Authorized Excerpt: HRT Administrative Assistant Manual

“Your Probationary Period”

Even if you are already well experienced, once you have a new position, you must be prepared to serve an apprenticeship with your new employer. This is most commonly referred to as the probationary period.

Your past experience may be useful – only in that, it has taught you to learn quickly and to evaluate new situations. In your new position, there may be a different method for almost every daily procedure. No doubt, there will be a filing system you haven’t used elsewhere.

Just absorb and learn their way. Remember, we have two ears & one mouth for a reason. You may be asked to use letter formats, paragraphing, punctuation, and abbreviations that were vetoed by a previous employer. -end-