The First Manager Meeting
The manager, also known as the person who decides your workplace fate (just kidding, but only a little). Good managers are critical in one's first job out of undergrad. They play a pivotal role in the trajectory of one's career growth and professional development. I met my manager on Superday when he interviewed me. Ultimately, my Superday was successful, and I got hired for the job—yay! However, being hired is one thing; doing well on the job is another. I believe in the power of preparation because, as Benjamin Franklin said, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." Therefore, I decided to meet with my manager months before my start date to ensure I had knowledge of the tech stack and more insight into the company culture. I prepared for the meeting by making a list of questions reviewed by my career coach. Each question was divided into three categories: tech stack, company culture, and engineering team culture. The list is at the bottom of this post :). I highly encourage every new SWE to set up a meeting with their manager early to begin building a strong relationship.
Question List :
- What are the expectations within the first 30 days of the job?
- What is your culture around problem-solving?
- When will I have a chance to meet the team?
- What project will I be joining what are the expectations - goals -and outcomes?
- What do you like about the culture, what would you change?
- How can I be an asset to the culture?
- Will we be meeting regular basis?
- Who will I be asking questions in the beginning?
- What does Day 1 look like/ what are the logistics?
- What technical things I can learn now to prepare?
