Lessons Learned on Onboarding Better
With my first six months in a new role complete and my second role at Meta, I reflect on what I learned — from mistakes, wins, and in-betweens — on how to onboard well.
TL;DR Interdependence is the foundation of success at most companies, Successful onboarding requires a willingness to seek help from others, patience, clarity of expectations and a sprinkling of growth mindset.
After starting many new roles in my career, I found there is a pattern to those who have great onboarding journeys. The takeaways below are based on things I did well and things I would have done differently.
Shadow Peers + Colleagues
Although shadowing might’ve been easier if we were all in person together, let’s face it, we’re a global economy and oftentimes colleagues aren’t sitting next to us anyways. When I prioritized time to be the virtual ‘fly-on-the-wall’, I gained so much knowledge about what my role actually does, how to behave, who to interact with, and questions my role may ask other colleagues. I even noticed things I wouldn’t want to emulate.
Be Patient
A common phrase said to new hires at Meta is, “give yourself time to learn”. Never truly adopting this phrase, I honestly thought, “sure I’ll give myself time, but it’ll be the fastest time you’ve ever seen!” In an effort to perform quickly I skipped vital learning opportunities, prioritizing ‘perfecting’ over ‘learning’. This attitude also contributed to imposter syndrome when I inevitably didn’t meet my unreasonable expectations. Meta is a complex company that takes a long time to learn. Even those who have been here for years will admit that they are still learning our complexities. Trust the learning process.
Take Small Bites of Reading, Don’t Swallow the Whole Elephant
Speaking of patience, the amount of reading, watching and digesting of content given to new hires at Meta is vast as I am sure it is at most companies. I cannot recall all I read in the beginning, especially because there was no way to contextualize it. Instead of reading everything for understanding, I skimmed it and made metal bookmarks to come back when I needed it. I also asked my peers and managers for materials and experiences that were helpful to them and sought those first.
Set Timelines + Metrics for Onboarding
Establishing key results with timelines gave me more power to succeed. My first manager helped model this well. He told me from the start, “in three months I expect you to be owning 70% of all tasks”, “in six months I expect you to be operating at full capacity in the role”. This clarity of expectations supported my performance. I either owned 70% of tasks in 3 months or I didn’t. I was able to speak to these goals on my performance and proudly say I owned 90% of all tasks in three months — I was able to even exceed his expectations. If your manager doesn’t give this to you, even better! You set the timelines and work with your manager to contextualize them.
Prioritize Social Interactions
Meta is a social networking company. It is ubiquitous to our culture to connect. When I first started, I felt pressure to prove my worthiness and expertise. I am embarrassed to think of all the ‘coffee chats’ where I tried to sell my credentials right away. Take the balanced approach. Be willing to share who you are, what you like to do and also what you can do for others. Even if you don’t work for a social media company, you still work for humans. Prioritize humanity first and you will be surprised how much it helps you later.
Reflect and advocate for your development
I singularly looked to my managers and peers to tell me what I needed to succeed. This is and was a mistake. However caring your team is, and mine is, they cannot interpret your exact needs. Actually, neither can you if you don’t take time to stop and identify them. The best thing I did was scheduling time each week to answer the following questions: (1) What did I do well this week? (2) Where am I struggling? (3) Where do I want to be next week? After reflecting, I would bring my needs to my manager and we would work on my development, together.
No such thing as too much feedback
I made it a goal to incorporate feedback into every 1:1. That did not mean I asked, “what feedback do you have for me?”. Actually, please don’t ask that. I asked questions that mirrored my areas of focus and kept them specific. Phrases that help me where: “I am working on developing my XFN relationships, how did I support building trust in that meeting together?” or “what would you have done differently in presenting that information to our team?” Specificity is key!
Raise your hand and try early
I have seen many peers wait to take on tasks or extra opportunities until they feel comfortable in their role. There are two things wrong with this mindset: (1) you actually will never feel comfortable in your role if you are growing (the world changes too much!), and (2) you never are working alone (assuming you’re not working for yourself). Taking on challenging tasks early on helped me learn the organization and my role faster. I met peers and colleagues who helped contextualize my role and taught me the culture and ways of working at Meta. When I didn’t know something, I asked for help and recruited teammates to take on the challenge with me, allowing myself and others to succeed together. Win-win if you ask me.
Onboarding in a new role is tough no matter where you work. However, I have found incredible support and kindness from my colleagues here at Meta. No one has ever rejected my cries for help or support — not as a new hire or as I have gained tenure. If you want to find success as you onboard, turn to the people around you. It’s those same people who make you and a company successful.
What about you? What lessons learned can you share about onboarding successfully?
