Hello,
Burner account obviously. I'm in my 20s, working at one of the international companies in the USA, in a junior position related to IT and finance. I've had about 2.5 years of experience before joining this summer, and my work at this company so far has been quite strange.
First, I have a “mentor” who checks in with me occasionally to ask how I'm doing. However, when I point out a problem, the response is usually along the lines of “I hope it resolves for you! Good luck.”
My direct manager didn't have a conversation with me until 1.5 months into the job because he was on PTO or working remotely (we have hybrid setting). This delayed communication made it challenging to get a clear understanding of my responsibilities.
I did have some tutorials from a senior colleague about how to work and what to do. These sessions occurred roughly once every two weeks. Unfortunately, the information felt fragmented, and I was left feeling like I was collecting puzzle pieces without seeing the full picture.
September came around, and everyone is back from PTOs, but I still lacked a clear set of tasks and responsibilities. There was no concrete guidance like “you are responsible for this list of tasks” or “you should perform this task X times a week.”
I was also appointed in another project to another mid-senior team member who provided vague instructions. Recently, she mentioned that I should be more proactive and seek out tasks even if none are explicitly assigned. The implication was that I should avoid being perceived as “useless” in the organization, as it could impact contract extensions in the future and that I should not be “silent”. “Always go and ask for a job, what to do and when!”.
I've had a similar experience in a past role in digital marketing, where I was frequently criticized for not generating enough new ideas and being labeled as “passive” even though I believed I was fulfilling my responsibilities and the marketing was running quite good for a company.
I'm not a lazy person, and I genuinely want to contribute. I'm trying to understand if I'm in the wrong here or if this challenging work environment is a result of a flawed company structure that's affecting my experience negatively.
I'm seeking advice and insights from those with more experience. Thanks for reading and any guidance you can provide.