i started a new job yesterday after a quickie interview on tuesday that smelled of desperation to me. it’s a front desk position at a storefront medical clinic that serves the public by appointment and welcomes walk-in traffic as well. the owners did tell me in the interview that i’ll be routinely expected to work several days a week by myself. THEN they told me they’re leaving for a vacation right after christmas for about five days and i’ll be in the business alone during that time as well. they assured me i’d be well-trained in the business before they go away.
on my first day (yesterday), i was given a 90 minute video to watch on their database system. okay, fine. then one of the owners gave me checklists for me to use while opening and closing the store, and a VERY cursory outline of my duties. then i was handed a list of people to call to inform them their prescriptions are expiring and told to get as many renewal appointments as i could. i wasn’t given much more detail than that. so i sat down and made about 15 appointments in a couple of hours, while fielding everything else they threw my way on a busy clinic afternoon. neither one actually explained anything about the industry, the laws governing it (there are many) or really anything specific about how things work. i wasn’t particularly worried; i figured i had a solid week-plus of fairly intensive training coming, since who would leave their business in the hands of a complete & unknown noob?
that was day one.
today, my second day, one owner was in the store; there was no mention of the other owner. fine, everyone has days off. then the one who was there immediately announced she was leaving at 1 to pick up her grandson and that she wouldn’t be back. i was being thrown to the wolves.
all afternoon, as i dealt with walk-ins wanting to buy product, prospective patients calling to ask what the process is (you’re asking ME?!?), and all manner of things i was completely unprepared for, the boss kept calling me asking what i was doing. however i answered each time, i’d get berated & belittled. i was struggling with the computer system as i’m not proficient with windows (i’m a mac girl), and every time i had a problem, i was met with “what’s wrong with you? you mean you don’t know [whatever]? well, no, i don’t. but instead of enlightening me so i can better help her customers, she was focusing on MINUTIAE. at one point, she even emailed me a tutorial on how to use a MOUSE. i found that to be extremely belittling.
plus, NGL i was pretty freaked at being abandoned with ZERO tools to do the job.
i feel i’m being set up to fail. maybe they just want a warm body to cover for their vacay, nothing more.