New job - red flags?

seoban

Hi folks,

I recently left a job due where I was not treated very well. While I was there I was scapegoated and bullied by the boss due to internal politics. It almost destroyed my confidence.

I applied for another role while I was there. I went through a rigorous interview process. When I was offered the new job I weighed up everything. I felt that it was too good an opportunity to turn down and that I had to leave my current role due to the stress of it all. I spoke with my fiancee about it and she said 'give it a year' and lets see how it goes.

So i started the new role just over 2 months ago. Everyone seemed nice. I was out of my depth in relation to the product and nature of the company, but i felt they knew my background before they offered me the role, they have confidence in me. I was given a mentor and all manner of training. It was a steep learning curve. My manager is in Cork but the 'real boss' is in the States. My mentor is in the States also.

The processes and systems used by the team are very complex. I found it difficult to focus on the training as it was so laden with jargon and the people i interacted with have been there years and know it so well. My 'real boss' mentioned that previous new hires had been thrown in the deep end and made lots of mistakes so i was determined to be perceived as diligent. I knuckled down, recorded meetings with my mentor, made notes and seemed to be doing well.

I get on well with my mentor. However he is a bit 'laid back'. Often not replying to my emails and a bit blase when showing me the system and processes. There is a procedure manual but it quite big and often difficult to find what you are looking for. Also, minute information is documented within it - the kind of stuff you would not assume to look up. I had successfully completed tasks using notes i had taken from meetings with my mentor. I was proud that i had, at least, come to grips with this aspect of the role.

I made a few mistakes. Minor stuff. I flagged them straight away and made management aware. As far as i was concerned it was dealt with and i could move on. I had been given a few tasks at this stage. (My manager in Cork wants me to focus on 'studying' yet the 'real boss' is only interested in tasks it seems.) There was a team meeting last tuesday where my 'real boss' mentioned that i had been neglected. Said that i should reach out with any issues.

So i did reach out more. The process was amended somewhat this week. I was anxious as it was an ordeal setting up the systems and i referred to notes i had taken from meetings with my mentor. I asked my 'real boss' to take a look at my system, to make sure it was correct.

Last friday my 'real boss' meets with me virtually via conference call. She puts me on the spot and asks me to show her how i would complete a task on the system. I am quite nervous now, i instinctively go about doing the procedure via the way i had learned from my mentor. I make a mistake from the first step as this is not the way the 'real boss' wants this done. Her tone shifts to that of a schoolteacher. 'What do you think would happen if you did it that way?' She spots another error i made previously (due to my second guessing something) and snaps at me 'And AGAIN, refer to the procedural manual'. She starts to ask probing questions - 'You mentioned that you had covered this process in your previous job'? 'How are you with this system?' 'Take me through how you would do it'? I was been asked to explain very basic stuff that i had covered previously. Surely she knew that i had completed previous tasks successfully? I give her regular status updates..

My palms were sweating, my voice slightly breaking, my vision was blurred. Somehow i was able to compose myself and talk her through what i had learned. I assured her that i understood the system and that i had been relying upon what i had been (incorrectly) shown by my mentor previously. At this stage her tone shifted to being all friendly. She mentioned that she just wants everyone on the same page (which is fair enough).

I am afraid that she has lost confidence in me somewhat. I feel in over my head as it is and this exchange has knocked me. In my last role my boss told me to my face during one of his outbursts that i am not up for the job so i am highly sensitive to any criticism. Also, if i'm honest, i'm a bit concerned with the manner in which i was spoken to (should i be?)

I am worried that i am in over my head and should be on the lookout for an easier job? I have a mortgage, fiancee and am scared of being in a stressful environment on top of that. (Or worse, being let go) I plan on doing up my cv today and seeing what's out there.

I have been trying not to dwell on this over the weekend - yet here i am?
Am i overreacting or do i have cause for concern?

