...to think that 10 weeks in a new role isn't that long?

[Fleurcake]

Hello MN 😀
I had a career change this year, applied for something very different, interview went well & got offered the job which I was surprised about.
I'm in my 30s, excited about this new chapter & have given it my all so far.
I was working for the local authority before, can't say too much about new role as outing, but is very different.
Initially felt very welcome, wanted to ask as many questions as possible, really learn & take my time, do everything properly.
I like my colleagues, & honestly thought this was the start of something great.
At about 8 weeks in, colleagues started to be less friendly, I got the feeling I was being talked about, & this week has felt like a different environment altogether, colleagues not engaging like they were before at all.
I spoke to my manager yesterday about how i felt, & she told me that there are some things I should have picked up by now & 'some people' are saying I should be doing X,Y & Z more confidently.
The 'some people' are senior managers I've met once.
I am suddenly feeling really lost & a bit confused. Was very competent in my last job & haven't felt this ignored since I was at school!!
I am trying really hard to do well, be supportive & kind to colleagues & of course, making the odd mistake but of course, am not going to be as good as the person who was in my role before me.
AIBU to think it's still early days & I shouldn't be judged on my performance after being here less than 3 months? Any thoughts very welcome.

It depends what the job is. Some require you to be up to scratch as soon as you start, some you can hide in the background for a bit.

Someone is about 8 weeks into an important role at my work and is constantly “overwhelmed” and other staff are therefore helping a lot. There’s no time for that unfortunately. She’s the only person in her role so anyone helping is doing that on top of their own job.

After 10 weeks you should be doing most aspects of the role competently and at appropriate speed compared to colleagues doing similar roles at similar levels. (And if not at speed then making up time outside of hours until you are at same or better level of output).

It’s sounds like you’ve been focusing too much on understanding “really learn & take my time” rather than aiming to be as productive and competent as your peers within the first few weeks.

After 3 months most businesses have a strong view on whether someone is going to work out based on how quickly they’ve picked up the role and doing tasks. You won’t be expected to do the role as well as someone who was there years but there will be a trajectory that they will expect you to be on, especially if you aren’t the first new hire and it sounds like you are below par unfortunately.

If you are on a 3 month probation period, and not completely up to speed at week 10, I would prepare yourself for your probation period being extended or even to be let go.

Even with a career change, most employers would expect a new starter to be well established by around the 6-8 week mark. It’s unusual not to be comfortable in the role at 10 weeks.

Unless it's something like Brain Surgery, by 10 weeks I'd expect you to be doing all aspects of your position. accuracy & speed are variable on the actual job, but no, you really don't have the time to be fanning about 'taking your time'. This isn't the public sector.

you really can't say you've been ignored. You said yourself they were kind, friendly, supportive 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

they're getting fed up of you not pulling your weight & likely repeating themselves.

It depends on the role, how different from your other experience and how competent you are doing the role and coming across etc. What is your probation period? When you spoke to your manager, did you ask how you could improve?
I would think by 10 weeks, you should have a fairly good grasp of the role and being doing it competently.
Unless its something so niche and specialist like a fugu chef, and takes many years to pass exams and attain?

10 weeks might not seem long to you, but it's a very long time for your colleagues if you are constantly asking questions and pulling them away from their own work. That might explain the change in atmosphere. They were happy to help and support, just they didn't expect it to be going on for this long!

I don't think it's possible to judge without knowing what your role is.

It depends on the role but 10 weeks is a long time to still be asking questions like a newbie especially as you would have had to prove that you’re competent at the interview for you to be hired for the role. Many places have 3 months probation and that’s because in that time, you should have picked up lots of things.
Also when someone leaves a role and a new person starts, the other team members would be doing more than they should as they’ll be trying to cover for their work so by week 10, they’ll be getting fed up that the replacement is still not up to scratch

Really appreciate everyone's comments, sounds like I am needing to get on top of things a lot more. I should add I am part-time & that my manager is rarely around, that's not an excuse, but they are the only one who really knows how to do my job (it's only me doing my role, my questions are more related to the tech & operations side of things, & what's slowing me down is waiting for my manager to respond/not being shown how to do certain things.

I have someone who is been in role for 10 weeks now. She's totally up to speed, taking ownership of her role (and taking on more responsibilities) and showing initiative in changing things up a bit.

It's a balance. After more than 2 months you should be competent on the day to day and well on the way to being skilled in wider aspects of your role and the business as a whole.

Time to step it up?

I think it depends on the role
I've been doing mine nearly 7 years and still ask questions daily but it's customer service so infinite scenarios!

