Fired from temp job

I almost posted this on the jobs board, but since it's mostly just me whining I thought this board would be more appropriate. I found a permanent job at a great law firm this week through an agency, which I'm supposed to start next month. After I accepted the job, the very nice lady at the agency said she had some temp work with another law firm. It was just 4 hours in the afternoon covering reception while most of the office staff had their Christmas party. I accepted the temp work because I thought a little bit of extra money wouldn't hurt and the place is really close to where I live, anyway. Anyway, I showed up on time and dressed professionally. The first two hours were supposed to be training and then I'd be on my own for the last two. The lady training me (the regular receptionist) told me that I would probably not be very busy at all because of the time of year and because it's a Friday evening. So the receptionist showed me how to use their switchboard. I was a little overwhelmed at first because the last law firm I worked at only had like 5 extensions, this place had about 100. Seriously. She also showed me how to process the incoming faxes, which was the other thing I was supposed to do. Anyway, it was approaching the end of the first hour and I was starting to get the hang of it. I answered the phone and transferred a few calls. Then the nice lady from the agency called to check up on me. She said that they (the people at the law firm) were a bit concerned that I couldn't handle the work and that I didn't seem very confident. I told her I was getting on fine, the first hour wasn't even over yet and I was just getting the hang of it. Then she called back another 10 minutes later to basically tell me that they were firing me. The agency lady was clearly on my side. She told me she isn't sure what their problem was, I sounded fine and confident enough when I answered the phone when she called and she apologized and sounded genuinely sorry that it had happened. We talked on the phone later after I'd gotten home and we both thought it had to do with me not being chatty enough with the other employees. Somehow they thought it came across as not being confident enough. I explained to the agency lady that because I was being trained, I was just really focused on paying attention to what they were telling me so that I wouldn't get lost later on when I would be on my own. She totally understood that. But because I didn't tell them enough about what I'm doing for Christmas, they apparently were totally convinced that I couldn't handle answering the phone. I think this would've totally destroyed my confidence had I not already gotten a job. It was such a humiliating experience, it really put me off temping ever again. Thankfully, my new job is with one of their competitors.

That sounds pretty awful Diana! I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that mess! Lucky thing you found a permanent job so don't really have to go back to this temp job. Best of luck to you.

So the job was only ever supposed to be 4 hours (just for the party), and they fired you 1 hour in for not being confident enough? Wow, that sounds really crazy.

Congrats on landing the permanent job, though, I hope it's miles better than today.

Sorry about the bad experience with the temp job, and congratulations on the permanent job.

I've been on job interviews where I answered every question perfectly (or as perfectly as I thought possible), been told that my CV is wonderful, and then gotten feedback that I didn't get the job because I didn't seem confident enough.

Could appearing confident mean a different thing to some British people than to Americans?

What an awful experience. And being fired for having the audacity to focus on your job? Congratulations on getting your permanent job, though.

Thanks, everyone. I blamed myself for most of the afternoon, wondering what spectacularly crappy thing I did to get myself fired from a 4-hour job after less than an hour and that maybe they just hated my accent or something and didn't want clients being greeted by it. I truly felt like a pathetic cow. But after talking to the agency, I think they were probably just being unreasonable. I also felt kind of insulted because they didn't even talk to me about it or ask if I was not comfortable with the work. They just called the agency to tell them it didn't seem like I could handle it, even though I was sitting right there and they could've talked to me. I feel so bad. I hope the lady at the agency didn't get any grief from them, she's been so nice to me.

Could appearing confident mean a different thing to some British people than to Americans?

If so, I'd really like to know. I do not want to ruin this new job over something like not appearing confident enough. It took so much grief to find and I'm really thrilled about it. It isn't something I really ever worried about until today.

ouch, thankfully the agency is on your side

I don't think it would necessarily mean different things - if anything the necessity to appear outwardly "confident" is lower here than in the US.

That said, appearing friendly is maybe a bigger necessity here. The entire work-life/social-life divide is not quite as distinct here as it is in the US.

How aweful!! They couldn't even let you answer the phones for 1 more hour. So who answered them then? That is absolutely ridiculous!!! How lame of them.

Whenever I have started a new job, everyone tells me a few months later 'you were really quiet when you first started..' because for about the first week or so, I'm just sort of feeling out the atmosphere and what people are like. I'm certainly very friendly with everyone saying hello and offering to make people a brew but don't tend to talk to much til I've sussed people out. I just never want to say or do the wrong thing.  I think its a good quality to have and a wise way to be, but thats just me.

Good luck in your new job!! 

The way that Diana_ was treated is absolutely unacceptable, and it is good to see the agency supporting her as they have. It may be that the client company asked the agency for a very experienced receptionist who would just slot in and hit the ground running, and the agency maybe made a mistake in assessing Diana_'s prior experience, but come on! With one and a half hours already gone out of a four hour placement, you'd think they could have stuck with her for the rest of the assignment. Sounds like the people who requested the agency to provide a temp slipped up with the job spec, or feared that they had, and panicked. Or that they were basically, cr*p at their jobs. Maybe they had been partying a bit at lunchtime? (You know what I mean.) Whichever way around it was, Diana_, you are well out of it, and -- good for you -- starting a perm job with a competitor! Poetic justice. Good luck in your new job.

I wouldn't worry about it and try not to take it personally. The company should have specified with the agency that they needed someone who could handle a large switchboard. That's not an easy task and is very different from being a general receptionist. The company probably had unreasonable expectations of the person they were bringing in to cover. It certainly is crappy the way they handled it, but it's not unusual for customers to freak out like this, particularly if they aren't used to bringing in temps. Onward and upward to your new position!

I wonder, did you mention that you were starting with one of their competitors soon? If so, I wonder if they were just nervous about you being there?

I agree they were being unreasonable and it's their loss if they couldn't go and enjoy their party while you did one more hour of calls. Silly.

I wonder, did you mention that you were starting with one of their competitors soon? If so, I wonder if they were just nervous about you being there?

That thought occurred to me later on. While trying to make conversation, the woman training me at the crappy law firm mentioned that the lady from the recruitment agency who sent me there was great and had found her that job there two years ago. So I was like "oh yeah, she just got me a job too." Then the woman asked me where I was going to be working and I told her. It's possible. I know law firms can be really funny about that sort of thing.

Thank goodness your perm job isn't working with those nitwits!