Are You Folk Still Coding? In the fast-paced world of technology, the role of an engineering manager often shifts dramatically as one progresses in their career. For those of us in the industry, especially at large firms, the transition from hands-on coding to a more managerial and strategic role …
Continue ReadingHow to Get Up to Speed in a Complex Project with No Onboarding Joining a new company can be a daunting experience, especially when you’re thrown into the deep end of a large, complex project without any onboarding, demos, or clear documentation. Many developers find themselves in this exact …
Continue ReadingFollow Up: Internal Tools Team with Nothing to Do A while back, I wrote about how my team, dedicated to internal tools and developer experience, found ourselves in a perplexing situation: we had been left without any work to do for over three months. The Context As an internal tools/platform team, …
Continue ReadingScale Your Recruitment Agency With the recent influx of new members in the recruitment community, it’s the perfect time to share insights and strategies that can help you elevate your recruitment agency. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to expand your existing operations, the …
Continue ReadingNavigating the Challenge of an Extroverted, Meeting-Heavy Team Joining a new team can be a daunting experience, especially when the dynamics are vastly different from what you’re used to. In this post, we’ll explore the challenges faced by a software developer who found themselves in a team …
Continue ReadingWhat to Do About a Dead Weight on the Team? In the fast-paced world of software development, team dynamics can be as critical to project success as technical skills. However, when a team member fails to pull their weight, it can create significant challenges. Recently, I encountered a situation that …
Continue Reading(Mobile) Feature vs Platform Team: Navigating Your Career Path Hey everyone, Recently, I’ve found myself at a crossroads in my career: the opportunity has arisen to switch from my current role on a feature team to a position on my company’s (native) mobile platform team, which focuses on …
Continue ReadingAbout 4 Months into the Google Team Matching: Should I Let It Go? It’s been an intense journey since mid-January when I received the long-awaited confirmation that I had successfully passed the onsite interviews at Google. After months of preparation, stress, and excitement, I felt a rush of …
Continue ReadingDefining Personal Goals in a Transitioning Company Navigating the complexities of personal and professional growth within a large organization can be a challenging endeavor, especially when the company undergoes a significant shift in leadership and focus. I’ve recently found myself in a …
Continue ReadingEMs, How Do You Evaluate the Performance of a Developer If You Only Have Stats for Tickets Completed? As engineering managers (EMs), we often face the challenge of evaluating the performance of our developers. In a kanban setup where teams operate independently and the focus is on flow rather than …
Continue ReadingHow Do I Hire Someone Who’s Super Responsible and Conscientious? Hiring the right talent is a daunting challenge, especially when you’re looking for specific personality traits like responsibility and conscientiousness. As someone who’s about to hire a direct report, you might feel …
Continue ReadingNavigating Challenges with Incompetent Testers: A Developer’s Dilemma In the ever-evolving landscape of software development, collaboration between developers and testers is paramount. However, there are times when this collaboration can become fraught with tension, particularly when the …
Continue ReadingLet’s Hear Your Worst Stories on Micromanagement As we navigate the complexities of modern work environments, especially in remote settings, the issue of micromanagement remains a prevalent challenge. According to an Asana report, a staggering 41% of workers believe that their …
Continue ReadingNavigating Team Match at Google: A Journey of Patience and Strategy Hello, Reddit community! If you’re reading this, you might be in a similar boat as I am, trying to navigate the challenging waters of team matching at Google. I wanted to share my experience and seek advice on how to move …
Continue ReadingSudden Loss of Trust in Boss: Next Steps? Navigating workplace dynamics can be challenging, especially when trust is shaken. A recent post by a professional experiencing a sudden loss of trust in their manager highlights several core issues that many can relate to in the tech industry. Below, we’ll …
Continue Reading