finding my new job really difficult

eastmidsaver

hello - i am hoping to get some advice on this issue, and particularly from anyone who is or has been in similar position or had similar feelings.

i recently was successful when applying for a promotion opportunity, which was a very competitive process.  the training for it began a couple weeks ago, and is going to last for approximately 3 months.  the training is taking place remotely, and my group members are from different office locations.

i appreciate it is only 2 weeks into the course, but what is worrying me is that i don't feel like I am grasping things. for example, at the end of the sessions when it is time to practice, i don't really know what i am doing. 
i could be wrong, but it seems to me that others in my training group appear to be picking things up better than me, and i get this impression when we share our screens in the training sessions to see how we are all getting on.  

i do think i am capable of learning the job otherwise i would not have applied for it, but at moment it just doesn't seem to be happening.  it is a challenge for me to learn vasts amount of information virtually, and i am unsure if the learning style suits me.  
also our training sessions typically will go on for 2 hours or so without a break.... i understand the trainer has to get through a lot of information, and that everybody has different attention spans, but personally i struggle to concentrate properly for longer than an hour.  taking just a 5 minute break really refocuses me.
i also feel that getting a bit of 1-2-1 time might help me as well, as that is what would happen in an office environment when you could just ask colleagues sitting nearby for help and advice.

as i said it has only been 2 weeks so is early days and maybe i am being a bit hard on myself. but now it's weekend i am just going to try relax and hopefully recharge for monday and hope next week might be better. but if still struggling i might just take the courage to call one of the trainers and just explain  (that is another issues, as they always seem to be on other calls whenever i need to call them).  

this new role is a big step up from my old role, and i want to take on the challenge and succeed.  but i am wondering if anybody has felt or had similar experiences when starting a new job . is this quite a normal feeling ? as i said above, i could be wrong and maybe others in my group might have similar feelings, but it is hard to tell as we don't know each other or talk much,   
if you have any tips to try learn better, absorb the information, and essentially learn the job, it would be much appreciated.
also feel free to share your experiences (past or present) too.

thank you.

MovingForwards

I'm kind of the same as you in that I don't get on with online / virtual training, I learn by doing it. The situation I'm in is covering another role, plus my own.

At some point most of the other role will merge into mine and only one aspect won't. That one aspect is something I'm covering as and when it pops up, as it's not that frequent, the information on how to do it isn't sticking in my head and I waste hours trying to do it, my stress levels go through the roof as I feel like a failure (I'm not, just swamped trying to learn loads while covering loads). I did actually speak with my manager about it this week, they felt so sorry for me and understood, but we both know it's not forever.

Are you getting to write notes, do screenshots or have a paper / electronic guide to follow too? That makes a huge difference.

I also agree that somehow you need to find time to practice, even if it's in your own time as this is the role you picked. It's also very early days and perhaps having a chat with the trainer to secure a bit of one2one help will make a difference too.

It's hard learning new things at the moment and some people don't realise not all of us learn the way they are teaching.

MalMonroe

First of all, don't lose sight of the fact that you were successful in getting the job, in spite of stiff competition. That is something that should really boost your confidence. 

Secondly, aren't the learning sessions available online afterwards so you can refer to them should you need to? Is there anyone you could speak to about this? You're right when you say that people learn things at different speeds and in different ways. I would want to flag this up earlier rather than later, though.

Try not to worry or panic (easier said than done, I know!). If you are honest though and ask for a bit of assistance, I'm sure that your employer would prefer that to you trying to struggle on. And you'd feel better too. It isn't a sign of weakness or a sign that you won't be able to do the job. Rather it's a sign that you are aware that you aren't taking it all in and just need a bit of help. There is no disgrace in that. 

Congratulations on getting that promotion! You can do it. 

Thrugelmir

Speak to your line manager or the trainers. Ask for some 1-2-1 tuition.  Others in the group may have prior experience which is extremely beneficial given the circumstances. Don't underestimate your own abilities. Early days , takes time to grasp copious amounts of new information at the best of times. 

Mention the lack of breaks. An hour at a screen is more than sufficient! Feedback helps those taking the training. 

