I spent three months at this company, believing I'd gain valuable insights from the Senior Manager and that I could adapt to a role far removed from my background. I thought I was building strong relationships with my colleagues, juggling four different lines of work, and assuming my team appreciated those efforts. It was naive of me to foster these illusions in a workplace that regards itself as a close-knit family and boasts an allegedly effective feedback system, which turned out to be sweet nothing:)
Though in the end, I learned some necessary lessons. Never blindly trust your colleagues and get comfy with them, even if they praised your performance. Question your inexperienced manager; this isn't to discredit their skills, they in fact can be very well-versed at their job but it doesn't necessarily qualify them to lead junior employees. And lastly, be assertive enough to say NO when you've got trained for something entirely different for weeks but then handed tasks you've never encountered once in on-boarding. However, the responsibility for this last point doesn't solely lie with me, the Senior Manager who has years of experience, should understand that a junior with no background in the field may struggle, at the very least, should receive proper guidance, TIME and DIRECT feedback over time.
In short, they wasted my time and I may have wasted theirs. However, they’re a well-resourced company, while I was an individual with a job and valuable contacts before I accepted their offer, thinking that it would be a step up for me both financially and professionally.
Stay safe out there!
