Are you "expected" to make mistakes when you start a new job?

[Amasov]

I just wrapped up my fourth week at my new job. I'd say, overall, I've been pretty good when it comes to the work. I haven't made any fatal mistakes or done anything less than my skill level. I'm working as a Multimedia Designer/Web Editor at a great company in my hometown here. It's been fairly smooth thus far, but today, was one of those days where I kept making some sloppy/careless errors. Things still take me a little longer to do than everyone else as I am still learning how their file system and server structure works -- knowing where to put files and where to retrieve them if I need them.

I'm somewhat interested to see what their impression of me is thus far. Like I said, I haven't made any major mistakes. I still ask for help when needed. I do take notes when I need to, except for this one little bit where I didn't and it sort of bit me today. I know adjusting to a new job takes some time, but I feel like I'm now reaching that point where mistakes would be less tolerable.

Thoughts?

 

[ed629]

Don't clog the toilet.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

When I'm training or supervising someone new, I assume that in the beginning they're going to need help and make mistakes and that as time goes on -- I can't give you an exact time frame -- they will need less help and make fewer mistakes. I'd much rather have them ask "too many" questions than pretend they know everything and ask none.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I think you can gauge this by talking to your boss. Now that you've been on the job about a month, are there any areas where your performance is not up to expectations? It's a perfectly reasonable thing to ask. In any case, minor mistakes are a fact of life. The best thing you can do is identify when you make a mistake and take steps to ensure you don't make the same mistake twice.

 

[sojourner]

Don't clog the toilet.

...and get caught.


But seriously, better to ask for feedback on months 1 and 2 than to get the "it's just not working out" speech blindsiding you at the 90 day mark.

 

[Amasov]

^

So far, as I said, it's been pretty good. I have a good chemistry with the rest of the staff. I get my work done, but I'm still learning the ropes in some areas. I don't have everything down yet. After all, it's only been four weeks - twenty days. I think come Monday I'll ask how they think I'm doing so far, even though I'm constantly hearing the assuring, "You're doing fine!! remarks from them. At the end of the day, I'm just a very paranoid person.

 

[Holdfast]

Mistakes? Minor ones only.

You should be aware enough of your own relative ignorance to ask sensible questions about how things should be done rather than just winging it and making serious errors.

 

[Trekker4747]

Depends on the job, I suppose.

I wouldn't expect perfection or lightning speed out of a new hire right out of the gate by any means but after a month I'd hope the guy would have much more of a grasp on things and mistakes would be less frequent, speed likely still wouldn't be the best but that can take much longer to get.

What's more key for me is not how quickly the guy is improving and learning things but if he's learning and improving. If it's a month in and you're still moving and working like it's your first week then there might be a problem.

 

[Mr. B]

I think you're "expected" to ask questions when you aren't sure about a task... if they were expecting you to screw up, they probably would have hired somebody else.

 

[propita]

That's why training is so important. I just don't understand places that don't train their new hires. So inefficient in the long run, and it starts showing within 2 months.

Accuracy, consistency, speed.

Learn to do it right; do it right everytime; then start speeding up while maintaining accuracy.

 

[MacLeod]

When I'm training or supervising someone new, I assume that in the beginning they're going to need help and make mistakes and that as time goes on -- I can't give you an exact time frame -- they will need less help and make fewer mistakes. I'd much rather have them ask "too many" questions than pretend they know everything and ask none.

Agreed.

 

[Paulcpick]

Ive been at my current job for 4 years, and I and the people I work with make mistakes all the time, it gets filed in the Shit Happens File....

 

[MacLeod]

mistake = opportunity to learn.

 

[Captain Ice]

What's more key for me is not how quickly the guy is improving and learning things but if he's learning and improving. If it's a month in and you're still moving and working like it's your first week then there might be a problem.

QFT. Even with a lateral move between companies, it's going to take you a while to really figure out how they do things at the new place. Everyone learns and adjusts at their own pace. It's called being human. It's only when you are not learning that things become problematic.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

mistake = opportunity to learn.

This is true.

The extent to which mistakes are tolerated depends entirely on the kind of work being done, and what kind of manager(s) you have. Even in software, there are vast differences in expectations. Consumer software? Bugs are the norm, and generally nobody's losing their job because they introduced a couple bugs. Start talking about software for medical diagnostic equipment, however, and mistakes are far less tolerable. There have been instances of MRI machines killing people because they had software bugs. I think a good rule of thumb is to weigh the mistake in terms of its consequences. If it will just annoy customers slightly, it's unlikely you will lose your job over it. If it will cost the company lots of money, well, I hope you've got a recent resume prepared.

That said, there are some mistakes which, while not directly costly in financial terms, are bad enough fuckups that they can get you fired anyway. One woman here was fired after she inadvertently deleted a critical database table on a production system. She was already on the ropes, and that just sealed her fate. Again, it wasn't a big deal to fix--we had a live backup we had up and running in a couple minutes--but that sort of carelessness is just not acceptable.

 

[auntiehill]

When I'm training or supervising someone new, I assume that in the beginning they're going to need help and make mistakes and that as time goes on -- I can't give you an exact time frame -- they will need less help and make fewer mistakes. I'd much rather have them ask "too many" questions than pretend they know everything and ask none.

Yes. When I'm training someone, I know they're new and that they don't know what they're doing. I want them to ask questions, and in fact, I expect them to. What's most important to me is how they respond to feedback. What kind of attitude do they have? Do they improve or keep making the same dumbass mistakes? Are they eager to do better, or just defensive and hypersensitive?

 

[Scout101]

Depends on the mistake, really. Minor, honest mix-ups happen. Serious or careless ones are gonna be less forgiveable.

Only place you're really gonna get in trouble is if you keep repeating the SAME mistakes. Don't show that you're catching on, you're gonna be looking elsewhere soon. Otherwise, probably doing fine. Takes a little while to settle into a new job/position/company.

 

[T'Preea]

I agree. It depends on the mistake. I work at a grocery store as a cashier, and the slightest mistake with someone's money is a big problem. Now we have these signs up that advertise "Faster checkout." The only problem with that is the mistakes get made more often because we don't have enough checkers and we have to get faster to accommodate the larger lines that form.

It is true that one is expected to make a mistake at a new job, but there is a deadline by when the mistakes are supposed to stop happening. We have one checker who has been there for a month and he still makes stupid mistakes that could cost him his job if he doesn't start paying attention to what he's doing.

 

[DonIago]

Once upon a time I had to train people for an analyst position that was about equal parts data entry and data analysis. Performance reporting for these folks came down to tracking their data entry rates and the kinds of mistakes they made (and how frequently).

Mistakes happen. The trick is not to make repeated or severe ones.

 

[Amasov]

Thanks for everyone's input. Again, I worry a lot about stuff like this. I've been there for a full month now and I have picked up a lot and require little guidance now. Of course, if I have any questions or need help, I go to someone for it. No fatal mistake has been made and I've gotten all my work done, take vigorous notes and make sure I'm top of everything that needs to be done. There have been stressful days where I worry about them wanting to get rid of me, but the more I think about those moments, the less worse they really are. I definitely haven't given myself enough credit. I think I'm doing well.