How long do I give it?

[jobworries1980]

Hi

I started a new job almost 6 months ago, and I'll be honest - I'm struggling.

It's a very niche job, so I won't go into great detail just in case, but basically it's a charity role, supporting people who are in certain situations.

Now I love the team, I love my hours (20), it fits for my family. I absolutely love supporting people, I pride myself in having loads of empathy, I never judge, I work really hard. Now here's the issue - I really struggle with the content of my work. So as in the situation the people are in, is just not a specialty of mine.

I've tried so hard to learn, I've attended online courses/forums, self learn online etc. I talk to people etc. I just can't seem to do it

It's really getting me down. I pride myself in doing a good job, but I often feel like I'm blagging a lot of my work, which feels awful.

I don't really know where to go from here? I thought by now I'd have a reasonable level of understanding, but I don't. It's not because I'm not interested, I really am! So what do I do? My boss/team are lovely, but I work very independently so it's not even as if I have them to bounce off. I only see most of them once, maybe twice a month.

Do I just cut my losses?

Is this imposter syndrome?

If you weren’t doing a good job would you have lasted 6 months?

Have you had an appraisal?

Passed my 3 month probation with flying colours, regularly receive lovely comments from my work colleagues.

I think it's just me! I really pride myself on doing a good job, and with my previous job - similar role, different "situation" - I felt much more confident as I had a lot more experience, including personal experience, so really knew my stuff. I just wonder whether I should cut myself some slack, or realise this isn't the role for me.

I’m about to go into a similar situation and am worried about the same things. However, I would say that anyone can be trained to do a task, what cannot be taught is the behaviours that….enhance the task.

What I mean is, anyone can be taught to cook and serve chips in a chippy. It’s the rest that goes with it; the smile, the ‘how’s your mum?’ etc. The job I’m starting said that attitude is the most important, as they can train the skill, but being warm, friendly and enthusiastic is what they’re looking for.

You struggle to empathise with those in the situation?

I have had similar. It was working with carers for a charity - of adults and children. I just really struggled to empathise.

Due to contracts being lost etc I moved to work in a social work team at the council, basically same job but working with the cared for people instead of the carers and now I'm full of empathy for them and the carers. I just couldn't do the other way round as I never got to see the person they cared for really, therefore never really understood the impact.

It was a change in mindset from then on.

Is there something you can do to help you understand the clients better?

Yes I work with Carers too.

Absolutely loads of empathy, I think that's half the problem, I really want to help and be supportive, however I just don't feel knowledgeable about the issue - there's a lot of medical jargon involved which I'm asked about and I just don't know! Makes me feel a bit of a failure and like I'm letting them down not knowing.