Terminated from my first job after few days

[ayuness 39]

Hi,

 

I'm Ayu. I've been living in USA since January 19th, 2017. I got my social and green card a month after I moved here and have been spending time looking for job since then. I've applied for so many jobs and finally I got a temp part-time job through a staffing agency as receptionist/customer service for a brick company. I started my job last week, and as a week went by, I didn't get a training, so basically the only thing I could do was to answer the phone and transfer it to another person at work because I didn't know how to help the customers. I couldn't even check the stock so whenever a customer came by and asked if we carried any brick/rock/anything we sell, I could never answer them because I didn't have an access to the computer. I always arrived at work 40 minutes before my schedule started and left work 20 minutes after that. My husband didn't like that because I was not supposed to be working outside my working hours and it was wrong that they let me did that. The manager said that they would train me and gave me a sign code to use the computer after a week.This week was supposed to be my second week, and since my husband was off for two days, he kept dropping me off and picking me up from work, so I arrived at work and left work 5 minutes before/after my working hours. On Wednesday, I still didn't get a sign code or a training that I needed to do the job. I talked to my husband about how I felt useless at work and that I am actually capable of so many things if they let me. Funny that after a couple of days I said it, I got a voicemail message from my staffing agency regarding my position. I called her immediately and she said I didn't have to go to work on the next day and I should meet her instead on Friday, which basically means I just got fired. I'm still confused on what reasons because on last Monday, the office manager said I was doing good. I still haven't gotten my paycheck and I don't know if they would pay for the 3 days I worked this week because I didn't get the chance for the manager to sign my time sheet.

 

Anyone else get fired without warning or for unknown reasons on their first job in USA?

[Ben&Zian 4,398]

It can happen honestly or you may get a "generic" reason. In the US, you don't have to technically do anything negligent or have a long track record, you can just be fired or let go. I know it works very differently in a lot of other places.

 

This sounds like it was during a temporary trial period, or training period, so they can let you go at any point, and for the company, better to sooner than invest more time/money into the employee...(just how that is, nothing against you)

 

As to your paycheck for the 3 days, yes, they should still pay you for those days. If they don't you can fight for the pay.

 

As to your arriving early, and leaving late, if you were charging them for it(like hourly rates) then yes they may not have liked that at all for a brand new employee. If you just showed up early/stayed late to show strong commitment, nothing wrong with that in my honest opinion. Maybe you'll get some further explanation/answers when meeting with HR about it.

 

Don't stress, it happens. Best of luck to you.

 

 

Edited April 13, 2017 by Ben&Zian

[Jojo92122 1,924]

The staffing agency will pay you for the 3 days that you worked.

 

Businesses use staffing agency to test people out.  Sometimes things don't work out for whatever reason.  Go to your meeting tomorrow and find out what the staffing agency has to say.

[f f 725]

they must by law pay you for the hours you worked. did the staffing agency tell you how long the position was for? it is possible they just needed someone for a few days while the regular person was out, that is what some staffing agencies are for, providing temporary people for a job. there is no harm in looking for another job even before they officially tell you they let you go.

 

good luck and stay positive.

[ayuness 39]

19 hours ago, Ben&Zian said:

It can happen honestly or you may get a "generic" reason. In the US, you don't have to technically do anything negligent or have a long track record, you can just be fired or let go. I know it works very differently in a lot of other places.

 

This sounds like it was during a temporary trial period, or training period, so they can let you go at any point, and for the company, better to sooner than invest more time/money into the employee...(just how that is, nothing against you)

 

As to your paycheck for the 3 days, yes, they should still pay you for those days. If they don't you can fight for the pay.

 

As to your arriving early, and leaving late, if you were charging them for it(like hourly rates) then yes they may not have liked that at all for a brand new employee. If you just showed up early/stayed late to show strong commitment, nothing wrong with that in my honest opinion. Maybe you'll get some further explanation/answers when meeting with HR about it.

 

Don't stress, it happens. Best of luck to you.

 

 

No, I didn't charge them. I thought if I came early, they would have had time to train me or teach me to do the job. We had to let go our dog last night so I really don't care anymore about today's meeting. I have accepted the fact that I got fired and I don't need to know the reason why anymore. Thank you for responding.

[ayuness 39]

18 hours ago, f f said:

they must by law pay you for the hours you worked. did the staffing agency tell you how long the position was for? it is possible they just needed someone for a few days while the regular person was out, that is what some staffing agencies are for, providing temporary people for a job. there is no harm in looking for another job even before they officially tell you they let you go.

 

good luck and stay positive.