Brie

I've been in plenty of training sessions where everyone has agreed they understood everything, nodding sagely like the Churchill bulldog.  And I've been frightened because the trainer might have well been speaking Welsh as i didn't understand it.  So I started asking questions.  Put what they said into my own words and asked if my interpretation was correct.  Some times it was and some times it wasn't but it clarified things for me and really did help me maintain focus.  And many times colleagues would say after "I'm glad you asked that because it made no sense to me either!"

Anyanka1

I'll bet it is as Brie says; no-one wants to be the first to say they don't understand, need a break, more time to practice, whatever.  Someone always has to be the first penguin to fall off the ice floe (to see if there are seals right there who have just called one of those penguin-delivery places... Juber Beak?)  I always used to be that person; the one to look bad/slow/stupid so everyone else could look better (or more cowardly)

As MalMonroe says, congratulations on beating all those other candidates to your new role.  Please take comfort from that and try to find these training sessions online so you can go over and over them at your own pace, perhaps looking things up as you go if you need to.  I have no idea whether this is a possibility or not; it depends on how specialised or specific to your company this training is.

It is amazing what you can find on YouTube, for instance, not that I mean to denigrate what you are learning.  I don't suppose there is a Facebook/whatever group for this course, is there?  That would probably be frowned upon, huh?  Are the course attendees in competition with each other for a limited number of roles or are you all assured of this promotion?  What happens if some fail the course?  Do you go back to your old role or are you out of a job?  What is the worst that could happen?

Whatever happens, you got this promotion for a reason.  Someone saw potential in you.  You got this.  Courage and good luck.  Please let us know how you are doing.

eastmidsaver

just a quick thanks for the responses,  it has made me feel a bit better knowing it is a normal situation and others have had similar experiences too.
i will provide a proper response in due course,  but i think getting to the weekend and having an opportunity to relax a bit has done me some good.

JGB1955

Not quite the same situation but... 30+ years ago I gained a promotion within the Civil Service.  80% of my job was a public-facing job in the Crown Court service.  I don't 'do' public speaking but after a few months had calmed my nerves enough to act as a Crown Court clerk (although I NEVER got used to giving a talk to 200+ potential jurors) and, just about, coped.  The other 20% of my job (on rotation)  involved total organisation/listing of all of the cases that were coming up for trial.  That job took 6 months to master...but my boss believed in me, and I came through on the other side.  He believed in me, and I ended up believing in me too>  It just took a long time!  Good luck with your own journey. YOU CAN DO IT!

Thrugelmir

Can take several months to settle into a new role/company.  Your new employer wants you to be productive as soon as possible. Be proactive in educating yourself.  Engage and keep asking questions. 

eastmidsaver

Many thanks for your responses and I have taken note of your comments and advice.

 

Some of you asked if I take notes. I do try to do this, but they end up becoming a mess as I don’t understand it all in that moment, and as it moves fast I scribble down what I can. Also because the sessions go on for ages, I simply lose concentration which makes the note taking difficult for me.

 

A lot of you asked if I can access online material. We do have an intranet where the training material comes from, so yes I can access these whilst at work. However, I realised last night after reading your posts, that I can actually access the intranet securely from my own laptop too. So yesterday evening I casually read a couple of the modules whilst watching the football. I think this is going to be useful for me as I found them easier to go through, and more enjoyable too, even if some of the aspects still seemed a bit foggy. I am going to try do this a bit more often when I can.

 

Having the weekend has done me good, and I am ready to go again tomorrow and try again. Hopefully being fresher will make a difference, but if I am struggling I will just contact the trainer for a chat and maybe request 1-2-1 time if necessary. In terms of asking questions, it is difficult during the group sessions as sometimes I don’t know what to ask in the moment. But I will look to keep a separate page in my notepad of any questions as they arise, and then ask them when I speak to the trainer individually.

 

Thanks again for the advice. I’ll keep you posted on my developments and maybe come back for more advice if needed.

 

Also, please feel free to continue this thread with your own experiences / issues in order to obtain advice if needed.

Anyanka1

Not my place to say this, of course but, if you are really serious, maybe leave/record the football and concentrate on your future..?

Perhaps you are one of these modern people who can do both at the same time, except you can't, can you?  No-one can give their full attention to more than one thing at a time; science has proven this.  This is why academic standards have fallen as far and as quickly as they have, imho, of course.