5 Things to do When Joining a New Company (as a Software Engineer)

Summary

In this video, Christian shares valuable tips for new developers joining a company or switching teams. He emphasizes the importance of clarifying role expectations, understanding team culture, and prioritizing tasks. Christian encourages new team members to ship something small early on to learn processes and advises them to take their time learning, as initial expectations are usually low. Additionally, he highlights the importance of having fun, bringing value, and asking questions to integrate better with the team. The overall message is to approach the new role with curiosity, patience, and a proactive attitude.

Takeaways

• 😀 Know your position and role expectations—these vary between junior and senior developers, and also between companies.
• 🤔 Clear your role expectations by asking your manager and team members what they expect from you.
• 📢 Understand the team culture and how they prefer to communicate, whether through formal or informal channels.
• 🔍 Focus on team priorities—ask what the top priorities are and identify the most critical stakeholders.
• 🚀 Ship something small quickly to learn the team's tools, processes, and release cycle.
• 🧠 Take your time to learn, even if under pressure, to deeply understand the code base and fill any knowledge gaps.
• 🙋 Ask lots of questions in your first weeks to gather as much information and context as possible.
• ⚙️ Explore team agreements around communication and shipping code—some may be unspoken or subtle.
• 🎯 Use the Pareto Principle to prioritize the most important tasks and stakeholders for efficiency.
• 🎉 Have fun and bring your unique value to the team, sharing new insights or quick wins from your past experience.

Q & A

What is the first step to take when joining a new company or team?

The first step is to clear your role expectations. This involves understanding what is expected of you by asking direct questions like, 'What do you expect from me?' or reviewing the role description provided by the company.

How can you understand the culture of a new team?

You can understand the team's culture by observing communication patterns, identifying team agreements, and asking questions like, 'How do you prefer to communicate?' or 'What are the team agreements?' This helps you adapt to the team's way of working.

Why is it important to focus on priorities, and how can you do this?

Focusing on priorities helps you work on the most important tasks first. You can achieve this by asking the team about the top priorities and clarifying which tasks can be dropped. Applying the Pareto Principle by focusing on the most important two out of ten tasks can also help manage multiple priorities.

What is the benefit of shipping something small quickly when you join a new team?

Shipping something small quickly helps you learn the team's development process, such as their release cycle, tools used for coding, and permissions required. It also helps you get comfortable with team agreements, making it easier to handle more complex changes later.

How much time should you spend learning when you join a new team?

You should take your time learning, especially in the first few weeks or months. Teams often don't expect new hires to be productive immediately, so use this period to deeply understand the codebase, ask questions, and identify areas where you may need help.

How can asking questions benefit you when joining a new team?

Asking questions allows you to clarify expectations, understand team culture, and prioritize tasks effectively. It also helps you learn more about the codebase and any gaps you may have, improving your integration into the team.

What should you do to build trust and relationships within the team?

Building trust involves understanding team culture, communicating effectively, and demonstrating value through small wins like shipping code early. Asking how you can make your manager's or team members' jobs easier also helps foster positive relationships.

What are some useful questions to ask about team priorities?

You can ask questions like, 'What are the top priorities for the team?' and 'What happens if feature A doesn’t get delivered but feature B does?' to better understand where you should focus your efforts and which stakeholders are most important.

What is the importance of taking a proactive approach to solving problems in a new team?

Taking a proactive approach, such as solving 'low-hanging fruit' problems or offering solutions based on your past experience, shows initiative and helps you contribute value quickly. It also helps the team see you as an asset.

How can you enjoy your new role while bringing value to the team?

To enjoy your new role, take time to explore areas that interest you, share insights, and bring fresh perspectives. Offering new approaches or fun facts can help build camaraderie and foster a more enjoyable work environment.