Love new jobs - thanks all for your advice .

[GemmaUK]

Pink Sugar that's dreadful how they treated your husband. Bad first impression ot what?!!

 

 

Leigh, I would imagine it's pretty difficult to train and learn as well at the same time so I wouldn't worry too much about the new manager. Also she is obviously planning her wedding too so she is going to be a bit overloaded right now.

 

As another posted mentioned too work is not supposed to be a social arena so a bit of chatter is fine but not too much.

I have a handful of folk where I work who I do chatter with but most of them we share the odd work in the kitchen and that's really it.

 

At the moment three of us (myself, my Finance Director and the Financial Accountant) are all mega busy working on next year's financial plans but there's three ladies in our team who chatter all day every day - usually about food, TV programs, celebrities or general gossip and it's driving the three of us round the bend! So much so that the FD has been working from home a lot and I have my headset on all day tuned in to classical radio. Our poor Financial Accountant only has a headset with one earpiece and she is having to cope with all the chatter.

She came to ask me some questions today and I she also had a rant about the noise. She was really stressed so I went and bought her a decent headset tonight on my way home. £15 and she will be able to concentrate!

 

About the probation thing.

There's two sides to look at - one is that perhaps other staff were not as aware of how much knowledge of feet was required and just were not up to the standard they need there.

You have every reason to be interested as you are going on to fo a degree...in feet!

The other side is perhaps the manager who is now leaving may have something to do with it.....it's possible.

I would say you are better off in both cases.You have an actual interest plus you will be working for a fresh new manager.

 

Sounds like you are loving the new jobs!

Do make sure you find a work/home balance though. Working too much can make you poorly and lower your immune system and you don't want that in the early stages.

[pink_sugar]

Regarding probation...

 

Yes I was hoping for it to just be a formality and for me to " almost definitely" get a permanent role and get past the probationary period.

 

However, I did ask an older staff member who is 75 and still working there - she has worked eight years for the brand....

 

She said " not many people last past probation"

 

I asked why.

 

She lamented " well, the company expects a lot out of you and the staff ( who lost out on the job after probation), just didn't realise that his is more than a typical retail job in terms of our roles and responsibilities"

 

I told her that I loved the job and hoped I was one of the successful ones.

 

I also asked if the manager did interview many people.

 

She said " yes, an awful lot were interviewed".

 

 

 

 

 

Surely once they bother training you up, and getting behind a little in sales due to having to train someone new up, if they would readily dismiss you?

 

In the offer of employment and the staff booklet it says " probationary period is a trial period whereby your skills are assessed and you have to ensure that you eagerly learn the business and don't fall behind" type of spiel...

 

" if you fall short, additional training can be provided"

 

and importantly " you will be for warned if you are under performing based on the amount of time you have had to learn"

 

I am hoping they wouldn't outright dismiss me - without at least giving me a warning that I was not fitting in well or that I was not fast enough or that I was not doing things properly.......

 

Mind you, if they did caution me that my time with them would indeed come to an end shortly if I didn't start performing better - I would likely be so stressed out that I would willingly quit and promptly try to find another job that I was a better fit for........

 

I sure hope that having impeccable presentation, dressing very professionally, grooming myself very nicely (no stray hairs sticking out everywhere or smudged or inappropriate coloured lips) and turn up 10 mins early every single shift, that it will be ENOUGH.

 

And also ^^^ be extremely polite, follow their sales steps and continue to promptly find shoes and clean as I go....we don't take shoes onto the floor, we empty the boxes and stack them up neat in advance and also have to take shoes away and put them back if the customer has picked dfavourites and the discarded pairs then need to be put away in boxes so as to keeo the area looking clean........

 

 

I hear you, Leigh. In my many years of working, unless you were late consistently, called in sick a lot or just weren't doing your work, were usually the only reasons you wouldn't make it past probation. Nowadays, employers can let you go for just about anything. I was shocked when I was let go on my 90'th working day (end of probation)...I had no idea that was coming. I still have no idea what went wrong. Just do your best right now. If for some reason they decide you're not a good fit, at least you have a second job.

[Leigh 87]

Well I was right about the new manager not clicking with me. I always know when a person doesn't like me.

