To all engineers new to a role..
Just finished a call with a mentee. I have done this mistake myself, and see this pattern again and again.
Self-doubt is a slippery slope.
A new role can plant self-doubt even in the most talented engineer. Engineers are most vulnerable, when they are new to a role.
To all engineers new to a role..
The way you see yourself and carry yourself is how you’ll be treated.
Show up timid or act like you don’t belong, and you’ll be treated
that way.
Show up like you’re supposed to be there, and you’ll be treated like you’re supposed to be there.
You already earned the spot on your team. It's ok you don't know everything. Just focus on showing up strong, learning and adding value.
Adding value as early as possible is the best way to boost your confidence on a new role. Don't wait to learn everything before you begin adding value. Here are a few ideas.
1.You bring fresh perspective, because you are new to the role. Leverage it. Use your product or service as a customer and bring what you learn to your team. Pain points, new ideas etc. With this you learn fast and you add value.
2. Document what you learn, issues you faced, permissions you needed, how you solved setup issues. Make it easy for the next person to ramp up. Share it with rest of team within your first month and ask for input.
3. Ask if you can to do initial projects with someone experienced in the team. Your rate of learning will be much higher rather than doing an independent isolated project. Do your best to add value to your team mates. Focus on what you can do to make the team successful. testing, code reviews, deployment etc.
4. Begin doing code and design reviews as soon as possible.(at least 10-15% of your time) Be humble with your comments. "I am new to this, but I was wondering if we can handle this exception in a better way.... ". You will learn faster if you throw yourself in to action.
5. Volunteer to do small tasks in critical components. 20% of the components are modified 80% of the time. Get comfortable with core components early.
6. Your team knows you will take time to ramp up. They are not judging you by your first month's delivery. No question is dumb. Batch your questions so that you are mindful of your teams time.
What other tips would you share with an engineer new to the role to gain confidence?