Why I Was Fired
I was fired for improperly filing paperwork that had been finished but needed to be sent off to another department, which included checks that needed to be paid. During the conversation with my supervisor she was very apologetic; I actually think she handled it very well. She admitted that my training had not been thorough, and also admitted that she should have done more to help me during my first few weeks to make sure I was being trained properly. I was quickly and insufficiently trained by the person who had the job before and was receiving a promotion. Staff were too busy and often annoyed by my questions.
What Being Fired Has Been Like
This is the first time I have ever been fired. I moved 1000 miles to take this job, and honestly, I had some hesitations about it from the beginning but I ignored my instincts. I feel devastated, and confused and hurt. My self-esteem has also taken a blow because I do associate some of my self-worth in being able to do a job well, and I pride myself on being a good, reliable, hard worker. On a smaller scale, I also feel relieved. I am glad that this happened before I had signed a lease on an apartment (I had planned to sign one after work that day), and I know that in some ways it may be for the best because I would not have been happy with the social dynamics or the workload there. I had recently left a job that was incredibly stressful for this job and in the end, I think this one topped the other in workload stress.
In retrospect, after being at my job for only a week, I felt very isolated from my coworkers as they would do things like all order lunch together and forget about me, and have staff meetings/field-trips, that I was not allowed to go on. My previous job had an excellent work environment that was very supportive with experienced, perceptive and able management. This was not the case at the new job. I had actually met with my supervisor twice in the past week to discuss concerns about holes in my training, things I felt I needed more guidance in and my feelings of being "out of the loop" in the office. Sometimes I would be in the office and have a question, and call/email 5 different people, and then find out an hour later all the staff were in a meeting that I was not invited to, and that no one told me about. When I brought this up to my supervisor she apologized and said she would do better about communicating these things to me in the future.
My manager depended too much on the girl who trained me and did not check in to make sure that things were okay because she assumed they were fine. I also did not let her know soon enough about my concerns and my frustrations with giving so much work with so little direction or training. I was never given deadlines for things more than 24hrs in advance and when I asked what should be priority, I was told by the training staff, "Everything." I now realize that just because you know how to do something doesn't mean you are qualified to train someone else to do it. The person who trained me was not qualified, the poor training translated into poor performance, and it cost me my job.
Advice
- Always ALWAYS follow your instincts. Don't take a job if you feel unsure about the dynamics and whether you will fit in. Don't move for a job if you have any doubts that it is the right fit for you.
- If you are unsure, ask. Ask even if people seem annoyed at your questions. If your questions are not adequately answered, go to the person above them until you have recieved a satisfactory answer.
- Communicate any frustrations or troubles with learning and completing tasks ASAP. Waiting and hoping it will get better might work, but it rarely does.
- Own what you did wrong, forgive, let go, and move on.