Thanks for reading this

_ZeeK_

I think you're overreacting but that this overreaction stems from your bad experience in your previous role.

I was in a position like that before - burned out, anxious - and it unfortunately carried over into another role. The best resolution was taking an extended break to recover fully.

I don't know whether financially that would have been an option (you mention mortgage) and unfortunately it would not really be possible now as you've started the new role already. The first opportunity you can, take a good holiday, switch off and mind yourself.

spurious

She hasn't lost confidence in you. If anything, she is more sure now that you are following the procedures the way she wants.
I think you are reading things into this that are not there.

ED E

seoban wrote: »

Am i overreacting or do i have cause for concern?

I think so.

seoban wrote: »

I plan on doing up my cv today and seeing what's out there.

Don't do this. Leave one job for another then run away after 2 months will be a bad look on the CV. If you aren't immediately comfortable in the new potential job will you rinse repeat?

his outbursts that i am not up for the job so i am highly sensitive to any criticism.

Should a manager be overly assertive/aggressive? No. Should an employee expect no criticism if warranted, no.

If your assigned mentor isnt able/willing to spoon feed you then you need to practice and excel with internal documentation and self teaching. I suspect this is probably a big MNC/similar. You mention the manuals exist. You'll have to use them. First few times you go looking for info itll take ages but as you do it more you get a feel of what keywords will bring you to what you need and pick up jargon.

Your internal docs probably have a jargon/acronym page somewhere. Find out where this is. They're rarely entirely complete but massively useful. Especially when meaning can depend on the context of the team its in.

In this new era of WFH you can't always lean over to a colleague at the next desk and get a pointer so self reliance is a priority skill to develop.

seoban

Thanks for the replies Folks!

I think that i am overreacting alright.
Your replies have put my mind at ease.

I actually went for counseling to deal with the previous experience - i had been gaslighted, sabotaged and threatened.
It was a soul destroying experience and as a result I'm like a coiled spring in my new role, hypersensitive.

I'm going to switch off and enjoy what's left of the weekend.

La Bamba

It sounds like you have been working very hard to get up-skilled in this new job and you have approached it with a very admirable attitude. These are great traits for a person to have in any walk of life and no doubt your diligence comes across in the work environment too.

By the sounds of things, they are aware that new hires make lots of mistakes so the fact that you have been highlighting when you make errors is another very positive trait that you have been exhibiting early into your job as that builds trust in your accountability and importantly it demonstrates your ability to spot your own mistakes.

By the sounds of things, they seem to encourage asking questions so perhaps you could work with your mentor to come up with an agreeable way for you to ask them? eg. would they prefer a daily sync where you could go through any questions, or whether they are happy for you to reach out to them if you have an internal chat tool etc.

Universally, with any new job, mistakes will be made and the learning curve will be steep.
But what varies person to person is our attitude in reducing these mistake and ups-killing to the required level.
By the sounds of what you have told us, you have approached this job with a very positive attitude and an ability to learn and adapt and if I hired someone with your attitude I would feel quite lucky.I honestly don't think you can be doing much more than that except ask more questions!

Enjoy your weekend off and remember you are doing great !

tjdaly

Don't envy you OP. Situations/feelings like that are hard to deal with. You sound bright and will get through it either way though.

thefa

Sorry to hear that your confidence has taken a hit from the previous role but, as difficult as it may be, you have to approach this with a new outlook as best you can. What you describe sounds like a complex job which requires intensive training so mistakes will be expected and you have to accept that they will happen.

That said, I feel like you need to be willing to take more accountability on board. If you’re unwilling to trawl through the manual, then you have to engage with the mentor in the best means to get the job done and be relentless to a degree. If you are consumed with note-taking in the set trainings, you could request a follow up call with him when you’ve tried testing out the part in question yourself or even just ask on chat does he have 5/10 minutes to explain a couple of things that are unclear at a quieter part of the day. Alternatively, bring it up at the start of the next scheduled training. This might lead to a change on his part rather than emailing him queries.

