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Is it normal for employers just to throw you into the work with only a crash course? I have seen this more and more lately.
How much time is really excepted to learn and do the process nowadays?
That's the way it was years ago when I was starting out. Except we didn't even get a crash course. (Silicon Valley).
More recently a family member started a new job in the medical field and complained that there was no training and they were really struggling and they were super worried they might get let go. I told them that some successful businesses operate on sink or swim and they have no intention of changing that. So what do you wanna do? "Well I sure as heck am not going to quit. They'll have to drag me out of here!"
Now almost four years later the family member is still there and is up for promotion.
They are asking you to complete tasks before your corporate laptop and e-mail are even configured.
That's too bad, and a company deserves what it gets (screwed up workflow) when it resorts to this nonsense. During my career (now retired), I trained a dozen or two new employees, many of whom were college kids interning for the summer, in an Engineering Lab (R&D). If a company is smart, it will allow a new person to shadow a seasoned employee for at least a couple of days, at the very least to find out where the cafeteria, washrooms, and tools are located. Expecting someone to be productive with specialized software (accounting or data acquisition, not MS Mail), on their first day is silly. Should they start learning it on day one? Absolutely. But productive? That takes some time. This is just as true with recent ME grads as it is with the new Housekeeping employee, although the latter obviously requires less orientation. But if you neglect it completely? Expect a bunch of complaints from your internal customers.
I don't think I EVER got much training for a new job, just had to keep asking questions to figure it out.
Make yourself a procedures manual, with steps for doing each part of your job. That way you don't have to remember each little thing, and you become autonomous faster.
Creating your own procedures manual impresses bosses. They will want a copy to train your future replacement. Think about that before sharing it.
I don't think I EVER got much training for a new job, just had to keep asking questions to figure it out.
Make yourself a procedures manual, with steps for doing each part of your job. That way you don't have to remember each little thing, and you become autonomous faster.
Creating your own procedures manual impresses bosses. They will want a copy to train your future replacement. Think about that before sharing it.
I don't think I EVER got much training for a new job, just had to keep asking questions to figure it out.
Make yourself a procedures manual, with steps for doing each part of your job. That way you don't have to remember each little thing, and you become autonomous faster.
Creating your own procedures manual impresses bosses. They will want a copy to train your future replacement. Think about that before sharing it.
Exactly.
Sometimes you have to be proactive and take matters into your own hands. Look at it as creating opportunities for yourself. You can put it on your resume for your next job or use it as a negotiation tool for raises and bonuses.
When I first started my current job, I was directed to a website and told to read the documents and if I have questions, ask. I wasn't given any training, just reading docs and sitting in on conference calls. From that and asking questions, I created my own docs. The documents I was told to read were actually going to be obsolete because at the time we were starting a new project to replace the technology. I updated the docs I initially created to reflect the new tech. I also took ownership of another part of my department's functions, trained myself on it and made docs for that part. All my docs are now part of our department's knowledgebase, which is used by others in our department.
What about having reasonable expectations? You were hired as a PM. Calculating things for stakeholders is a part of the job. Weren't you qualified or not? Did you figure it out or did you need someone to hold your hand?
I agree with charly for once.
If you're hired at a certain level to do a job (i.e., project engineer, project manager, senior project manager), then you either do that job at the same level of the people who have been working there for years, or you bust your arse and stay late and figure out how to get it done.
The problem with today's workplace is that people expect to keep their salary, no matter what move they make. So, if you're a project manager with 20 years of experience selling tractors, that person expects to keep their salary if they start selling air conditioners.
OTOH, if you're able to survive that learning curve, you could probably learn any job within 2-4 years, and then ... you still have your old salary.
I see PMs get hired here with tangential experience and if they can get through the initial learning curve, they'll be in the clear. Nepotism also helps a lot with getting through the 'learning curve' as does being a good talker or an entertaining person.
And again, people get paid just as much to do virtually nothing here, so ... at least those people have 'some' pressure on them.
I volunteer and I took over a position and barely got trained. I figured the position out myself. Quite frankly, I think it's great. I get to create routines and methods to get things done in a way that makes sense to me. I get to do whatever I want and that's how I like it. I know it's volunteer, but it's sort of the same as a real job, only without the pay.
Being in a new job is stressful and nerve wracking. I have just felt incompetent because I am learning so many things at once. It is overwhelming. I just completed my first week and I am glad it's over! I am trying to stay positive about building on what I have learned and taking good notes (that make sense) Sometimes the info comes so fast that taking notes ends up looking crazy! I generally like the work so far, but I just get frustrated with the lack of knowledge. Most people I have talked to there are generally happy with their jobs and have been there for a long while. That is really encouraging. I just have to pass this learning curve and build my speed and accuracy.
How much time is really excepted to learn and do the process nowadays?
It depends on what industry you're in. If you're a line cook at a pizza joint then you should be able to learn that in about...oh...10 minutes. If you're a young accountant straight out of college then obviously it's going to take a while to learn all of your duties.
It took me about 4 days to learn HEC1 and HEC2 and there was no one in the office to train me, but I already had taken hydrology and hydraulics and therefore had a thorough understanding of the concepts upon which both of those programs were written.
What type of process? In my world, people rise to the occasion. If you're having problems, ask questions and find resources for help and solutions.
Queue the laments about "back in the day they used to train people blah blah."
It’s not a lament but it’s true. When I got my first job as an OT I was trained for a few days, shadowed other therapists, assigned a mentor, and my caseload built over time. I probably had 3 or 4 patients a day the first couple weeks increasing until I had a full caseload. Now new PT and OT grads come in on the first day and handed a schedule with 8 or 9 patients. It’s all about productivity and billing.
You may think it’s silly, but if your grandmom or mom has a stroke and can’t use her right arm or leg, and whether she walks again and goes back home depends on how she progresses in rehab, maybe you’ll then want therapists who have been properly trained and not a new grad who was thrown to the wolves.
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