To think this is unfair and that I wasn’t given a fair chance at my new job.

[Sunnysideup95]

Recently I started a new job at a recruitment agency, for what would have been my first proper job. I was interviewed for an office administration position. A few days later I received a call from them and they said the position has gone to somebody else but there is another department within the same agency who need an administrator and they could take me on.

On my first day I arrived and soon found out it wasn’t an office admin job but was to call up nursing staff and see if they were available to take a job in care home that the agency had on their lists. A lot of the times I was ringing up and they would say they are not available to work that day. I felt pressure as I was just given a list of names and contact numbers and had to ring anybody on the list. I had no training and nobody helped or really told me what I needed to be doing

A few days later I was called in to the office by office manager who said he had been listening to my calls and thinks I’m not right for the job. But I was never told what to say to the nursing staff on their lists and was just trying my best

Aibu to think this isn’t fair

It sounds like you actually had a good and gave it your best considering this is your first job. This is the sort of task that can be quite daunting when you're totally new to both the company and the job, even if they don't think there is much to it. They want you to be a sales person as they'll get a huge commission for anyone that does take on work through them and you've been given zero support or training in how to do that role. They sound like total arse wipes. You'll do really well in a company that is supportive.

What made you apply for the role?

Some people think Recruitment = HR, when it’s not. Recruitment will require someone to have good sales/ persuasive skills, not afraid to be pushy and have a lot of resilience. It sounds like they were listening out for those core qualities during those calls, and didn’t hear it.

Thats not a reflection on you- it’s just not the right role.

A junior HR Admin role might suit better if you’re interested in the more technical side of recruitment processes.

I don't think op was expecting "extensive" training, but they gave her zero training, which is lazy and crap. She's dodged a bullet.

I suspect there is more going on here than you realize and that you have made a lucky escape.

There was probably never any office admin role, not even the one initially advertised. Hiring people to make those staffing calls is extremely difficult so I suspect a bait and switch is their normal method of operations.

Then you either are the type of person who bullies people into working or you aren’t. It’s not really something they can train which is why they don’t even bother really interviewing. If you don’t work out, they put someone else in the spot tomorrow.

now I can’t prove any of this, but having spent some time working for a temp agency, I would bet money that I am right.

A friend of mine used to work at a recruitment agency. She often tells us about how much of a dog eat dog, awful environment it was to work in, and admits that she played a part in it as it was join in or be targeted yourself. She said in management meetings for fun they would pick someone who would eventually get fired, and then set out to make their job really hard/targets unachievable and then sack them. The whole things sounded horrid. I am sure you have dodged a bullet here. When you work for a good company you will see the difference and realise how bad this company was.

Yes, recruitment is sales based and depends on filling roles. Instead of just asking whether they are available on a certain day, they want you to stress what a great opportunity it is, how good it will look on their CV, a friendly working environment etc. Then if they are miserable in their current temp role, or had just promised to look after their friend's child for the day, or had earmarked those days for time off, they might accept.

But if they had just described the role as a back office admin role, and not mentioned a sales element, then if you are a quietly spoken, methodical person who is good at detail and not salesy, you wouldn't be a good fit for what they asked you to do. It's difficult to get nursing and care staff at the moment so they maybe didn't have enough pure admin work like handling applications, processing P45s, doing payroll, preparing spreadsheets as they don't have enough temp staff employed to justify this. So instead of being able to do the original role, they got you to drum up temps instead. They should have given you some training!

But there are plenty of admin roles in other industries, like NHS or finance, where you might be more suited.

She didn't apply for the role. That's the point!

Ignore the posters trying to make you feel stupid. The company is clearly shit and you dodged a bullet.

Sounds like you dodged a bullet.

Call me paranoid but the application itself sounds a bit bait and switch - far more people would apply for the role you did, over the role you ended up getting. I wonder if it was a genuine advertisement or a backhanded way to fill your role.

She applied for an office admin role in a recruitment firm.

Being asked to call workers to check their availability isn’t completely out of scope for that type of role, especially in a small organisation.

They've acted poorly and harshly, but it’s the kind of task that in theory requires little training which can be given to someone in their first few days.

I’d think you dodged a bullet. Not the job you applied for and no training or procedures. They sound like a really shoddy business.
Keep applying you’ll soon get something else.

Sounds like a nightmare, and you are better out of there. Good luck with the next one.

They gave you a shot and you gave it a go. It's not for you. They will have seen so many people they will know who won't be able to do the job. It's not something you can train into someone. I for one would be awful at it.

They probably need someone who can pick up a list of people and phone them without any training

That's fine but no training will change that. Its not something you can learn.

She did that. 🙄

Successfully though

I had bait and switch done to me 30 years ago for a summer job. I got a job with Holland and Barratt Wimbledon, then when I turned up they informed me I wouldn't actually be based there but would be travelling around to any branch that was short staffed. I was sent here, there and everywhere. Guildford and Virginia Water were two of them. Wish I'd told them to stuff it, as I could easily have found another summer job, but I was young and naive back then.

A proper company will give basic training.

Had to get everywhere by public transport and they didn't train properly in their products back then. Might have changed now

As most have said, you dodged a bullet. They sound deceitful and lazy about training. They probably require a bully type. Sounds like you're not that.

It was her first few days and no training was given so the company is shit.
Like others have said I think you dodged a bullet and hopefully your next employer will be honest about the job and much better fit for you.
It's a bit like selling and I agree its either something you're good at or something you aren't good at (I'm not) but they still should have given a bit of support.

They have done you a favour OP. It is a skill to be able to cover urgent nursing shifts and you should have received some guidance on how to do it. I wouldn't dream of just sitting someone down on their first day and giving them a list of names and numbers. I would have, at the very least, had you shadowing someone for a couple of days.

Think it's a good thing you're not cut out to force someone into work they don't want to do. I would be shit at it. Look for another job with the same description you previously applied for there and don't stress x

OP, rather than take the “it’s not fair, they were mean and should have given me more chances” approach, take it as a learning curve. Many of us start out when we’re young thinking we want to work in a particular industry before learning - usually by a manager telling us straight - that we don’t actually have the right soft skills, some of which don’t come naturally to everyone, and some of which are difficult to develop in somebody who doesn’t have them. I graduated from university thinking that working in promotional events and marketing sounded like a cool career to pursue. After my first fortnight, my manager disabused me of this notion by - kindly but clearly - pointing out that my persona is entirely at odds with the type needed to be successful in the industry and that they were letting me go. I went home and cried that day at the perceived unfairness of not being given enough time to shine. But he was entirely correct: I don’t have a sales mindset or a charismatic phone manner or the innate ability to influence and persuade others with my charm. They could have spent another fortnight (or more) training me and I still wouldn’t have shone. It would have been a waste of both of our times (and their money.) I’ve since had a very successful career in something that is absolutely not promotions, events, or marketing!

Likewise, it sounds like the specific and largely untrainable skills needed for success in the recruitment industry just don’t come naturally to you, and somebody experienced who knows what they are has recognised that very early on. Think of it as having had an opportunity to try the industry you thought you liked the sound of, and now be in a position to see that nope; you need to concentrate elsewhere. Your time hasn’t been wasted by them letting you carry on fruitlessly for a month only for it to still not work out for either of you. Take the opportunity you have now to reflect on what you actually enjoy doing, what sort of personality you have, what you’ve done best when you’ve worked or studied in the past, and build the right career.