Also, have you considered asking for feedback from your mentor directly? This may seem like a risk if you are sensitive to criticism but you have to accept that you will not be perfect after two months and you may get some good tips from improvement.

seoban

thefa wrote: »

That said, I feel like you need to be willing to take more accountability on board. If you’re unwilling to trawl through the manual, then you have to engage with the mentor in the best means to get the job done and be relentless to a degree. If you are consumed with note-taking in the set trainings, you could request a follow up call with him when you’ve tried testing out the part in question yourself or even just ask on chat does he have 5/10 minutes to explain a couple of things that are unclear at a quieter part of the day. Alternatively, bring it up at the start of the next scheduled training. This might lead to a change on his part rather than emailing him queries.

Thanks for the reply. I have been taking these steps you mentioned recently. I have scheduled in 'catch up' meetings every second day. I have only recently realized that my mentor might not have been as knowledgeable as i thought regarding processes and procedures (My boss more-or-less said this to me).

I understand that my mentor is busy also so i need to be mindful of his time. So i have reached out to another member of the team who is highly skilled and they explained something complex to me. She seems more knowledgeable than my mentor and is happy to help so i will cultivate that relationship. I will always refer to the procedure manual first from now on, any questions I will be sure to ask.

I do feel that I am in over my head. The first few weeks were a blur and the pace keeps picking up. Will keep the head down for now and reassess in the new year.

thefa

seoban wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. I have been taking these steps you mentioned recently. I have scheduled in 'catch up' meetings every second day. I have only recently realized that my mentor might not have been as knowledgeable as i thought regarding processes and procedures (My boss more-or-less said this to me).

I understand that my mentor is busy also so i need to be mindful of his time. So i have reached out to another member of the team who is highly skilled and they explained something complex to me. She seems more knowledgeable than my mentor and is happy to help so i will cultivate that relationship. I will always refer to the procedure manual first from now on, any questions I will be sure to ask.

I do feel that I am in over my head. The first few weeks were a blur and the pace keeps picking up. Will keep the head down for now and reassess in the new year.

Good to hear the steps you’re taking, especially if there’s better guidance available! Personally have found that you can avoid hours of manual browsing by asking the right questions.

I’ve had a couple of new roles over my career which required a step up and each of those had days where I felt in over my head and worried about whether I was good enough. I think it’s a common occurrence especially amongst the conscientious but can be hard to spot with quite a few bluffers out there. You’re only two months into the role and were placed in it for a reason. Keep the head up and do what needs to be done and it should all work out.

sheepsh4gger

I would blame the company for not having proper documentation.
Everything that is a process needs to be described clearly in a document that someone else can look up and use.
Employers never want to dedicate the time to say make sure other people can work/continue a project because writing documentation is always the last thing they want to spend money on. They always chase new features building a Jenga tower.
It even gets much worse if your manager isn't also an engineer. They only understand UIs because that's the only thing they see but fail to acknowledge work done on the back-end.
I've seen much worse than what you're describing. I think psychopaths naturally advance to management positions.

I'd say a red flag would be if there are no foreign people working there i.e. that would mean they are racist etc.
Another red flag would be if the salary quoted in the interview wasn't paid but something lower.
But I think most of all it's the employee turn over. Why did the last guy leave?

IAMAMORON

Part of your job in any team scenario is to make life easier for your co-workers and your clients. You are 3 months into your new role and your manager has kindly afforded you the time to assess how you are progressing.

Rather than waste time posting on here looking to pontificate on your career survival, I suggest you should knuckle down and get on with the job at hand? Stop building walls and start being creative about getting your task and your job done. That will start generating massive support from your colleagues, including your manager.

cloudatlas

If you aren't enjoying the work and it is causing further anxiety then why not look for something else in the meantime?

It doesn't sound like that manager spoke to you in a very positive way, she sounds stressed herself.