Offered job by American Employer that only lasted a Week!!!

[Chris56000]

Hi!

 

Somehow it seems the fates are out to get me!

 

I applied for an Electronics Repair job in the Industrial Sector which I'm skilled at, with a large American Employer which had a UK Repair facility 35 miles from my home address.

 

I was interviewed for the position, given a theoretical and practical test and later told my application had been successful and I was to start work on the 18th February.

 

The morning I arrived (Monday of last week) I was taken upstairs for an "induction" which consisted solely of a great many forms to fill and sign, all based totally on US Laws, plus being issued with three company-logoed work shirts.

 

Back downstairs I was shown to a bench and left to my own devices for the rest of the day, being told "you're not entered on our Job Booking System yet so we can't give you any work to do!"

 

Tuesday was the same and it was Wednesday before I was able to access the Job booking System and pick up work to do, which consisted of large and complex electronic boards that can only be tested in specialist fixtures made for them.

 

The company had these fixtures but the workshop supervisor sat on his backside all day without making any attempt to show me the operation and use of the test fixtures, instead jerking a thumb in the direction of the Production Manager with "Ask *******!"

 

I asked ******* the Production Manager who said "All our test Software is in the United States and we haven't got it installed here yet!"

 

Although I have the technical knowledge to fault-find and replace components on boards like these, the only thing that can be done is to book them out completed once I'd evaluated them and carried out any work thought necessary, and either return them to the Original Customer for test in the machinery they came from, or test them in the jigs, which as I stated, was not shown or had them demonstrated to me.

 

On Friday at 3.15 pm I was called into an upstairs office and told by the Production Manager and the workshop supervisor that they were sending me home and they didn't want me to attend the premises from then on, they stated "we were looking for an average of £900 invoiced work/day from every technician and you're not suited to our immediate needs - we wanted someone that can replace components on a large processor board and test it and book it out in an hour or less!" As regards their job booking system, all I got was "we expected you to know that!" - how am I supposed to have intimate knowledge of every company's different database system and be expected to use it with no introductory training?

 

The Recruitment Agency that put me forward for this post assured me that "the Production Manager will come over from the States specially to give you the training and support you need to get up to speed on our products", but as you can read above I was offered none whatsoever.

 

The workplace itself was very poorly equipped - a lot of the technical equipment I would customarily expect to find in an Industrial Electronics Repair Centre wasn't even there, I could see NO written documentation for the test fixtures, (unless it was solely on the company's US servers, and I was given no oppurtunity to see it whatsoever - I even had to ask the chap on the bench behind me to show me how to use their job booking system!)

 

I'm sorry for such a long tale of woe again, I applied for this position in good faith on the assurance of the agency that recruited me for it that all product training would be available and a reasonable 90-day probationary period would be allowed - how can you call three days reasonable?

 

Have I spoilt my chances in getting a good reasonably paid electronics job in the future from this episode? I informed the chap at the Recruitment agency what went on there as soon as I left the bulding, but as this was only yesterday naturally he's not got back to me yet!

 

Also was the fault mine in applying for a job that needed more skills than I had experience with, or totally this employer's? I have worked in the Industrial Electronics Repair sector for 11 years with very similar products for a local employer in the past up until 2010 and they said I'd given them every satisfaction and they were sorry to have to make me redundant!

Edited February 23, 2013 by Chris56000

[patrickq1]

Its a shame you had to go through this but it seems as though the workshop manager is very incompetence and by the looks of things this company is not going to survive the uk market place with attitudes like they hav e typcle yanks I would be more inclined to email the parent company in America and voice your observations with them and explain these or this sort of work cannot possibly be done on a shoestring and sadly lacking in testbed equipment you have really nothing to lose and everything to gain by exposing the ineptitude of the management who seem to have a I don't care a jot attitude other than that there isn't much you. Can do afaiks so complain to American parent co let them know how much better you can do explain the attitude of the lacks management system and failures to train people up to spec. That should be expected for such complex work

[citizenB]

Have I spoilt my chances in getting a good reasonably paid electronics job in the future from this episode? I informed the chap at the Recruitment agency what went on there as soon as I left the bulding, but as this was only yesterday naturally he's not got back to me yet!

 

I wouldnt have thought there is any damage done. I imagine this particular "incident" could be left off your CV altogether.

 

It seems quite bizarre that you were interviewed, given an induction, etc and then you were pretty much left to your own devices - the supervisor should have given some support and it looks as though the Recruitment agency were given incorrect information as well.

[steampowered]

Stuff like this happens, sometimes the job doesn't work out. No harm done.

[Surfer01]

Were the managers Brits or Yanks? There is no way you can fix PC boards that are specific to a machine unless you have a jig, a power supply(i.e. 9v) and an oscilloscope as component could be breaking down under load.

[assisted blonde]

well at leat you were only there for a short time its better that the job fails early on, seiously put it down to experience and prehaps ask more detailed questions aty your next interview

[Chris56000]

Hi!

 

Were the managers Brits or Yanks? There is no way you can fix PC boards that are specific to a machine unless you have a jig, a power supply(i.e. 9v) and an oscilloscope as component could be breaking down under load.

 

 

The Workshop Supervisor was a Brit who I was told by one of the lads "was only in it for the money" and the Production Manager a coloured person with an American accent - possibly Hindu but I can't be certain about this!

 

I had no oscilloscope provided for me, only a digital voltmeter. Many of the boards I was expected to handle consisted of 3-4 processor chips, a dozen or so memory devices and anything up to 50 or 60 smaller-scale logic devices, plus a number of pre-programmed chips. As in the previous chap's post I quoted, it's hopeless trying to evaluate one of this complexity on its own! A board like this may have up to 72 or even more connections on it!

 

A basic analogue pcb with only a few transistors or IC devices on it would still need an hour to test the bits on it for faults, and even then the reported fault may be down to software corruption or incorrect adjustment of preset controls, and how can you evaluate this from a faulty board in your hands with no documentation, test jig, or even any knowledge of what and where the power supplies go?

[Emmzzi]

Everyone is agreed the kit was inadaequate, and that s**t happens. What further advise are you looking for please? Do you have any more questions?

[Chris56000]

Hi!

Just a few minor points - but has anyone else had personal experience of this sort of nonsense in a skilled electrical or electronic trade?

 

Do I need to mention that week on my CV or when I'm interviewed subsequently, and can anyone suggest any precautions I can take when applying for advertised positions in the future?

 

I do read the description carefully, and if it states a specific skill is needed which I don't have, e.g., software development/fault-finding, then obviously I'm not going to waste an employer's time applying for a position I'm not qualified to carry out!

 

However if the description includes the words "...desirable but not essential as product training can be provided", would it be reasonable for me to apply in such a case?

[Surfer01]

Hi!

However if the description includes the words "...desirable but not essential as product training can be provided", would it be reasonable for me to apply in such a case?

I would apply hoping to get the training to expand my knowledge. Good luck for the future.

[Emmzzi]

leave it off the CV

 

ask for a workshop tour and to meet key staff before accepting

 

desirable but not essential - depends how specialist the skill set. If the markey is flooded with people who need no training you're not in with much of a shout.