It's hard to say depending on what your job is. In my place of work (HE) it can take an entire year to really get to know the job, because of the cyclical nature of the academic year - especially for someone new to the vagaries of higher education. Having said that, I do think it's possible to be competent while still learning, eg knowing where to find answers, and being proactive in that regard.

It depends. I'm 5 months into a new job. There are plenty of things I don't know, and more I can't do, because I haven't yet been given access. But it is long enough to know it doesn't suit me, and I've already found another job.

A lot depends on the role. I could be further along in this one if they documented stuff; my successor will benefit, as I have been documenting stuff as I go along. But in my previous role, there were various specialities, and it would take years. However, you could do a lot of standard tasks from about 4-6 weeks.

What fte are you? If your boss isn't giving you the appropriate training then I can understand why you are not up to speed.

As someone who has done similar I’d say you’re in the toughest phase. You’ve done it long enough to know how you still have a lot to learn!

being impatient with you won’t help…they need to help train you!

I hope you pull through and come out the other side. Ignore the childishness and focus on yourself 🙌

I changed careers recently, much like you. After 12 weeks, I have total autonomy in my role and my direct report would only get involved if there was an issue.
I was given three weeks of shadowing my work colleagues before my training wheels were removed and I was expected to be independent and competent in the role I had been hired for.

i noticed you were in the civil service previously. Are you now working in the private sector? Having worked in both I would say the culture between the two is poles apart….. that is not a criticism, just an observation

Totally depends on role. I had a change after 16 years in same job. I could do that role with my eyes closed.
New job is very different and had a 12 month probation due to complexity and knowledge needed. Been here almost two years now and still asking questions daily but am also training a new colleague. Our management would be concerned if we werent querying things regularly.
Was one of best decisions I've made moving jobs and was such a steep learning curve at the start.

Thank you everyone for your comments. It's helping me to read everyone's thoughts, and it really helps to read about people's experiences.
The job is quite specialist, it's to do with fundraising & comms, & I'm learning a lot while I try to keep a 'competent face' - in some areas I know I'm ok, in other areas, I think it might just be a confidence thing, and that 'I'm new' feeling. Every day 😣
I was the person everyone else asked questions to before & I was the support to a lot of colleagues (& was there for over a decade)

@Sailorchick14 yes yes, I'm the same, always encouraged everyone to ask questions before, it just doesn't seem as encouraged here, & the steep learning curve feels so steep right now.
I just want to be good at my job & liked for it 🤯

I work in a similar role by the sounds of it. What I did from day 1 was to write myself an instruction manual of all the things I need to do frequently. Step by step instructions including any anomalies that spring up- could you do this retrospectively? It would show willing?

I've been in my role 6 months now. I do occasionally still have questions but I'd say about the same level now as I did at 10 weeks - usually just things I haven't come up against before.

I didn't really have much of an induction or detailed training - did you? That's why I did the instructions for everything. It definitely helps - even today I had to check back on them to see how to code some fundraising money that had come in via an unusual route .

Having seen your update OP, I can now understand it must be very difficult! If your manager is the only person who can answer your questions, yet doesn't reply, AND you are part-time- no wonder its taking longer than 'normal'. Are they a good manager otherwise? Maybe they are used others having more knowledge of the area or actually don't know the the answers themselves? Are there days of the week they are on-site more often? Could you amend your days to be onsite with them more?

How many hours are you there a week?
When you started, did you have a mentor/buddy/support person to actually show you the ropes?
Are there other people who might be able to support/help different aspects of your questions? Colleagues wouldn't know my entire role, but might be able to help with the tech side or operations for example.

I think if you are asking fresh questions all well and good, but if it's the same ones over and over that's grating. With new things I ask to be shown once, ask to be supervised once and then do it alone and have it checked. Any more than that is overkill I think. A couple of things I can't get my head round so I asked my manager to make me a loom video showing the process and I refer to that, as it's something I only do quarterly I forget e v e R y f l ip p ING time

Unless it's something in School Support. Nobody picks up everything there until at least Christmas, because the environment is so varied, there's constant disturbances and so, so much to learn.

Half term is about the time most people are thinking 'What the Hell have I done?', mid November 'There's so much to do', early December 'Can everybody just leave me alone for five minutes' and by Christmas, you're training somebody else.

If you have moved from a public office job into a private industry, you might have to work much faster and more confidently. It is a dog eat dog world, people are not quite as nice and will be monitoring results rather than kindness.

I would take it on the chin, start afresh and go kick some ass! You got this girl