 

My employment was terminated after all.

 

I still have my weekend job as a sales rep with a manager who I did click well with, and I earn 200 - 300 per day at large events, and 130 - 150 at small events with a small client base.

 

I don't feel at all stressed with the sales rep job; the manager is always happy with me, I don't walk on egg shells and I am always excited and happy to go to work. In the shoe store, I LOVED the actual job at hand and I loved the customers - I just felt anxious about going into work due to the manager not liking me. I can sense when people don't like to be around me and it made me unhappy to work at the store - in spite of the lovely customers.

 

I get a weeks pay at least and I work this weekend at my other job at two large events and will earn plenty and not have to feel stressed and crappy about going into work.

 

At the shoe store, they said I wasn't slow at all at picking things up - it was just a personality thing. I wasn't the right fit. I knew this would happen. The jobs I held for years - personal training and I was a style consultant in addition to this - I clicked with the managers from day one. It was honestly just the manager - we didn't click at all. Although I didn't bother her - I just went about my business, did the job fast whilst also being accurate and taking great care of customers - I never talked to her unless she spoke to me. When I know someone just doesn't appreciate me, I keep to myself and do the job at hand rather than bothering to talk to those who clearly just don't enjoy being around me.

 

I even asked her on the second day whether or not she felt that I was picking things up at the right speed - she said yes, I was not lagging behind what was expected of me and yes, she would definitely tell me if I was.

 

In the letter of offer it did state that they do provide additional training to those lagging behind - so it was obviously nothing to do with my ability towards carrying out the tasks at hand. If a person is an ideal fit, the company does offer extra training. And yeah, again, the customers all told me that I looked after them well, and one or two of them even went up and told the manager. So it wasn't my inability to work hard or grasp things... as they would have trained me up more if I was a tad slow yet I was the right fit for company...

 

I have a local crystal/tarot reading/jewellery business down my street that wants me to come and work for them casually starting next week. I was a stylist when I lives in Hong Kong, started with my parents wealthy friends and then they referred their friends onto me - so I had my own pieces designed and charged a handsome albeit reasonable mark up...

 

I am to come in on Wednesday and show him some of my designs. Additionally, I am doing a certificate in business admin and live close by to the store - he needs someone extra to help him with the paper work, emails, phone calls and the like. So hopefully I will get a couple of days a week at this local store, whilst getting to have creative input on the business, in addition to working the weekends at the sales rep job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even just working weekends as a sales rep for the fine foods company and studying full time will be more than enough for me - to save and focus on study.

[anne1707]

At the shoe store, they said I wasn't slow at all at picking things up - it was just a personality thing. I wasn't the right fit. I knew this would happen

 

 

Did they say anything more on this Leigh to help you understand their reasoning?

[Leigh 87]

I hear you, Leigh. In my many years of working, unless you were late consistently, called in sick a lot or just weren't doing your work, were usually the only reasons you wouldn't make it past probation. Nowadays, employers can let you go for just about anything. I was shocked when I was let go on my 90'th working day (end of probation)...I had no idea that was coming. I still have no idea what went wrong. Just do your best right now. If for some reason they decide you're not a good fit, at least you have a second job.

 

 

 

Yep. I am sure you were up to speed and you were just fine. Companies just want perfection and many businesses have an endless flow of new staff who never get past probation; my friend looked at a business she was let go from, and they ALWAYS advertise every 3 months for a new staff member of the SAME position..........

 

Other times, it is a personality thing; in this instance, my personality just wasn't what the area manager or store manager felt was suitable.

 

I don't always think it is a performance based decision. Although sometimes it is.

 

So yeah, I have my "second job" still lol, which is set in stone seeing as I make great sales as a sales rep seeing as I genuinely am a huge advocate for the brand. I am also friends with the manager and he has given other staff a job even though they don't make impressive sales.

 

My manager even helped out a homeless man who lives in his van - he gave him a job, even though staff he trained complained that he drunk and drove and got stoned whilst driving - the manager still wanted to help him put food in his stomach...

 

...until the homeless ex employee crashed his van the other weekend..... due to drink driving.

