I'm bad at this whole 'job' thing.

[SpaceMouse]

So I've been having a bad year, to put it mildly. It started off well enough, I got a message from a former co-worker that he was running the warehouse/tech dept at a separate company and I should put a application in because they could get me out of my dead-end job (for another dead-end job). Put my application in and I got the job! It went well enough for a few months until one day (mostly) out of the blue I was fired for not being fast enough. Although I never missed a deadline. (I think my bosses boss just didn't like me but I have 0 evidence to back up that claim.)
I was out of work for a few months and then something awesome happened. I found a job still working with the printers I was familiar with that paid a whole 65% better and was for the most part... a piece of cake. Until one night I was running the one big complex copier I was unfamiliar with and got a message that a certain supply was low. Several Google searches later (and a few bad judgement calls) I put a liquid where a solid was supposed to go. Derp of derps.

Needless to say, I got a call the next day and was promptly fired and the company is probably out a month of time and a considerable amount of money.

And that brings me to a few days ago. Aside from being nearly out of money entirely to pay my bills, I accepted a job offer than may have actually been a bad idea.

The job is virtually identical to the place I was at for 5 years, they even have pretty much the same machines. Problem is, All three of these jobs have the same tech support for their printers. The job with the machine I broke isn't on my resume and it's almost certainly going to come out when one of their lead techs comes in to fix their machines. He didn't like me before this all happened to begin with.

I've already talked to several people and they've all agreed I didn't need to have it on my resume and that I shouldn't mention it unless questioned. I don't like being dishonest.

The new place doesn't have any of the machine I broke. (I don't think) I've never been this apprehensive to start a job with a interview that went so well. Week 1 is gonna be rough. Hope there's a week 2.

I'm really lucky to be living with a group of friends that are supportive. But this is a bad year however you slice it.

Feel free to yell at me or otherwise give your input.

Edited October 16, 2017 by SpaceMouse

[Bill Phil]

Good luck, man. Hope it goes well, or at least improves on the long term.

[linuxgurugamer]

Honesty is always appreciated. Not having it on your resume is acceptable, but you should mention it to them so that they don't get surprised if it came out.

Since you have already accepted the job, you should give a call to your boss and ask to go in to talk to him before you start the job. Or, if the job has already started, ask to talk to him as quickly as possible so that they will appreciate your honesty. Be up front and forthright, and emphasize that you've learned from your mistakes.

Otherwise, when they hear, and they will hear eventually, they will think you are being deceptive, which you were.

Edited October 16, 2017 by linuxgurugamer

[SpaceMouse]

10 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

Honesty is always appreciated. Not having it on your resume is acceptable, but you should mention it to them so that they don't get surprised if it came out.

Since you have already accepted the job, you should give a call to your boss and ask to go in to talk to him before you start the job. Or, if the job has already started, ask to talk to him as quickly as possible so that they will appreciate your honesty. Be up front and forthright, and emphasize that you've learned from your mistakes.

Otherwise, when they hear, and they will hear eventually, they will think you are being deceptive, which you were.

That was my exact reasoning although it goes against the other suggestions i've gotten. They're going to find out. Theres no way they won't.

[TheSaint]

Honesty. Go talk to your boss. If your interview went well there's obviously a reason they hired you, so I'll bet that reason will outweigh any negative repercussions that may come out of your past.

[WinkAllKerb'']

1 hour ago, SpaceMouse said:

insert a third one ; )

Edited October 16, 2017 by WinkAllKerb''

[YNM]

Are the printers integral to your work ? If yes, I could only imagine that you need to give some warnings, and probably you should try getting the manual or somesuch of the machines you're working on and with. At least, ensure you can't break them unless it's going ruthless.

If they're only tangent to your work (for instance, just an office where printers are needed but not one of your focus), it's not a problem.

If it's the tech support guy and the work environment that's going ruthless... well, I haven't worked, and I haven't been in such conditions...

Edited October 17, 2017 by YNM

[kerbiloid]

Maybe you would hire to the printer company tech support, as probably you already know their product better than they do themselves (at least better than most of random persons in their tech support).

