Failed Probation Period

[RobinsMoonah]

I have a meeting on Monday and I’m fairly certain I’m going to be told I’ve failed my probation period for underperformance. I feel sick. I know I need to get job hunting (bills and mortgage need paying) but I feel like just curling up in a ball and licking my wounds instead. Has this happened to anyone else? I feel like such a failure. Some positive stories would be good. Or, what happens with a reference now?

Why do you think you've failed? What industry is it? I'm a it just not a job that is not suitable for your skill set?

If the job isn't right for you, you are better off out. What was the job? People here may be able to suggest alternatives

It should not come as any surprise to you that you are going to fail your probation... you should have been made aware of any issues along the way and given the opportunity to address any shortcomings if your company are properly following procedure

Its working in a job I’ve done for years in other companies without problems. I started just as I found out about DH’s affair though so it’s fair to say I’ve been unfocused. My main worry is that I work in finance so it’s a regulated industry and any gaps in employment need to be accounted for. I know I’ll need to use them as a reference.
Its not really come as a surprise. 2 of my most recent pieces of work have been graded as not being good enough. And they weren’t.

I would just be open with them about his affair and how it's affected your performance, tell them the mistakes you think you've made and how you'll improve - see if they can extend the probation period

Thanks. I’m not sure how sympathetic they will be and it might look like I’m looking for excuses. I just feel stupid and worried

Many years ago I failed the probation period. I left that day and went straight to a recruitment agency. I had temporary work by the following week, which became permanent and ended up staying for over 7 years.

Explain and ask for extended probation or ask for a basic good enough reference. Then temp work so no gaps.

Agree with pp. Explain your situation as rationally as possible and that it has affected your performance. Ask if they will consider extending your probation period another 3 months.

You say you’ve had other roles before this so all is not lost. At worst, it’s a gap on your CV due to personal circumstances. I understand that working in a regulated industry makes it harder, but I don’t think it should affect your chances of getting another job.

I've never failed probation, but i've left many jobs i didnt like quicksmart and been made redundant out of the blue and not got any pay for it etc. Temp work is easy to get, i've been hired the same day, and ive always found a job in the end.

Stick 'motiversity' into youtube, get a career coach if you can afford, and get on indeed!

If there's any risk of your not passing probation, any good manager would have made this clear to you well before the actual meeting. In addition, any good manager would have a "What's going on?" conversation well before it got to that point.

And anyway it's pretty extreme to just dismiss someone at a probation review. It's far more common to extend probation.

I would go into the meeting and sort of head things off by saying you've had some personal crises arise which have obviously affected your work, but you have xyz support in place now so you're on the road to improvement.

I'm so sorry to hear. What was the eventual outcome? And if you didn't pass and were dismissed (hopefully not!), what will the reference say? I'm in a similar boat and wondering about my options.