The first three months of joining a new company are the most difficult. You need to re-adapt to many things, such as the new environment, new colleagues, new business, new work process, etc. If you are a fresh graduate entering the workplace, If you want to adapt yourself as soon as possible, you should be fully prepared, which will make you more calm. The following are some common questions we have sorted out, hoping to help you.
1. Get to know the new company
Learn as much as possible about the new company you are going to, including company history, management, organizational structure, corporate culture, product service, user reputation, industry status, competitors, etc. Adapt to this company, because many of the company's various decisions or working methods are closely related to this.
2. Onboarding checklist
Generally speaking, in the first week of employment, you will need to complete many actions, such as making requests to obtain various permissions. You need to track the progress of each operation.
Open various accounts and join various groups. It is highly recommended that you create a to-do list to track the progress of each item so that you don't get overwhelmed.
3. Prepare tools and materials
Download the required software and materials in advance, so that you can quickly complete the preparation work on your work computer. Organize your browser bookmarks and import your frequently used historical data and tools, which will not only make your getting started process smoother, but also allow you to solve problems faster.
For example:
Website links (Dev, QA, UAT, Prod) and subfolders for current and previous versions of the software.
Source control links, containing subfolders for specific projects and versions.
Links to current and previous sprint boards.
Continuous integration and deployment links.
API endpoint links, such as Swagger.
Server link and description to help identify its purpose (where appropriate), e.g. "XYZ123 — Team 1 UAT"
Links to check the health of websites, API endpoints, and message queue endpoints.
Helpdesk links to check for known production issues, and links to documentation on how to transfer phone/other helpdesk rotation agreements.
Utility site, eg in JSON format (check with your company which content is approved for use).
Links to team wiki documentation, and specific links to frequently referenced pages such as "Steps to Deploy XYZ".
Human resources link for registration of leave and sickness and expense reimbursement.
Links to office-related tasks, like checking which hot-desking seat you should be sitting in today, or how to book a conference room. Also, be sure to bookmark the after hours contact list and put the team's mobile number in your phone.
Over time, you should also consider adding:
Links to previous pull requests that can help you with similar tasks, such as adding new Angular routes and unit testing them. Ideally this should be placed in the team wiki for team use, so please consider talking to your team about adding a page for this.
Links to help with code or IDE issues, such as Stackoverflow comments on how to resolve specific build errors.
Links to any database query software, as well as common SQL queries.
Links to IDE shortcuts—especially the top 10 most-used shortcuts—will help you code more efficiently.
Some teams also use software such as Postman to save common queries against the API. If a shared API workspace does not exist (as named in Postman), one should be created to avoid any frustration when smoke testing the API.
4. Technical preparation
Understand the technology stack used by the company, and master the development skills required by the corresponding position, including but not limited to the development language used, the construction of the development environment, development tools, etc.;
Understand and experience in detail the corresponding business form of the subsequent product. If it is an app or website development, it is best to be able to output a detailed experience report based on it. This will not only help you quickly enter the state in the future, but also allow you More input when communicating;
Set your own one-month or three-month goals. Generally, companies will have such requirements in order to allow you to integrate quickly. You can prepare in advance and prepare, so that you will not be in a hurry when the time comes. Communicate with the supervisor about the focus modification, which will help you quickly adapt to the new job;
5. Understand the company framework and read more codes
Generally speaking, each company will have its own packaged framework. You need to be familiar with the company's code, understand the essence of the framework, and roughly know some of the company's business processes. You should try to understand the business logic well. Proactively schedule time to demo software with different people. While every company has training (or should), you are also responsible for your own learning.
You can try asking yourself the following questions:
What are the functions of the different parts of your application?
What permissions do you need to view certain pages and perform certain tasks?
Where are the administrative parts of the application, such as the ones used to perform cache cleaning.
Which scheduled tasks and services run and when?
What happens when a workflow fails - can it be re-run? If so, how to rerun it?
Is there any significant calculation going on, and if so, do I understand how a change in one number affects the other?
Are you hearing unfamiliar business words or acronyms? If so, jot these down somewhere and ask a colleague to explain what they mean early on.
What is the structure of the saved data?
Where is the data in the table reflected on your website?
Examine the configuration files and take a closer look at how to set them up for your specific environment.
Check classes and methods for any commonly used calls (or properties), such as calls to verify that a user can access a resource.
Check out the conventions on how to properly document your code. Review the required steps before making a pull request for code changes and document them in the team wiki (if not already documented there).
Take note of any code/unit test built-in classes and take tutorials in these areas to make your life easier, e.g. Java Streams.
What is the link to the helpdesk wiki where I can search for how to deal with issues?
Do I know enough about the workflow to diagnose which two points are failing?
6. Prepare a personal self-introduction
When you go to a new environment, the first step is definitely to get to know people. A good self-introduction can allow you to quickly integrate into the team and deepen your impression in other people's minds; and when you encounter problems, you can find someone who can help.
7. Adjust your mentality
Going to a new environment will definitely take some time to get used to. If you encounter some unavoidable troubles, communicate more actively, treat people with sincerity, and treat them with a positive attitude.