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Orientation

Here are the questions filed under this category. To read Ken's advice on any item, click on the link "Read Ken's Answer."


I just joined this company and my orientation was a brief welcome from my manager, a few words of advice from one of the other employees, and filling out some paperwork. Are orientations a thing of the past, or is this company out of line?
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I just started working here, and my predecessor had not moved everything out of the office. Some of his papers were on the shelves, and some of his personal files were still in the computer. When I asked my boss what to do, he said to throw all of his stuff out. I did it, but I am not happy about this kind of a start. Should I mention my concern to my boss?
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When I joined this company about a month ago, I was assigned a mentor, but I can never find her. If I do track her down, she is always too busy to help me or even set an appointment. I told my manager about this, and he offered no help. What do you suggest?
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I am a new employee with this company, and I have been given no training. When I have questions about how to do my job, my supervisor ignores me and my co-workers are too busy. I'm making mistakes already, and I don't know where to turn. Can you help?
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I have been on this job for a week, and I still do not have a computer that works, and my desk is filled with stuff from my predecessor. My orientation consisted of a ten minute discussion with the human resources director, followed by a pile of paperwork. My manager has been too busy to give me more than a few minutes. When I accepted the job offer, I thought this was a great company, but now I am not so sure. How should I handle this?
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We have been looking for a manager in our credit department, and we put together a list of requirements for this position. We interviewed some strong candidates, but the senior vice president over our group brought in his own candidate and insisted we hire her. She is not qualified at all. I am very busy, but I am supposed to train her. I think it is a waste of time because she is going to fail anyhow. What should I do?
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I am new here and I just completed the orientation program. Now that I am on the job, the other employees are telling me to forget about most of what I learned in the orientation and use their shortcuts. I feel uncomfortable doing this. What should I do?
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I just joined this company and I am ready to quit. On my first day, my office was a complete mess. The computer was filled with work and junk from the previous employee, and so was the desk. My manager is still out of town, and he left no instructions for anyone here. He called in and said he'd be back in a week and told me to "keep busy." What should I do?
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I have been with this company for a couple of weeks, and most of the discussions include acronyms that are specific to the company but are a mystery to me. I don’t like to interrupt a conversation ten times to understand what is being said, but if I don’t, I have no idea what to do. How do I get through this?
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I recently joined this company, and there are acronyms for everything. I am familiar with standard acronyms in my field, but this company has many that were invented here. I do not like to keep asking what something means, but if I say nothing, I’m lost. What can you suggest?
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