Am I about to get fired for poor performance?

Question

I'm a new grad 6 months in to a startup job and am loving it, but I don't think they are loving me. I was hired mainly for my skills related to subject A but I have been tasked mostly with subject B. I don't mind but my performance has been much lower than my colleagues'. I think it was acceptable starting out but there is less tolerance for it now. My team is small and collaborative and there have been numerous times where it is evident I don't know something I'm expected to know. I'm employed at-will.

More examples:

• Several technical mistakes in my work that cost small amounts of time and money. Nothing disastrous but due to haste (there is a lot of time pressure) or lack of understanding, mistakes that appeared careless or unprofessional. Other tasks of mine take longer than expected.
• Unusual standoffishness from my teammates recently and especially my supervisor, who would have the final say on my firing. Most of them get along. For whatever reason I don't seem to have built the same relationships, and whether that should matter or not it isn't helping me.
• We are actively hiring for people skilled in both subject A and subject B. I was not informed of the hiring or given access to the hiring documents (everyone else was). Asked for access and it was granted after a small delay, could be irrelevant? The job opening was posted less than 2 months after I joined.
• Someone I know on another team recently got fired without any warning, and in their opinion without sufficient reason. I've heard mention of others who got fired but I don't know more details about them. So people do get let go here relatively frequently.

So, am I about to get fired? Does it seem like they are thinking about it? I have a one-on-one soon, any suggestions for what I should say there? I'm very interested in continuing to work for this company and don't want to jeopardize it.

Preemptively:

• Its a small fast paced startup, we are doing subject B because that is what we need. We don't need A right now so I can't show my skills there.
• I could try harder but am already working long hours so I hope I don't need to put in even more time.
• I could be a naive anxious new grad making a mountain of a molehill. If so, suggestions for how to not do that?

TLDR: This is a very high performance job and I have been underperforming for 6 months. I am concerned for my job, can I do anything about it now and if so what?

Answer 1

You might be overthinking this, but I would suggest you build up your inventory before going in for your review. There got to be some positive contribution so far.

• Make a list of your achievements and put a $value to them
• Try to speak first during your review and highlight your achievements
  • Move on to the challenges you are facing, and talk about how you want to be better. Outline your plan!
• End with your desire to improve yourself under some mentorship

I would also start looking for a new role to avoid any nasty surprises

Answer 2

It sounds like you have a good feel of what is going on around you, when your one on one comes up try to be the first to speak and mention that you don't feel that you are doing well and that your expertise is elsewhere and you are finding it hard to contribute and pull your weight. If at that point they say you are getting terminated you have in a small part laid the foundation for a smooth transition out of this job and into another. Tell them you have been looking for something appropriate for your skill set and that you hope that even though you have experienced little in your field of expertise in your current role that at least your current role could contribute to securing your next one

Answer 3

I have a one-on-one soon, any suggestions for what I should say there? I'm very interested in continuing to work for this company and don't want to jeopardize it.

You should be asking questions about your work - likely the same questions you should have been asking for the past 6 months:

• How am I doing?
• What should I be doing differently?
• How can I do better?

Answer 4

So people do get let go here relatively frequently.

...and that should tell you everything you need to know about the kind of workplace it is.

This is a very high performance job and I have been underperforming for 6 months.

It sounds like you may have overextended your reach and accepted a position that's way beyond your skill level. You're just not qualified for it at this point in your career. It's almost like going into your first day of high school as a senior when you were supposed to have been a freshman. I would recommend downgrading to a more reasonable position with objectives that are more easily achievable for now.

Although given the first statement the problem may not be you it might be them. It is an inexperienced startup company that seems like it's already on the verge of failure. It may simply be an internal company culture / inadequate business process issue not an inadequate individual issue. In any case, being ostracized from the team like that is usually a surefire sign that things aren't working out.

The laughable part is I'm sure the company is setting these people up for failure by not giving them the adequate training and resources they need to succeed. People ain't miracle workers. They can't make sponge cake if they ain't got no sponges. Then they're claiming all these people are idiots and that there's some sort of mysterious skills gap that's alive and well.

unimpressed face --> 😒

Answer 5

So, am I about to get fired?

Based solely off the evidence you have gave I would say yes, definitely.

Does it seem like they are thinking about it?

The major point here is the recruitment. They are looking for someone to fill your role and not mentioning it to you but everyone else. I suspect that not soon after this role is filled you'll be fired. Given the high paced environment they feel they need some kind of a smooth handover so rather than firing you before your replacement they are hiring your replacement first to avoid the gap from their size.

You said this started two months after you started and you've been there 6 months. This shows that if they had fired you immediately they would have had at least a 4 month gap to fill the role you are doing.

I have a one-on-one soon, any suggestions for what I should say there?

I wouldn't bother with that. I would look for another job yourself and leave before you are fired. Looks better for you and it will be much less hassle for you as well.

Generally the advise with one 2 one's is to build a list of achievements as evidence of how well you've done. What you'll find though is whatever positives you've had this last six months the main focus will be on the negatives which you yourself have admitted are mistakes. I've also found performance reviews and one to one meetings pretty useless.

Doesn't matter what KPI's have been set or what is said in these meetings if the company wants to fire/not promote/pay cut/demote ...etc then they will do it regardless of the performance review.

One thing I have noticed is if these reviews are really negative you're very closed to being fired.

Regardless, actions speak louder than words. So it's what the company does rather than what they say which is indicative of the type of company.

Someone I know on another team recently got fired without any warning

That's the actions I'm talking about. I suspect the only reason you're still working for them is they haven't found a replacement yet.

Look for another job now.