21–30 of 81 posts
Showing an interest is important, learning the lingo is important but it will be a learning curve and it’s important not to expect too much from yourself too soon.
I've found that these two tips help * Putting in time to learn the product as a user of it before trying to develop for it is time well spent. In my experience it makes it easier to read the code afterwards * When a codebase is old and you're reading a file where 10 to 20 developers have done a pass of bugfixes on it, it may not immediately be obvious what everything does and why some checks are being done. Going thr…
OP is in marketing, not eng, FWIW.
whenever you see a term or concept you don’t understand, WRITE it down. The brain-body connection works well for your memory.
I’m gonna get flak for this, but going out drinking and to the smoking area will give you an inside track to how the company operates.
I used to work in tech at an investment bank. When I first joined I was all starry eyed and eager to learn about the business, even to the point of trying to get a CFA (which some of my colleagues apparently had done).
Fast forward many years, I came to the conclusion that the limited time I had was best spent becoming a better technologist/engineer instead of a halfassed banker/trader/investment professional. Of course it’s still useful to know the basics of the industry and anything specific to your role, but beyond that the returns diminish sharply.
FWIW most of my engineer colleagues that spent all that grueling time and effort to get a CFA no longer work in the finance industry, so it’s arguably all down the toilet unless they ever go back. AFAIK none of them want to
I have a very specific (and pretty easy) strategy for this when I join a new org. Technically you could do this at any time, but you generally have a "grace window" when you're new where people are happy to go out of their way to meet you and teach you. First, meet 1 on 1 with every member of your immediate team. This of course serves as a "get to know you" meet, but your real goal is to get them to explain their wor…
to be honest, if you are in marketing and you don't understand the market you are trying to sell into i don't see this going too well.
edit: actually, i've seen this work. The marketing person has to be honest and upfront about being new and take down any questions they can't answer and then follow-up. I've found clients/customers to be sympathetic, everyone has been thrown into the deep end at some point in their career. A humble and honest approach can even endear them to the customer. So, it can work but the you have to upfront, honest, and absolutely follow-up.
1. No-one’s going to go out of their way to guide you. Esp at smaller companies, the fact that you’ve been hired means you’re joining a time-poor company, and there likely won’t be a formal onboarding process. So...you’ve got to onboard yourself.
2. Adopt a mindset of personal responsibility. This isn’t going to be a passive process, but an active one.
3. Don't meet everyone for the sake of it. The goal isn't to set-up endless meetings and become a burden. Limit yourself to a few, and make the most out of them. Make your ask clear when you ask someone for their time — e.g. 'I'd like context on X and what's been done so far'
4. Get some small wins on the scoreboard. Although your priority is to learn the key skills of the job, you also want to make a great impression during your first 60 days by showing you’ve made an impact. To do that, identify some smaller projects you can knock out to get a few small wins under your belt.
5. Be ‘seen’. Make your presence known. And communicate upwards so people know you’re busy. How? Tell your manager, “Can I send you a list of 5 things I think I need to hit the ground running? I’ll then set up a 1-1 and we could go through that.”
the full essay's here [2] (and plug: the newsletter I write is called Coached. If occasional career strategy is your thing, feel free to check it out)
[2] https://careersupplement.beehiiv.com/p/cs233-onboarding-hard...
Talk to people. Interview your entire team, with detailed questions, avoid solutioning out of context, just listen. Next extend those interviews to stakeholders your team supports- go as deep or as high as you can, adjust questions for context, execs? business/strategy questions, the janitor? the dirt questions... yes interview the cleaning crew... Ive done these rounds at every job and 2 times I left that job immedi…
> I left that job immediately after the interviews. Why?
I have a very specific (and pretty easy) strategy for this when I join a new org. Technically you could do this at any time, but you generally have a "grace window" when you're new where people are happy to go out of their way to meet you and teach you. First, meet 1 on 1 with every member of your immediate team. This of course serves as a "get to know you" meet, but your real goal is to get them to explain their wor…
I have not done the 1 on 1 method before, it sounds interesting and will try it in the future, but I agree with utilizing the grace period to explore, ask and learn as much as possible about the organization and industry. My additional recommendation would be to try to identify limited-scope projects that contribute to your role and where you can start delivering some value. For me this helps set a clear goal and it…
If you are in a leadership role over a team then having a pre-chewed problem ready for new members of your team is a very useful thing you can do. I'm talking well defined problem with a clear path towards success. This helps the new member become use to the team and processes, and gives them an easy win to put some wind in their sails. Also, this can serve as a litmus test to their on the job performance.