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You have all the training. You’ve been through all the required workshops. You’re the perfect candidate. On paper, everything says you should be able to walk into this new position and hit the ground running, but for some reason you find yourself struggling. What’s going on?

It’s not you. Everyone struggles with a new job, and no amount of training can prepare you for actually applying your skills in the workplace. Even employees with years of experience can struggle as they try to get the hang of a new location, new standards, and new expectations. That’s why finding a mentor at your new job site is critical, no matter how much experience you have.

Every Work Site Is Different

It doesn’t matter whether you’re straight out of school or you’ve been working in the same field for twenty years. Every new position has a learning curve. The classroom and the real world don’t always align perfectly. There are certain practices that work great at one location, but not so well in another. Or your new team may have found better ways to perform common tasks, and they’ll expect you to do things their way. You won’t know any of these things until you get in the field and give them a try. Finding a reliable mentor can help you adapt to your new environment faster, and make sure you’re performing to the standards your new co-workers will expect.

Learn Tricks of the Trade

Trade schools and other learning programs want you to learn by the book, but there are often better ways of doing things. You could learn all those tricks on your own—eventually. But when you’re new to an industrial field, finding someone with plenty of experience can save you time and frustration by allowing you to profit from their successes and failures.

Improve Your Performance

Even if you’ve worked in the same industrial field for years, there’s always more to learn. Your first day on the job, find someone who’s done what you’re doing, or something similar, and ask them what tricks they found that made their job easier. Most people are happy to share their expertise. And don’t worry if you find out the last person to do your job was half your age—talk to them anyway. Sometimes the longer we work in a field, the more resistant we become to trying new things. Consider this a free pass to let down your resistance and try new things.

Starting a new job is never easy, but finding reliable mentors who will share their experience and help you learn the ropes of your new work site can make the transition easier and help you become even better at what you do. For more advice on making the most out of your new or temp position, or to start looking for your next career, contact and Action Group Staffing Specialist today.


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