Feel awkward in new job and it's only the second day

[Chocolateteapot33]

Am I being daft? Please tell me.

2nd day of my new job. I spent yesterday just setting up the laptop. I'll be working from home so all training is over teams. They've said this week will be easy (no actual work) just learning the system and some courses to complete.

I had a 30 minute call with one of my colleagues this morning just so they could run through a couple of things with me. The meeting was really helpful and gave me an insight into a specific system that they use, although it's very similar to what I've used in the past at another company. Throughout the meeting I was watching the screen as he was showing me what to do and asking lots of questions (so by no means was I just sat there not paying attention if that makes sense). At the start of the call he told me not to worry as it was a lot to take in and he didn't expect me to remember everything. That he just wanted to give me a brief overview of the system and that he'd go through it with me again as I won't be using it for a while anyway until I've settled in. I didn't even think to take notes as I was too busy watching what he was doing and talking it through with him.

At the end of the meeting he mentioned that I'd not taken any notes. I said "oh sorry I was just watching what you were doing" but did tell him it was similar to what I've used in the past. He told me not too worry and that he'd go through it with me again closer to the time. I told him I'd take notes next time. All fine. I appreciate it must be annoying for him to train people and then they don't write anything down. I knew he had a call scheduled with my manager straight afterwards, and about 10 minutes into their call I received an email from my manager asking how my training went, and asking did I take lots of notes... well no? But I'm presuming he already knew that after speaking to my colleague. Maybe a coincidence, I don't know. Just seems strange to me.

I felt a bit awkward, as though I was being put on the spot when he already knew the answer and I didn't know what to say, so just apologised and said I'd take notes next time. In my defence he did tell me it was just a brief overview and that he'd go through it with me again at a later date. I also find it difficult sometimes to watch and note take at the same time as I tend to rush getting everything down so I'm not holding the other person up, and it doesn't necessarily always make sense afterwards. My old company use to just give out how to guides which I found a lot easier to follow and then would give extra training if needed. Not everyone learns the same way after all.

I'm just not sure why neither of them didn't mention it rather than trying to catch me out (well that's how it feels anyway) or why my colleague didn't mention it during the training "you might want to take some notes" rather than waiting until the end. I would have preferred that tbh. I'm probably just being silly, and thinking way too into it. It's possibly just nerves from starting a new job, and also learning from home can be hard.

Thanks x

You're massively over thinking. People learn in different ways- I learn by doing. You learn by watching. Others learn by note taking and reading back later. Just explain that if you're challenged but it just sounds like you're over thinking. Next time just take a few notes or ask if you can record the session to rewatch later and take better notes.

I would explain to them your learning style. Whatever that is. I learn by seeing then doing. Ask for a training login and some dummy scenarios so you can practice. Or next time ask to record the session so you look back at it at your own pace.

Write up some notes now on what you remember, if it was fairly familiar you should be able to do that pretty well, then email back to say you have now written up what you were taught and maybe ask a few more questions.

Thanks for your replies. Yeah I agree I'm probably over thinking, worrying I'll do something wrong. I was concerned I might have annoyed them by not taking notes, hence why I apologised. I did go on the system afterwards and have a play around. My manager said that was fine and to just mess around with it for a bit and get familiar with it all. I have a meeting with him later today so I'll see if he mentions anything.

I would be positive and say 'it was great to watch him go through it to familiarise myself with it so I could have a look through myself later, which I did. I learn best using written instructions that I can refer back to as I explore it myself. Is anything like that available for this system?'

Certainly in my area of work we have both video demos and written instructions. I learn better from written ones but my organisation has taken on board different learning preferences and also do videos now.

They probably wondered whether the guy doing the training was just wasting both of your time, but ideally he'd have asked about that at the time.

Can't count how many times I've explained a slightly complex system to someone and they've not taken any notes and then - hey presto - they need me to explain it again.

He wasn't training you for his own fun so if it seemed like you weren't responding he might have been worried that he hadn't done a very good job and/or you wouldn't be able to remember it later.

I'd just let them both know that you were taking it in. For example you could email training guy and copy your boss saying thanks so much for showing me x system earlier, I'm learning my way round it this afternoon but if I have any questions I hope it's ok if I come to you.

These things are really hard (for both people) on Zoom - you never really know if someone is giving it their full attention or watching Friends in the background...

But that's on you. A quick 'would be great if you took some notes as I explain this' at the beginning would solve that issue, but as I said earlier most people don't learn like that anyway. And it's normal to have to have things explained more than once generally.

Probably a case of once bitten twice shy - I spent an inordinate amount of time training someone who didn’t take notes and didn’t seem to take in information either; hours of my training later and she left. Massive fucking waste of time and it could have reflected badly on me as well as putting me behind with my workload but luckily I’ve trained people before and had success so it didn’t look like I’d scared her off with my incompetency.

He’s probably trained someone before who didn’t take notes and later foundered, and might have been warned to make sure his trainees take proper notes.

If it's on teams next time ask to record it so you can watch and then refer back if needed. It's easy to miss something if taking notes or takes longer as have to wait for the note taker to finish before moving to the next topic.

That does sound weird and bitchy to me.

Doesn't bode well, but I would just ignore it. And have confidence! You're at work, you are going to be working for your salary, you don't need to suck up to anyone (I'm not saying you did, just saying, don't let them make you feel awkward).

If they mention it again, just say something like "I was told it was a brief demonstration and that I'd be shown detail closer to the time so I didn't want to take notes and miss what I was being shown."

You'll get a lot more respect if you stand up for yourself politely.

Totally everyone needs things explained more than once if they're complicated. But there's a difference between explaining what was missed the first time despite an effort, and having to confront a blank face who clearly didn't bother listening to anything that was said the first time. I have a trainee colleague who is absolutely delightful as a person but genuinely doesn't seem to grasp that if she's in a job and someone is teaching her to do something, it's really on her to learn it as quick as possible - it's not like at school where it is the teacher's whole role to ensure the kids have learnt their stuff. Of course people have different ways of learning but again in most workplaces the person teaching you is someone already doing the job, not someone who has the time or opportunity to think about that - you need to ask for something if you need it.

Anyway I'm sure that's not relevant to you OP, the important thing is you don't need to feel awkward you just need to assure him that you were engaged.