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Øredev: All Aboard! Getting everyone in the same boat when hiring bootcamp graduates & non-traditional developers

Liz Rush
November 11, 2016

Øredev: All Aboard! Getting everyone in the same boat when hiring bootcamp graduates & non-traditional developers

You're sold on non-traditional developers but now that you've hired someone, how do you ensure that these novice software engineers are productive, happy team memebers without wasting time or talent? With experiences pulled from managers of non-traditional developers as well as the bootcamp grads themselves, you'll leave this session with a deeper understanding of the challenges and risks of onboarding bootcamp graduates. We'll also go over strategies for managers, lead developers, & mentors on how to cultivate your new hire and grow a culture that ensures everyone on the team thrives.

This talk will cover:
- Beyond Day One: The basics of on boarding
- Structure & Guidance: How to guide your new developer into being a self-sufficient contributor
- Mentoring: For all the skills not taught at the bootcamp
- Team Dynamics & Culture: Ensuring that the team provides a healthy, welcoming environment in which the new developer can succeed

Liz Rush

November 11, 2016
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Transcript

  1. Getting Everyone in the Same Boat When Hiring Bootcamp Grads

    & Non-Traditional Developers All Aboard! @lizmrush
  2. Bootcamp grads are not: • Homogenous as a group •

    A last resort when you can’t hire at the skill level you need • Quick fixes to headcount • A solution to your diversity problem
  3. “We are defined by what we make the time to

    do, not by what we do when we have time” Kate Matsudaira software development leader; author of books & blog about technical leadership
  4. Check in early & often Always communicate a change of

    pace As time goes on, check-ins will be less frequent
  5. Make skills like communication, empathy & effective conflict resolution a

    team priority Practice active listening & ask questions Take culture concerns seriously
  6. What can you do as a teammate to help support

    new hires? • Commiserate • Help make connections with others • Offer to pair program or teach a skill or technology • Share your similar experiences • Explain how you got to where you are
  7. Types of mentoring: • • Technical (code) • Company (culture,

    bureaucracy, teams & projects) • Career (advancement, soft skills)
  8. Impostor Syndrome: tackle it together teach them that they are

    not their code clearly define knowledge expectations share experiences of your own remind them that it takes time
  9. Strong engineers are comfortable working with risk and uncertainty. Bootcamp

    grads will be uncomfortable, to start. Let them know this is OK.
  10. • Time estimation • Working with others in code •

    When and what NOT to build Specific skills they should learn:
  11. Separate out your feedback: Focus one type of feedback at

    a time! Big picture code design Familiarity with the codebase Nitpicking & code style Teamwork & collaboration Tools & workflow
  12. Deal with poor performers early If they are not ready

    to tackle FT dev work, they need to know Transition them to a team where they can build up skills Let them go with information on what to improve & learn OR
  13. Give them opportunities to see their growth • Independently work

    on full features • Touch their own old code • Have them help any newer hires
  14. Review company policies that may prevent a bootcamp grad from

    advancing their career in your company
  15. Further resources on Team Culture: • The No Asshole Rule:

    Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t - Robert I. Sutton • Toxic Workplace!: Managing Toxic Personalities and Their Systems of Power -Mitchell Kusy, Elizabeth Holloway • katemats.com, askamanager.org Further info on Mentoring: • Why Men Still Get More Promotions Than Women -Harvard Business Review