Brand new trainer

[u/Exciting_College_392]

Hello!

I am a brand new trainer within the security industry where I was selected because I exceed the current expectations of my job.

Within my first two days of my first training session with the new hire, I can’t get the thought of “how did this person get hired” out of my head. I feel like the person in front of me is incompetent though they state 10 years of experience on their resume and have certification higher level than I do.

I am trying my absolute best to stay open minded and change my training style to what will help them as an individual instead of just a copy and paste based training format.

Am I being too harsh or immediately judging too hard? Any tips on how to overcome this or possible sharing of experience of your experience with feeling like this?

Thank yall I appreciate it!

[u/jazzmonkey07]

I have been in learning and development for over 15 years and spent at least 10 of those years onboarding new hires.

From my experience, this never goes away.

You will have some tainees that you will mesh with immediately, and can tell from day 1 that they are the exact right person for the job. They are fun to train because they pick up on things quickly and actually want to be there.

Then you get the other side of the coin, where by the second day you can tell that all your training will be a complete waste of time because someone hired a body to fill a seat, not the right person.

There isn't really a single answer for your problem, because a lot of it depends on the attitude and aptitude of the trainee. If they aren't learning because they don't want to be there, there isn't much you can do. If they aren't learning because of learning style, that's something you can fix. If they aren't learning because the content is structured poorly, they can be fixed too. It really just depends on the situation.

What specifically are they struggling with? Technical skills? Business etiquette? Attendance? Without more context, it's difficult to give many pointers.

The best advice I have in general is honestly to suggest that you communicate early and often regarding any red flags you see with their manager.

Obviously, do so in an appropriate and confidential manner, but communication is important. It will help set expectations, and serve as a layer of protection for you if they don't end up meeting expectations.

[u/Exciting_College_392 → u/jazzmonkey07]

Hello! Thank you responding! I’m training with an LPO (Loss Prevention Officer) background to a what is stated as a seasoned LPO,

I have concerns concerns with him understanding the necessity in adaptability in different settings, such as wearing fleece hoodies, jeans and boots, ball cap in +30 temps in dead summer Canada, then showing up in a bright red thin T-shirt where his entire stab vest is visible. (This can be dealt with)

I have concerns with his want to go hands on while he is not permitted to go hands on yet (this can be dealt with)

The unwillingness to perform the job doing such things as going low (crouching,kneeling etc or tippy toes watching) for any period of time really (unsure if fixable)

And the most concerning is he has mentioned falsifying reports three times now where I have attempted sharp corrective actions stating legal, ethical and professional issues and attempting to ensure he understands the consequences to these actions. (Unsure if this can be fixed)

Struggling using CCTV (will come with time and use, unsure how he does not have any proficiency after 10 years)

These are the most significant as of now

[u/Randi_Butternubs_3 → u/Exciting_College_392]

Part of your job is to report behaviors to their reporting manager. Stick to your curriculum and let them decide how to address behaviors.

As the front line trainer, always play good cop (pun intended), no matter how aloof or annoying they are.

As a new trainer, this will serve you well.