Edited October 17, 2017 by kerbiloid

[Findthepin1]

17 hours ago, SpaceMouse said:

So I've been having a bad year, to put it mildly. It started off well enough, I got a message from a former co-worker that he was running the warehouse/tech dept at a separate company and I should put a application in because they could get me out of my dead-end job (for another dead-end job). Put my application in and I got the job! It went well enough for a few months until one day (mostly) out of the blue I was fired for not being fast enough. Although I never missed a deadline. (I think my bosses boss just didn't like me but I have 0 evidence to back up that claim.)
I was out of work for a few months and then something awesome happened. I found a job still working with the printers I was familiar with that paid a whole 65% better and was for the most part... a piece of cake. Until one night I was running the one big complex copier I was unfamiliar with and got a message that a certain supply was low. Several Google searches later (and a few bad judgement calls) I put a liquid where a solid was supposed to go. Derp of derps.

Needless to say, I got a call the next day and was promptly fired and the company is probably out a month of time and a considerable amount of money.

And that brings me to a few days ago. Aside from being nearly out of money entirely to pay my bills, I accepted a job offer than may have actually been a bad idea.

The job is virtually identical to the place I was at for 5 years, they even have pretty much the same machines. Problem is, All three of these jobs have the same tech support for their printers. The job with the machine I broke isn't on my resume and it's almost certainly going to come out when one of their lead techs comes in to fix their machines. He didn't like me before this all happened to begin with.

I've already talked to several people and they've all agreed I didn't need to have it on my resume and that I shouldn't mention it unless questioned. I don't like being dishonest.

The new place doesn't have any of the machine I broke. (I don't think) I've never been this apprehensive to start a job with a interview that went so well. Week 1 is gonna be rough. Hope there's a week 2.

I'm really lucky to be living with a group of friends that are supportive. But this is a bad year however you slice it.

Feel free to yell at me or otherwise give your input.

Did you go to university

[SpaceMouse]

4 hours ago, Findthepin1 said:

Did you go to university

I did go to college for something that isn't relevant in this field. Yes.

[Kerbart]

22 hours ago, SpaceMouse said:

(...)

Until one night I was running the one big complex copier I was unfamiliar with and got a message that a certain supply was low. Several Google searches later (and a few bad judgement calls) I put a liquid where a solid was supposed to go. Derp of derps.

Needless to say, I got a call the next day and was promptly fired and the company is probably out a month of time and a considerable amount of money.

+1 for the honesty approach here. Also, without making it look like you're shunning responsibility, do realize that you're not the only one to blame:

• You were left with a machine you had no experience in
• You weren't trained on that machine
• You weren't given instruction on how to replace ink/toner/whatever on that machine (or you wouldn't be googling it). Which is a big deal, since you were fired over doing it wrong; so it's not like they left out some trivial information.

You can start out with something along the lines of "that's a machine I actually have experience with, but nothing to be proud of. Can you help me?" or something along those lines.

Further more, if the job is "a piece of cake" I assume that you'll have some spare time during your shifts. Why not work on "cheat sheets"  for each machine? "How to turn it on" (I assume they're complex enough that it's not just a matter of turning the power switch to "on" but you'll need to run some checks, etc), "How to turn if off," "Replacing paper," "Replacing Ink," etc. You laminate them and have a binder for each machine with the cheat sheets.

You will accomplish a couple of things doing that: (1) CYA for when using the wrong fluids if you followed the instructions (that, this goes without saying, were signed off on by your superiors) or do anything else wrong. (2) Familiarize yourself with the equipment. (3) Gives you something useful to do and (4) You are showing initiative to do your job better and make the workplace function better. Rare are the sites where that behavior is considered bad; in fact, most employers will highly appreciate it.

[Urses]

The best way would be be honest enpugh to state there was a mistake in the past and actively to search for some schoolings. Best way would be to talk with your supervisor and ask if the company offers some sort of schoolings and try to go in. First you show that you are interested to learn. Second you show that you are solide enough in your abilitys to say there are points where i have to work on. And third i learned the hard way that "piece of cake"-jobs tend to have hilarious outcomes. Routine kills you....