 

Thank Christ I wasn't in the van - he drove me to two training sessions with him to train me up - and honestly I was uncomfortable - he had been drinking and he was driving all over the place - yet I held my tongue because he was homeless and I didn't want him to loose his job and livelihood!

 

I have another manager of a shoe store who is also about to study podiatry - he didn't get an early round offer LOL - he is about to study podiatry too! I told him that I got my offer already LOL. He said he would call me about coming in to work for him, but he is probably swamped with resumes since it is a nice shoe store and it is very likely that here are other podiatry students all vying for the role.

 

The local crystal store would be nice - I would get to design my own pieces.

 

Plus this is an opportunity to use my business admin newly developed skills!

 

In either case, I have this weekend job - and also, the manager offered me Friday and Monday shifts as his sales rep -

[Leigh 87]

Did they say anything more on this Leigh to help you understand their reasoning?

 

 

I asked.

 

They said it was a personality thing, I wont go into the exact words that were said but in short, that was what it came down to - they didn't think my personality was an ideal fit for the company.

 

They said it was nothing to do with my rapport with customers or my ability to take new things on and enact them.

 

I have been successful in a couple of prior jobs so it is not just me, since I have excelled in other roles.

 

It has been a few years since I was successful due to illness but I feel like this sales rep job is my chance to become successful in a job again.

 

I was very upset initially as I was hoping the shoe store would give me more of a chance but they obviously felt very strongly that my personality would not be something they could incorporate onto their company.

 

I was not loud of obnoxious or anything - I was proper and professional, I just did the job at hand, I didn't go out and try to be best buddies with all the staff. I tried to just do the job well, and I was pleasant and polite when I was spoken to.

 

I at times, politely asked staff how to do things but not too often and I didn't try to talk to them other than asking them about things I had not yet been shown.

 

I believe it is their loss. I am starting podiatry next year, I was good with the customers and it is a shame they couldn't see what an asset I would have been for their company.

 

I mean, I referred two people to the store by just talking passionately about their products and giving them the features and benefits of this stores shoes.....

 

I am the best seller of the company I still do work for - despite being its newest sales rep! I would like to think that I could have sold a good amount of shoes, given I would be a podiatrist in training?

 

I guess the shoe has to fit.... When it comes to people and managing them. I don't blame her for not wanting to employ a person who she didn't like or nor think would be good with customers or other team members.

[Leigh 87]

I really did try guys.

 

I turned up early, dressed professionally and really loved the role at he shoe store.

 

I did want the job but I am sure glad I had another job as back up that I can now make my main focus.

[clia]

I'm sorry to hear this, Leigh, but it sounds like you have lots of new options. You'll find the right fit soon!

[anne1707]

Leigh

 

 

Based on what you have posted, I wonder whether you tried too hard at being professional with colleagues. People spend a lot of time at work and a big factor is getting on with colleagues - having a little bit of chat now and then is a good thing. If you did not show this side then maybe you came across as distant or cold to your colleagues. You saying you only spoke if spoken to suggests to me that this might be the case.

[pink_sugar]

Yep. I am sure you were up to speed and you were just fine. Companies just want perfection and many businesses have an endless flow of new staff who never get past probation; my friend looked at a business she was let go from, and they ALWAYS advertise every 3 months for a new staff member of the SAME position..........

 

Other times, it is a personality thing; in this instance, my personality just wasn't what the area manager or store manager felt was suitable.

 

I don't always think it is a performance based decision. Although sometimes it is.

 

So yeah, I have my "second job" still lol, which is set in stone seeing as I make great sales as a sales rep seeing as I genuinely am a huge advocate for the brand. I am also friends with the manager and he has given other staff a job even though they don't make impressive sales.

 

My manager even helped out a homeless man who lives in his van - he gave him a job, even though staff he trained complained that he drunk and drove and got stoned whilst driving - the manager still wanted to help him put food in his stomach...

 

...until the homeless ex employee crashed his van the other weekend..... due to drink driving.

 

Thank Christ I wasn't in the van - he drove me to two training sessions with him to train me up - and honestly I was uncomfortable - he had been drinking and he was driving all over the place - yet I held my tongue because he was homeless and I didn't want him to loose his job and livelihood!

