My situation: Job hopped from a small company to a huge MNC at oversea (not sg but still in ASEAN country), totally different from my previous role, considered as switching career.

A little background, I studied chemical engineering at an average local public U, graduated 2 years ago, have around 2 years of experience working at a chemical plant. Job hopped to a new role as civil engineer, doing EPCC of a O&G plant, my main responsibilities are civil and building.

2 weeks in, my performance seem not on par with expectations from immediate manager. I might not pass my probation period which is 4 months long. Feeling stressful.

I am trying my best to catch up with the pace of the company and the situation but it seem like my manager is not happy with my performance. I am not sure what to do.

being stressful is already sign u not going to make it. change ur mood. talk to your supervisor about what u feel and what u can do to improve. dont push too hard. just be cautious and plan every work.

talk to your manager heart to heart. See his responses.

then weigh your options.

if you think there is no hope, tender.

come back to Msia, apply for job, don't include this 4 months job in your resume.

Why are feeling your performance is not satisfactory? Did you fail any KPI? During performance conversation anything shared on how you can improve. What went well, what can be done better n actions to be taken etc should be shared during performance discussion

Hi TS, that sounds like a huge career switch to me... from chemical to civil... and some more in O&G field whereby SOP, standard, codes to comply is very stringent. Not sure how you got hired in the first place. But since you are in it now, just try your best to do it. Discuss with your manager how you can do better and how he can help you to be better. set the expectation right.

If worse comes to worst, perhaps you are just not fit for the job. Just move on and work some where else.

Maybe have a discussion with your immediate superior to see what's the fallback and the action plan? As long as you still have time to prove yourself..don't miss it

Mind to share which country you are now?

Thailand

Yeah, I was job hunting back in January and February, mostly applying for positions as a process engineer and production engineer on websites such as Jobstreet, LinkedIn, and company websites.

Then, I was approached by this company's HR for a position initially as a project engineer. I was invited to a physical interview which I attended at the Malaysia branch shortly after CNY. They have a subsidiary in Malaysia as well. The second interview was an online interview with the Project Manager on-site.

When I received my offer, my title was written as civil engineer. I was shocked as it is totally different from what I studied. I did argue with HR, but some higher-up, maybe the regional director, insisted that the offer letter state my position as civil engineer, although the job scope remained the same. I had a lot of mental struggles when making this hard decision because this is indeed a huge career switch, and when the project ends, I might not be able to hop on to the next project. There are many uncertainties.

Considering everything, I still made the move. My previous job was a blue-collar job where I was basically an operator at a chemical plant. I was severely underemployed, and the working conditions were bad.

The project's status is at 60% completion, scheduled for commissioning at the end of this year. I was hired most probably because I have a good command of English, I suppose. My job scope is to expedite the progress, handle communications, and track the progress.

Thanks for the advice, I think this is the logical move.

My direct supervisor told me that I was not proactive enough, that I did not ask enough questions, and that I lacked curiosity.

Only 2 weeks out of 4 months, still got time to turn things around.

Discuss with your superior on the expectation, learn fast on things that you need to deliver, gain trust from your colleague to get things done.

If really most if not all doesn't work out, then consider moving out.

Don't be stress.
Show your proactive by asking how to improve and their expectation towards you.
By the way, it is the common comments (not proactive/ too silent) to an employee.
I also always received this kind of the comments too.
Looks like my job cannot be quiet, need to make noise.
Your superior is malaysian chinese right?
I don't think thai will comment this.

Ok ok..then focus on improving on these..i know it's hard but you got to do it ok..
Soon you will be expert in this..good luck!

I am with a China company, and I am the only Malaysian on site, 50% China and 50% Thai people in office

I think my soft skill is lacking, but I will try to improve it while I still have the chance

This post has been edited by Obluda: Mar 27 2024, 01:15 PM

How is it possible that an oil and gas company hired a chemical engineer to do civil engineering work????

The project's status is at 60% completion, scheduled for commissioning at the end of this year. I was hired most probably because I have a good command of English, I suppose. My job scope is to expedite the progress, handle communications, and track the progress.


Above job scope is project engineer...you can do it with right attitude..no need civil knowledge too much..talk to your boss..

Keep your head together, its just 2 weeks, these are growing pains, while you take on the role. You will adapt, and learn the ropes, it will be tough, but this is the challenge. Remember keep communications open for now. Let them know, because you can't be expected to know everything and you will need time to adjust and get a full grip of the situation.