Wish you best of luck (i can use this too)

Funny Kabooms (but only in KSP)

Urses

[SpaceMouse]

59 minutes ago, Kerbart said:

+1 for the honesty approach here. Also, without making it look like you're shunning responsibility, do realize that you're not the only one to blame:

• You were left with a machine you had no experience in
• You weren't trained on that machine
• You weren't given instruction on how to replace ink/toner/whatever on that machine (or you wouldn't be googling it). Which is a big deal, since you were fired over doing it wrong; so it's not like they left out some trivial information.

You can start out with something along the lines of "that's a machine I actually have experience with, but nothing to be proud of. Can you help me?" or something along those lines.

Further more, if the job is "a piece of cake" I assume that you'll have some spare time during your shifts. Why not work on "cheat sheets"  for each machine? "How to turn it on" (I assume they're complex enough that it's not just a matter of turning the power switch to "on" but you'll need to run some checks, etc), "How to turn if off," "Replacing paper," "Replacing Ink," etc. You laminate them and have a binder for each machine with the cheat sheets.

You will accomplish a couple of things doing that: (1) CYA for when using the wrong fluids if you followed the instructions (that, this goes without saying, were signed off on by your superiors) or do anything else wrong. (2) Familiarize yourself with the equipment. (3) Gives you something useful to do and (4) You are showing initiative to do your job better and make the workplace function better. Rare are the sites where that behavior is considered bad; in fact, most employers will highly appreciate it.

In fairness I had a quick overview of the machine, although I do not specifically remember carrier powder mentioned specifically.
I'd hate to shift blame to the guy that trained me. He was probably a *BIT* vague in some details but, it certainly wasn't intentional.

Toner I had done several times, and the process was nearly identical to the machine I was familiar with.

I actually started on a cheat sheet for the other machine I was familiar with. It's likely still there - Had I been there longer and this not happened I almost certainly would of done one for the less familiar machine. If only I had a TARDIS...

45 minutes ago, Urses said:

The best way would be be honest enpugh to state there was a mistake in the past and actively to search for some schoolings. Best way would be to talk with your supervisor and ask if the company offers some sort of schoolings and try to go in. First you show that you are interested to learn. Second you show that you are solide enough in your abilitys to say there are points where i have to work on. And third i learned the hard way that "piece of cake"-jobs tend to have hilarious outcomes. Routine kills you....

Wish you best of luck (i can use this too)

Funny Kabooms (but only in KSP)

Urses

Oh I'm not making this mistake again. If I have to call service for every little thing...
I'd REALLY love to laugh about this but I'll be LUCKY if someone doesn't show up with a bill and a lawsuit.

I've had yet more people say things from previous jobs shouldn't be mentioned at the new place unless asked. Maybe my friends are just cynical....

Edited October 17, 2017 by SpaceMouse

[linuxgurugamer]

In general, you really shouldn't bring forward events from previous jobs. But in this case, as you say, they will most certainly find out sooner or later, so it's best to tell them up front.

While it wasn't intentional the fact was that you did not have good training.

And don't worry about someone showing up with a bill and a lawsuit. If they do you could turn around and counter sue for lack of training, unlawful termination Etc. I'm not saying you should sue them, I'm just saying that if they do come after you and I say they won't, then you have a very good case against them.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer

[SpaceMouse]

11 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

In general, you really shouldn't bring forward events from previous jobs. But in this case, as you say, they will most certainly find out sooner or later, so it's best to tell them up front.

While it wasn't intentional the fact was that you did not have good training.

And don't worry about someone showing up with a bill and a lawsuit. If they do you could turn around and counter sue for lack of training, unlawful termination Etc. I'm not saying you should sue them, I'm just saying that if they do come after you and I say they won't, then you have a very good case against them.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer

I was technically trained, I wasn't completely thrown on a unfamiliar machine. Everything I've read states that jobs in NY state are at-will (particularly through a staffing agency like I was.)

I don't want ANYTHING to do with a lawsuit. the only time I would even entertain the thought is well... if they did.

Thanks though.

Edited October 17, 2017 by SpaceMouse

[scottadges]

I thought I'd add to the point about an employer suing an employee situation (although I don't have all the facts, this is a general overview). 