 

I have another manager of a shoe store who is also about to study podiatry - he didn't get an early round offer LOL - he is about to study podiatry too! I told him that I got my offer already LOL. He said he would call me about coming in to work for him, but he is probably swamped with resumes since it is a nice shoe store and it is very likely that here are other podiatry students all vying for the role.

 

The local crystal store would be nice - I would get to design my own pieces.

 

Plus this is an opportunity to use my business admin newly developed skills!

 

In either case, I have this weekend job - and also, the manager offered me Friday and Monday shifts as his sales rep -

 

Sorry to hear about what happened with the job, Leigh. Unfortunately, you can be let go for anything these days without any reason and something as simple as not clicking with the manager could be "not a right fit" in their eyes. With the high turnover they have, you're probably better off without them. At your next prospect, be sure to ask if there have been any layoffs in the past 2 years and what happened to the prior person whose position you'd be filling. It really tells a lot about turnover without directly asking how their turnover is. Good luck!

[Leigh 87]

Sorry to hear about what happened with the job, Leigh. Unfortunately, you can be let go for anything these days without any reason and something as simple as not clicking with the manager could be "not a right fit" in their eyes. With the high turnover they have, you're probably better off without them. At your next prospect, be sure to ask if there have been any layoffs in the past 2 years and what happened to the prior person whose position you'd be filling. It really tells a lot about turnover without directly asking how their turnover is. Good luck!

 

 

Thanks for the support - you really seem to understand me when it comes to struggling to find the ideal fit employment wise.

 

I like that you don't judge me and you seem to believe that not all people are immediately a success in the workplace - some of the brightest people take time to find the ideal fit.....

 

I even thought, at one stage, that "truly successful types" were always those who just " got jobs" fast and "fit in well" with all their teams...

 

Wrong.

 

It is great to see that people (like you!) realise that some truly affable and intelligent individuals simply don't have cookie cutter, mainstream personalities and they cannot just adapt to any which personality type - including managers who may not take a liking to them.

 

While still being fabulous, ambitious, clever and able to build rapport with most people - it is still possible to not click with certain people, either.

 

All they would tell me is that " it wasn't going to work out" due to my personality being mismatched for the job.

 

I was outgoing and talkative, I just didn't chat peoples ears off either.

 

What gives

[Leigh 87]

Leigh

 

 

Based on what you have posted, I wonder whether you tried too hard at being professional with colleagues. People spend a lot of time at work and a big factor is getting on with colleagues - having a little bit of chat now and then is a good thing. If you did not show this side then maybe you came across as distant or cold to your colleagues. You saying you only spoke if spoken to suggests to me that this might be the case.

 

 

 

I enjoyed talking - I was still outgoing. I just didn't talk peoples ear off, either.

 

I have worked in retail before and been successful at it so I know it wasn't a case of me being too cold - I was anything but; I was warm, friendly, and passionate about being there.

 

I could just tell that the manager disliked me. So, knowing that she didn't wish to talk to me (unless she had to) I mirrored her.

 

That is how I have successfully build rapport and made a lot of money in the past; I sought out and retained a large client base from mirroring them (based on their socio economic standing, their body language, the way they talk and many more factors).

 

So yeah, if a manager is cold and doesn't enjoy talking to me, I will leave them alone, stay out of their way, and smile pleasantly at say hello and goodbye to them.

 

I asked this manager questions about herself - she is getting married so I asked " cool, how soon? What type of dress is it? How exciting!"

 

This manager just disliked my personality a lot - which is not something I feel I need to take head of, as I have plenty of friends and my current manager likes my personality. There is nothing I need to alter - this manager simply couldn't stand me on a personal level - most people I encounter are neutral or they like me. I don't regularly get people that dislike me.

 

On a tour I went on, people assumed I was always slutty and so they disliked me (when I have always been in long relationships yet they didn't know me as a person at all).

 

And my ex partner had friends who tried to hook up with me/kiss me - two of his best friends tried it on me - I did nothing to suggest I was into it - and their girlfriends hated me obviously, since the guys are ALWAYS going to DENY deny deny and make out like the girl was the one who instigated it:rolleyes:

 

So yeah, I have not often had people who flat out disliked my personality for no other reason than..... simply not liking to be around me:lmao:

[Leigh 87]

Thanks for all your help and support.