No, they did not. Yeah, maybe that's the case. I was disappointed that on Monday they told me and my husband (when he picked me up from work) that I was doing good. Dunno why they had to lie about it and fired me on Wednesday lol. I'm not giving up, but I don't think I want another job from anothet staffing agency. I want my employer to tell me my mistakes instead of communicate it through an agency. Thank you.

[f f 725]

they do not always give you closure and you do not want to pester them too much or they may not be a good reference for you.

[RRR2016 21]

21 hours ago, ayuness said:

Hi,

 

I'm Ayu. I've been living in USA since January 19th, 2017. I got my social and green card a month after I moved here and have been spending time looking for job since then. I've applied for so many jobs and finally I got a temp part-time job through a staffing agency as receptionist/customer service for a brick company. I started my job last week, and as a week went by, I didn't get a training, so basically the only thing I could do was to answer the phone and transfer it to another person at work because I didn't know how to help the customers. I couldn't even check the stock so whenever a customer came by and asked if we carried any brick/rock/anything we sell, I could never answer them because I didn't have an access to the computer. I always arrived at work 40 minutes before my schedule started and left work 20 minutes after that. My husband didn't like that because I was not supposed to be working outside my working hours and it was wrong that they let me did that. The manager said that they would train me and gave me a sign code to use the computer after a week.This week was supposed to be my second week, and since my husband was off for two days, he kept dropping me off and picking me up from work, so I arrived at work and left work 5 minutes before/after my working hours. On Wednesday, I still didn't get a sign code or a training that I needed to do the job. I talked to my husband about how I felt useless at work and that I am actually capable of so many things if they let me. Funny that after a couple of days I said it, I got a voicemail message from my staffing agency regarding my position. I called her immediately and she said I didn't have to go to work on the next day and I should meet her instead on Friday, which basically means I just got fired. I'm still confused on what reasons because on last Monday, the office manager said I was doing good. I still haven't gotten my paycheck and I don't know if they would pay for the 3 days I worked this week because I didn't get the chance for the manager to sign my time sheet.

 

Anyone else get fired without warning or for unknown reasons on their first job in USA?

Hi. So sorry to hear about your bad experience during your first job. This might sound horrible, but in a way you should be happy they let you go. And it has nothing to do with your capabilities. Quite contrary, in the long term it would have been a job where you would not have been happy, just for the fact that they did not provide any training or any kind of support, and most importantly they were not giving you the opportunity to grow or use your other talents or capabilities. It was clearly not a good environment.

 

I know when you are job searching, ANY job is better than NO job. My advice is don't give up and keep searching for other job opportunities that may be a better fit for you. Based on your bad experience here, this should give you guidance for questions to ask when you interview for your next job. Inquire more about your responsibilities, the team you would work with, the type of support, the benefits, what is expected from you, will you be under review for 90 days, etc. Just like the employer searches for an employee who will be a good fit, the employee also searches for a job that will be a good fit. I would also search into options where your bilingual capabilities or other talents could be put to use. 

 

Regarding you pay, you should seek this with the temp agency. You clearly put in your efforts to do a good job. So the least you can do is make sure you are compensated for your time.

 

Best of luck to you and I'm sure better opportunities will come in the near future.

[Lights 56]

Don't feel too down on it. The US has a very different employment landscape. Many US based companies are "at will" meaning, they don't need a reason to let you go. 

 

I came to the US with 10+ years of experience in my industry. I worked 2 corporate jobs (middle manager - director level) my first few years here... even as a sr. manager, you are disposable. I worked for a company where the CEO had wedged the president out of his job after 20 years... after 20 years, just like that, he was gone. After being in the US for a few years, I started my own business and it was the best thing I ever did. I got my mat-leave, flexibility, balance, and the ability to make good income on my own terms. It is hard, but you have opportunities here if you believe it and uncover them. 

 

I suggest going to your meeting with your recruiter. A lot of companies will bring on someone for a few days, if they know someone is sick (and they need the extra help). They call on temporary agencies, because they can get someone in really quickly without having to do many interviews and checks (they assume the staffing agency have already done it). Sometimes they only plan to have someone for a week or two, or sometimes they don't have a plan at all. It ends up always falling on the worker.

 

Set your expectations next time. When you get a position through a temp agency, and it's really a temporary contract (part-time etc.). I'd plan that as "on call". While you're working on these temporary contracts, keep looking for something full-time. 

 

Don't give up! You'll get there. 

 

 

[ayuness 39]

9 minutes ago, Lights said:

Don't feel too down on it. The US has a very different employment landscape. Many US based companies are "at will" meaning, they don't need a reason to let you go. 