In most cases, the employer accepts the risks of employees operating and/or causing damage to their equipment in the course of their employment. They also generally have insurance for these kinds of situations or can get relief by writing off damages from actions by former employees. Of course, it depends on what type of business (i.e. medical or professional malpractice and the like), also how large the company is, amount of assets, etc. That doesn't mean they are legally barred from suing an employee (unless insurance policies or other contracts do not permit it), just that it is considered uncommon.

Also the employer generally won't go after an employee because the employee (in most cases) would have limited funds to satisfy a judgment. The cost of lawyers, filings, and other proceedings as you know add up quickly. The former employer would probably be unwilling to mount a lawsuit.

Otherwise, sorry to hear about your situation. But if you stay positive and build a honest relationship with your new supervisor, it should go more smoothly than your previous job.

Edited October 17, 2017 by scottadges

[SpaceMouse]

16 minutes ago, scottadges said:

I thought I'd add to the point about an employer suing an employee situation (although I don't have all the facts, this is a general overview). 

In most cases, the employer accepts the risks of employees operating and/or causing damage to their equipment in the course of their employment. They also have generally insurance for these kinds of situations or can get relief by writing off damages from actions by former employees. Of course, it depends on what type of business (i.e. medical or professional malpractice and the like), also how large the company is, amount of assets, etc.

Also, the employer generally won't go after an employee because the employee (in most cases) would have limited funds to satisfy a judgment. The cost of lawyers, filings, and other proceedings as you know add up quickly. The former employer would probably be unwilling to mount a lawsuit.

Otherwise, sorry to hear about your situation. But if you stay positive and build a honest relationship with your new supervisor, it should go more smoothly than your previous job.

That's kind of what I figured but I wasn't sure. It wasn't a huge company.
Third paragraph is likely key here. After all is said and done, On top of my student loans... they'd be lucky to get a few hundred a month out of me.

7 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

Maybe you would hire to the printer company tech support, as probably you already know their product better than they do themselves (at least better than most of random persons in their tech support).

HAH! Considering there lead tech is the one likely to spill the beans and, greately dislikes me, I think the odds of me becoming a astronaut with my Associate's degree, and first on Mars are probably higher.

Edited October 17, 2017 by SpaceMouse

[Nuke]

i am so glad i havent worked since 2008. dont miss it.

[StrandedonEarth]

1 hour ago, Nuke said:

i am so glad i havent worked since 2008. dont miss it.

"Aaaaaahhhhh, shaddup!" Says i in the middle of a 60 hour work week, somewhat dreading a double shift on Friday. 

As to the OP, I agree that if the bosses are going to find out anyways, then full disclosure is the best thing. Accountability (owning and learning from your mistakes, which doesn't necessarily mean taking the blame) can be rare in the workplace and is generally appreciated by the powers that be

[Nuke]

10 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

"Aaaaaahhhhh, shaddup!" Says i in the middle of a 60 hour work week, somewhat dreading a double shift on Friday. 

As to the OP, I agree that if the bosses are going to find out anyways, then full disclosure is the best thing. Accountability (owning and learning from your mistakes, which doesn't necessarily mean taking the blame) can be rare in the workplace and is generally appreciated by the powers that be

the slaves know not the way to cast off the shackles.

[SpaceMouse]

17 hours ago, Nuke said:

i am so glad i havent worked since 2008. dont miss it.

Wish I had that option. I'd like to get good enough in 3D to be able to use it to pay the bills but I somehow think this unlikely.

16 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

"Aaaaaahhhhh, shaddup!" Says i in the middle of a 60 hour work week, somewhat dreading a double shift on Friday. 

As to the OP, I agree that if the bosses are going to find out anyways, then full disclosure is the best thing. Accountability (owning and learning from your mistakes, which doesn't necessarily mean taking the blame) can be rare in the workplace and is generally appreciated by the powers that be

I've done plenty of 60 hour weeks. Fortunately it's been a long while since I had to do a double.

5 hours ago, Nuke said:

the slaves know not the way to cast off the shackles.

I am indeed a slave to my bills. Kind of regret 'buying' a car about a year ago...