 

I am thrilled to still have this job on weekends.

 

Aus study welfare of 200 per week (all full time college students get it here), plus 300 -minimum per week as a sales rep and WITHOUT paying any rent or bills or car registration = savings and a once a month make up or clothing purchase.

 

so I will be getting 500 per week as a full time student - and also working two days per week.

 

This manager gives people huge chances plus he loves me personality and couldn't believe I couldn't find a decent job before. He even hired that homeless man cos he wanted to do the right thing and pay it forward - and the homeless man effed it up by getting stoned and drink driving-

 

So yeah this current role sounds pretty positive...... and long term unless I steal or do something majorly to screw it up...

[Leigh 87]

A crystal shop called me in to work today but I was working at the sales rep job...

 

I meet with them Wednesday.

 

They are looking for me to go to Hong Kong, and to buy crystals that can be made into necklaces - I have made one myself as I was once in the fashion industry designing jewellery - I would charge them a mark up on the crystals I purchase - my parents have been in the business for years and they will tell me the appropriate mark ups - where as I have been out of the loop for a while and will rely on the CURRENT going rate that my parents use for their current jewellery business.

 

SO basically, I am looking to get involved in designing jewellery again - I am familiar with markets now after helping dad in his jewellery market, I have done it many times.

 

I would target women who like "pretty" tastes. I would, for instance, get an aquamarine stone, and combine it with a rose pink coloured crystal (have one large feature and two very small ones to the side). I also liked working with pearls of a decent quality albeit not the most expensive ones either. I combined pearls with agates (think pretty white pearls with soft pink and purple agates).

 

I also said that since I live literally a one minute drive down the road from the store, I would be delighted to be of assistance to ____ him____, if it is after the stores closing hours and he is swamped with paper work - as I am currently undertaking an online business admin course - and I would love to write fast emails, make phone calls, create spread sheets and documents and the basic office duties....

 

He said he would love to call me in casually to work some weeks on a casual basis - be it selling my or THEIR jewellery...

 

He strangely offered to let me work there if, after I start podiatry, I also become a qualified remedial massager? He seemed to think podiatry automatically qualifies you..... But yeah - he said he I was able to carry out massages that he would employ me to do that in their shop.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This crystal shop is on my street so a couple of days here and there would be fantastic - then on weekends I would drive out to markets, work out doors and further work on developing my sales skills.

 

I feel this could all work out - even if I simply work as a sales rep and that is ALL I do - great, that is still a lot of money for a uni student since I get welfare for students (it is not a loan, it is an allowance to feed us and we get to keep work money if it is bellow 400 per fortnight - which I will exceed and will therefore have my student allowance reduced slightly.

Edited October 25, 2014 by Leigh 87

[pink_sugar]

Thanks for the support - you really seem to understand me when it comes to struggling to find the ideal fit employment wise.

 

I like that you don't judge me and you seem to believe that not all people are immediately a success in the workplace - some of the brightest people take time to find the ideal fit.....

 

I even thought, at one stage, that "truly successful types" were always those who just " got jobs" fast and "fit in well" with all their teams...

 

Wrong.

 

It is great to see that people (like you!) realise that some truly affable and intelligent individuals simply don't have cookie cutter, mainstream personalities and they cannot just adapt to any which personality type - including managers who may not take a liking to them.

 

While still being fabulous, ambitious, clever and able to build rapport with most people - it is still possible to not click with certain people, either.

 

All they would tell me is that " it wasn't going to work out" due to my personality being mismatched for the job.

 

I was outgoing and talkative, I just didn't chat peoples ears off either.

 

What gives

 

I know how you feel. Until my current job, I have felt very discouraged because of being laid off from a few jobs in the past year...either because of bankruptcy, not enough technical experience or a change of business needs. With my current job,though it doesn't pay as much as I'd like, I enjoy the culture, I am getting the experience I want and need and becoming full time in the near future when one of my coworkers moves on to another position. Sometimes you have to deal with these trials and errors before finding the right job. It looks like all is well with your current job. When I was let go from my other job, it was for the best as I think my current job would have hired someone else to take my coworker's job. Losing that job opened up more opportunities for me. Sounds like you have a full load going on!