First Job: Is it Normal to Struggle?
 

Hello ... I am fresh graduate from NUS, and around three months into my first job now. It is something I studied for, really like and the organisation is also one that I have always wanted. Pay is also decent, and colleagues are nice.

In short, I kinda lucked out there.

The issue here is, I feel that I am struggling and not performing. Though colleagues do teach me stuffs, I feel that I am just not keeping up - even for a fresh hire. I am in my third month, and I still am unsure of even miscellaneous matters such as who to CC and etc. Just last week I submitted a report to my direct supervisor, and he rewrote almost the whole thing. He was nice about it, but I felt so useless. It was not even a particularly difficult report to write.

I still really like what I do, and I reckon it may also be because of this very fact that I am so stressed out. I want to be seen as competent, but I do not think I am doing that well.

Is this normal? Is three months too short for me to think that there may be an issue with my capability? Are there fellow mates in their first jobs who have the same woes?

Please do share stories.

250
 

huh. three months nia so stress for what. chill out lar! first job always normal to make mistakes. if never mistakes then something is wrong, seriously. ok to also ask questions. better ask now then later.

mind sharing what your industry/role is?

i studied banking and finance and joined SCB when i graduated. Didn't have much problems setting in etc. I was a pretty fast learner and adapter. Nevertheless after that, I have joined other places where it was more difficult to fit in and cope etc.

My advise is to speak to your direct supervisor and get his frank advice or appraisal on how he finds your performance for the past 3 months, what you can do to improve etc. Example that report you did? Maybe read similar reports from other colleagues etc on the right way it should be written etc.

About who to CC etc, keep a notebook and just record for emails about X subject - cc who and who and who etc.

You are fortunate to have such patient people around you.

From my personal experience, MNCs typically have a more structured hand-holding training for the first 4-6 weeks, thereafter you are expected to go it on your own. GLCs are less forgiving and a lot more is expected from a grad... training is minimal (1-2 weeks at most) and you are expected to learn on your own, be inquisitive, find your wan about. sink or swim is the mentality.

Honestly, not knowing rudimentary things like who to cc after 3 months is not good. you should figure it out in the first month.

Keep a notebook handy to jot things down. However don't hover around your colleagues or stick too closely cos you may irritate the hell out of them after being around for so long and still having to ask all kinds of questions.

If all else fails then just hang in there, not everyone can make it to management and this natural selection process is vital to other people's progression.

Cheers.

I am a line manager and have experience managing several large teams before and have seen a couple of cases like you before.

As I see it, most likely you are having the issue is because you are typical exam smart (which explains your NUS degree) but little experience or competency beyond that. You are now venturing outside your comfort zone and basically your mind is still in a type of brain freeze trying to adapt and comprehend what the heck is going on.

In the working world, you have to play politics, manage customers, manage internal colleagues and all this manifest in the way you write email (eg who to CC who to BCC), how should you write your report, how to angle the thing to look bad to A and look good to B in order to promote you / your boss interest etc.

Some things you need to say it at the right place at the right time to the right people etc, otherwise nothing seems to get done. You are still figuring out how to do that. In terms of analytics and language skills, I assume you should have them since your studies should be good to get into NUS.

My advice for you is first thing calm down, listen more, observe more and talk and think less. You are in the jungle and you must spend the next few months knowing your surroundings first. Don't think of career progression, impressing people or even "doing the job well", all these are secondary. You must discern the actual landscape in the office first before you can figure out how the game is played.

The good thing is so far, your boss and colleagues are not nasty and remain professional. But a lot of times when you gain experience, you will realise things are not as simple as it looks on the surface. The smiling and ever helpful colleague could be the most dangerous one.

Make use of this good luck of a good office environment to spend a few months to observe what's going on - usually there is an undercurrent on how the game is played, don't do anything silly until you figure out who is powerful, who is not, who is really good, who is not, who is your ally or enemy, and how to work with all of them to get things done. Some will call this playing cynical politics, but in real life this is the way to survive, compete and climb the corporate ladder.

i second this
 

best advice you can get

I don't play politics.
I remain kind to everyone.
In the working world, you need to learn how to make compromises even when things don't turn your way.
find ways to prove your worth to your company, not arguing over petty small project issues.
I feel completely at ease at work, I walk around like I own the bloody place.
I work hard when I want to.
I relax when I want to (not the fake take newspaper and pretend to read type), I completely stare in the blank and relax
I argue based on intelligence and work. not based on politics
I shout at you if you are unfair.
Always remember to have a kind heart, when you are kind, you automatically forget all the negativities from nasty people, and you still walk coolly and steadily in the office (no avoidance)
All these leads to confidence in the office.
Your directors will notice you are very comfortable and confident every day and they will chat you up.
:D

good rare post like this make me come back to this forum still...

thanks!

I'm not quite sure whether you were quoting me out of convinience or was the post directed at someone else because I can't see what you have said has got to do with FreshGradStruggles's (FGS) problem.

FGS is having difficulty figuring out email communication nuances, report writing and how to get things done in the office without relying on colleagues. You are presumably advocating him/her to follow your various unorthodox examples of completely staring in the blank and relax, shouting at others when it is unfair, "have a kind heart" and worse of all to walk cooly and steadily with the logic that somehow senior management will think that's confidence and chat you up.

I don't usually respond to this sort of juvenile nonsense, but seeing at how FGS is quite confused and lost in the workspace, I really need to step in and rebut this kind of misguidance which can cause career damage to the undiscerning.