First 100 days for a developer

It pays to get started on the right foot

A new job. How exciting!

Learning new things. Meeting new people.

Although we need to start things out right.

If you don’t do these in your first 100 days it could be disastrous.

Gratitude

Nothing is a bigger turn-off than entitlement. I once worked for a company that had the team take the new employee out to lunch on the first day.

As we sat down for lunch the new employee started complaining.

Wow! I thought to myself. This is how you want to start. The team was taken aback.

She was setting a bad impression on the team. The sad part about this is she was let go a few months later. It was not a good fit.

When you start something new begin with gratitude. Entitlement is never a helpful emotion.

Clarify

Start out on the right foot. Find clear expectations with your new leader. How do they expect work to be completed?

Are there team agreements? Are they followed? These can help you understand how the team works. Or perhaps doesn’t work.

Use the newbie card. Ask a lot of questions. See who is willing to share. Others may be annoyed. That is important to know.

Tech

Developers may want to start here. We need to have the previous two in place. Then we can clear this up.

What is the technical stack? You should know most of this from the interview. Although you have missed something.

Do I need to study something? For instance, I have a long history with Java development. In my current role, I needed to learn AWS and Vue.js.

With this in mind, I created a learning plan to brush up on these. I wrote about my learning for AWS here.

Connect

Get to know your teammates. Learn their names. Ask where they are from. Understand their strengths.

Each of us tends to specialize. Keep this in mind. This will come in handy as you run into challenges.

A great way to connect is to Pair or Mob. You get to know your teammates. They can share their knowledge.

Plus you will learn some new techniques. They may use a tool you have never used. Learning is always good for your career.

Feedback

Seek feedback. Similar to the earlier point on clarifying. This is focused on you.

How am I doing? What should I be doing that I am not? A few questions to consider.

We all have blind spots. See what others say. Remember you can take it or leave it.

Fit

Lastly, we want to ensure this is a good fit. Do you feel your work is good for you? There are many factors.

If things aren’t a good fit that is not the end of the world. First, determine where things are out of alignment. Next, have discussions with your leader and team.

This doesn’t mean you have to leave. You just started this new job. Take time to make things right.

It may be as little as changing some responsibilities. Or having an in-depth conversation with the team.

For instance, if one person works long hours that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to. Be firm from the start.

On the whole, we want to start off right. Have open conversations. Understand what is expected technically and from the team.

Become part of the team. Prompt others for feedback. Make sure it works for you. Then you are off to good things.