In the past I have had a few different types of training because it always depended on the position I was applying for. A training that I considered beneficial was when I had to train to be a secretary who had to answer calls and file paperwork. The company that hired me was an appliance store that sold refrigerators, stoves, etc. So I was not familiar with those items so it was difficult for me to answer customers’ questions. On the other hand, during the training it was a one-on-one approach that allowed me to ask questions on the spot while they explained the daily routine for my position. The individual who trained me was very professional by providing a realistic job description not just by telling me, instead they allowed me to shadow them for a day. By allowing me to watch and be hands on when I felt confident in my abilities they helped me improve my skills. They were there to guide me by using the assessment phase to give me advice on how to identify my strengths and weaknesses so I was able to feel confident doing the tasks alone. Another thing I considered beneficial from this training was they assigned me special projects outside of my direct position which allowed me to develop relationships with my other coworkers I would be communicating with daily. These special projects such as going on the sales floor and listening to one of the employees talk to customers about the certain appliances helped me to develop interpersonal relationships and experience in the field I would be the face of when a customer walked in. As a secretary in this company with no prior experience they were able to effectively communicate what my position was and what was expected from me. They trained me in a way that they were able to evaluate how much I learned based on what they taught me by asking questions that correlated to what I learned during training and once I was capable of answering their questions correctly I was able to perform on a level they wanted.

On the other hand, I have had a bad training experience which was not beneficial to me because they sat me down in front of a computer screen for hours just to watch training videos. This was not beneficial to me because it was hard to take the training seriously when not an actual person was teaching me the values and expectations of the job. I zoned out a lot due to staring at the screen for hours with an uncomfortable headset on. Also, the system crashed a couple of times which slowed down the training process. I was left alone, so if I did have a question, I was in an uncomfortable position of having to find the manager and stop them from what they were doing so I could ask my question. Furthermore, having to watch videos on a computer is no way to train someone who is new to a position with no prior knowledge.