How a Senior Engineer Effectively Onboards at a New Job

The article argues that the first weeks in a new role should focus on learning the organization, the product, the business context, and the people around you. It recommends humility, asking questions, building relationships, and using the onboarding period to understand where your skills fit.

Reading notes

#

• Meet each person on the immediate team one-on-one and ask them to explain their current work.
• Go into as much detail as time allows by looking at the product, internals, and documentation.
• Write down questions as they come up, with “why” questions treated as the most important ones.
• Ask how you can help each person be more successful, then repeat the process with people on other teams when they are relevant.
• Define clear and achievable goals for the first 90 days with the manager and immediate team, and review progress regularly.
• Balance networking, learning, and tangible contributions in those goals.
• Look for early wins during onboarding, such as improving documentation, adding automation, fixing low-priority tech debt, making a small UX improvement, or optimizing a slow process.
• Stay open to constructive criticism and actively ask for feedback.
• Use the company’s products as a customer to understand customer problems, product benefits, and possible improvements.
• Learn the company’s products, market position, and strategic objectives so technical work is better aligned with business goals.
• If there is no formal onboarding process, create a plan and ask the manager for time to carry it out.
• Take initiative and ownership early, without overstepping what was already planned.