knock your confidence and you just have to keep telling yourself that while this didn't work out for you, it doesn't mean that the job you are meant for isn't just around the corner - think of jobs like relationships: Some work out, some don't and some are better than others at working with you - you just have to find the right one for you!
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A
female
reader, cmarieky +, writes (30 March 2014):
Instead of reflecting on what didn't or did happen get on your grind by looking for another job. Use your phone or computer Internet to search and apply for jobs. Don't let this define you. So it didn't work out with that company, well you jeep going. And you go until u get it. Cheer up. It will all work out you just have to put in more time.
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