 

I came to the US with 10+ years of experience in my industry. I worked 2 corporate jobs (middle manager - director level) my first few years here... even as a sr. manager, you are disposable. I worked for a company where the CEO had wedged the president out of his job after 20 years... after 20 years, just like that, he was gone. After being in the US for a few years, I started my own business and it was the best thing I ever did. I got my mat-leave, flexibility, balance, and the ability to make good income on my own terms. It is hard, but you have opportunities here if you believe it and uncover them. 

 

I suggest going to your meeting with your recruiter. A lot of companies will bring on someone for a few days, if they know someone is sick (and they need the extra help). They call on temporary agencies, because they can get someone in really quickly without having to do many interviews and checks (they assume the staffing agency have already done it). Sometimes they only plan to have someone for a week or two, or sometimes they don't have a plan at all. It ends up always falling on the worker.

 

Set your expectations next time. When you get a position through a temp agency, and it's really a temporary contract (part-time etc.). I'd plan that as "on call". While you're working on these temporary contracts, keep looking for something full-time. 

 

Don't give up! You'll get there. 

 

 

Yeah, I know that my previous experience don't matter here since they don't know even know where Indonesia is. I didn't go to the meeting today because our dog just passed away last night and I just couldn't deal with anything today. I don't even want to know the reason anymore. It's because I've been jobless for long time, I don't even have friends here and can't even find any community that I could join, and etc, things just make me feel so desperate.

 

I would love to have my own business too someday. If you don't mind, what kind of business you own here?

[ayuness 39]

40 minutes ago, RRR2016 said:

Hi. So sorry to hear about your bad experience during your first job. This might sound horrible, but in a way you should be happy they let you go. And it has nothing to do with your capabilities. Quite contrary, in the long term it would have been a job where you would not have been happy, just for the fact that they did not provide any training or any kind of support, and most importantly they were not giving you the opportunity to grow or use your other talents or capabilities. It was clearly not a good environment.

 

I know when you are job searching, ANY job is better than NO job. My advice is don't give up and keep searching for other job opportunities that may be a better fit for you. Based on your bad experience here, this should give you guidance for questions to ask when you interview for your next job. Inquire more about your responsibilities, the team you would work with, the type of support, the benefits, what is expected from you, will you be under review for 90 days, etc. Just like the employer searches for an employee who will be a good fit, the employee also searches for a job that will be a good fit. I would also search into options where your bilingual capabilities or other talents could be put to use. 

 

Regarding you pay, you should seek this with the temp agency. You clearly put in your efforts to do a good job. So the least you can do is make sure you are compensated for your time.

 

Best of luck to you and I'm sure better opportunities will come in the near future.

That is true. But I wish I could quit first, because getting fired is very embarrassing and I have never experienced that before. It destroyed my confidence. Coming from a third-world country makes me think that maybe the only job I could do here is housekeeping jobs regardless of what experiences I had because I know in here it won't matter.

[sparkles_ 456]

I'm a US citizen and I've been fired with zero warning, for stupid and pointless reasons from two jobs in my adult life.....you will find better, consider it a blessing in disguise. This is how I've dealt with it both times. I advise you to use your language skills when searching for jobs, work from home translation positions pay well for example 

[ayuness 39]

8 hours ago, Dee elle said:

Ayu... you werent fired... fhe company no longer needed the position filled... you work for the agency and the fact that fhey wanted to meet with you says they haven't fired you!! 

 Call them,  tell them you had an overnight emergency with your dog and i am sure they will reschedule the  meeting...... you never know which of the temp jobs wil lead to a full time  job, amazing new friends, the next open door. ....

I did leave the agency a message but I will call them on Monday. The last time I spoke to the agency, she said "you no longer have to work there tomorrow morning". I still can't stop crying over our dog.

Edited April 15, 2017 by TBoneTX
to remove prohibited language

[ayuness 39]

2 minutes ago, sparkles_ said:

I'm a US citizen and I've been fired with zero warning, for stupid and pointless reasons from two jobs in my adult life.....you will find better, consider it a blessing in disguise. This is how I've dealt with it both times. I advise you to use your language skills when searching for jobs, work from home translation positions pay well for example 

It would be different if the other language I could speak was Spanish. But it's my local language where people don't even seem to know which country I am from whenever I mention it lol.

[sparkles_ 456]

Just now, ayuness said:

It would be different if the other language I could speak was Spanish. But it's my local language where people don't even seem to know which country I am from whenever I mention it lol.

Go on indeed.com, and put your native language in the search bar.....it will show you quite a few work from home translation jobs that pay by the document. I live in the middle of nowhere and I've seen them for Chinese, Arabic, Malay, Indonesian, etc....they advertise all over since it is work from home.