How to ask for more work at a new, mid-level position?
October 19, 2013 9:18 AM Subscribe
First mid level position, due to some turnover and changes, my boss has no idea what my team does and I need work since mentoring/shadowing isn't providing enough.
I started a new position 4 weeks ago and already need some more work to do. I've asked my boss, however she is slow to give it as she s just learning the team's work herself after taking over it temporarily since the main boss left a week before I started. Complicating factor is I'm also one of the first new W2 employees hired since a round of layoffs and a hiring freeze went into place when the economy first tanked. In addition, I was hired because of my previous experience but also new that I had to learn the software package and this location's project methodologies which projects are what my job is primarily focused around. So I'm absolutely not suited right now to take a primary, stand alone lead on the outstanding projects.
I've tried asking other coworkers if they need help, but this is a very much standalone project type position where you're the only resource on the team for that project. So while I've gotten some additional work from that, it usually dries up in a few days and then is sidelined while other project portions are being built. For example, I worked a project 2 weeks ago that isn't set to have my portion entered until late 2014, but yet my manage tells me to keep checking with this one. So now I'm left with the minor upkeep tasks, meetings, and sparse learning opportunities that all take up maybe half of my week. The rest of the time, I'm looking for more work to do, staring into space, or playing on my phone out of boredom.
Not sure if any of these details matter, the end result is the same - I need more work to do, my manager and coworkers aren't offering any leads and I'm hesitant to strike out on my own since this is a mission critical system that can easily be broken. How do I get more work?
I started a new position 4 weeks ago and already need some more work to do. I've asked my boss, however she is slow to give it as she s just learning the team's work herself after taking over it temporarily since the main boss left a week before I started. Complicating factor is I'm also one of the first new W2 employees hired since a round of layoffs and a hiring freeze went into place when the economy first tanked. In addition, I was hired because of my previous experience but also new that I had to learn the software package and this location's project methodologies which projects are what my job is primarily focused around. So I'm absolutely not suited right now to take a primary, stand alone lead on the outstanding projects.
I've tried asking other coworkers if they need help, but this is a very much standalone project type position where you're the only resource on the team for that project. So while I've gotten some additional work from that, it usually dries up in a few days and then is sidelined while other project portions are being built. For example, I worked a project 2 weeks ago that isn't set to have my portion entered until late 2014, but yet my manage tells me to keep checking with this one. So now I'm left with the minor upkeep tasks, meetings, and sparse learning opportunities that all take up maybe half of my week. The rest of the time, I'm looking for more work to do, staring into space, or playing on my phone out of boredom.
Not sure if any of these details matter, the end result is the same - I need more work to do, my manager and coworkers aren't offering any leads and I'm hesitant to strike out on my own since this is a mission critical system that can easily be broken. How do I get more work?
You could read up on the outstanding projects - even if you can't take a lead role with them you can know the backgrounds and be ready to help out when they do get started.
If you have the type of corporate job that offers free online training in a lot of random subjects you could check that out.
I started a new job a few months ago and spent a lot of time twiddling my thumbs and inventing work for myself. Now I have days where I hardly have time to pee. Hang in there!
posted by bunderful at 4:08 PM on October 19, 2013
If you have the type of corporate job that offers free online training in a lot of random subjects you could check that out.
I started a new job a few months ago and spent a lot of time twiddling my thumbs and inventing work for myself. Now I have days where I hardly have time to pee. Hang in there!
posted by bunderful at 4:08 PM on October 19, 2013
Take a look at the existing documentation for the system. First, go through some that covers things you are not familiar with and learn it. Then, see if you can update the documentation or improve it in any way, maybe organize it into sections that make sense from a user perspective or from a new IT personnel perspective or both.
And yes, read the docs from the other projects and make a list of intelligent questions to ask. Not just "tell me what you're working on" but more like "I see how widget A interacts with slot B, but I'm not sure how C comes into play in that interaction. Can you help shed some light on that part?"
posted by CathyG at 5:39 PM on October 20, 2013
And yes, read the docs from the other projects and make a list of intelligent questions to ask. Not just "tell me what you're working on" but more like "I see how widget A interacts with slot B, but I'm not sure how C comes into play in that interaction. Can you help shed some light on that part?"
posted by CathyG at 5:39 PM on October 20, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by oceanjesse at 11:33 AM on October 19, 2013