We currently have 6 months for onboarding. This helps you, as our new colleague, get used to the different environment, the company’s priorities and ways of working.
What requirements we signal before hiring
The self-assessment contains all the elements we try to foster. It shows 4 main areas:
- CPU programming & algorithms
- GPU programming & performance oriented programming
- Problem solving
- Collaboration, planning & prioritization
Each of these, and some personal skills, we discuss, improve and measure. Six months is never enough to improve on everything, but it is enough to focus on the items where most need to be done. It’s certainly enough time to understand what quality means and how to get there.
It’s easy to get confused about quality. Quality might mean deluxness, fanciness, expensiveness. That’s not what quality means. Quality means meeting spec. Keeping the promise. Doing exactly what you said you would do. It is measured in consistency.
Seth Godin
First week(s)
Getting started means you get everything on your desk at once. Best to have a checklist:
- Creation of accounts
- Ask questions you might have to your buddy.
- Introduction to others via chat
- Learning the basics of the development and collaboration environments
- Implement a time management system
- Get necessary hardware, including noise-canceling headphones.
- Make technical contributions from the first day, as this provides:
- Measurable contributions
- Time management
Months 1-6
With a learning-plan we try to get you to a certain target-level in all 4 areas. We have defined 20 levels, where each 5 levels you go from beginner to junior to medior to senior. It depends on the person how quick this goes.
- Trainings:
- Problem-solving
- Gitlab, Mattermost and other services
- GPU and CPU coding
- Special focus subjects according to the learning-plan
- Self-study
- Weekly check-ins with HR:
- Reflections
- Planning
- Time management
- Obstacles
- Learning plan
- Daily reflection exercises (journaling)
- Learn by doing:
- Do isolated non-customer projects
- Work on customer-projects
- Give and receive code-reviews
- Discuss approaches with colleagues
In both week 3 and week 11 there is a discussion on continuation. We don’t expect the answer is no, but we always have these discussions. We found that clear communication on yes/maybe/no gives an ease of mind, as expectations and goals are synchronized and on the table.
Post-onboarding
The time after onboarding still has the same learning-focused progress, but with less help from outside. You should know your colleagues well enough, to find ways to get to your goals.
