Pre & Onboarding Insights
I had to read around 9 PDF-documents. Nobody can digest this amount of information the first day.
—Kike Bodi, Software Development Consultant at EBP Consulting ApS.
Onboarding Software Developers
Kike shares how to onboard developers to make an impact
Efficiently Onboard New Developers
Onboarding is a process that requires time, care and consideration from employers, especially when it comes to onboarding newly hired developers. Based on Gaurav G. Sharma and Klaas-Jan Stol’s research, they found that there was a direct correlation to the developer’s onboarding experience and their willingness to stay longer in the company.
Therefore, the main goal for every developer’s onboarding is to ensure that developers has the knowledge, the skills and the tools to be proficient in their new role and become productive as quickly as possible. This involves human aspects such as feeling safe, secure and valued in their new workplace.
Kike Bodi, a software developer specialising on Android applications, shares his onboarding experiences, both when working for a big organisation and a startup. Though the onboarding process depends on the size of the company, it still is important to have one that is structured and standardised.
ONBOARDING INSIGHTS
Ensure that developers are satisfied in their job as this is a strong predictor of an intention to leave.
—Gaurav G. Sharma and Klaas-Jan Stol, Researchers.
Impacts of a Structured Onboarding
“As a developer, the workflows are pretty standard and I usually get the tasks from a project management tool, so getting my job done is never a problem. The trouble is when you have to do something out of this development workflow, and this is where onboarding could really make a big impact for us developers starting in a new company.
This includes all practical stuff like how to set up a meeting or book a meeting room, how to make the presentation, where to send and save documents and so on. Sometimes I would need some extra help, let’s say, I need to reach out to some people, but you don’t know who you have to reach and how.”
There is always a strong focus on training and product and project understanding when it comes to onboarding software developers. However, social onboarding must also be considered. There are multiple social benefits of a good onboarding programme, it fosters a sense of belonging, as well as trust. It also makes you feel more open to asking questions, become more participative and achieve higher job satisfaction.
Here you can easily access the developer onboarding template, a tool we have created for you to guide you on how to structure your new hire journey as a software developer.
Impacts of a Structured Onboarding
“As a developer, the workflows are pretty standard and I usually get the tasks from a project management tool, so getting my job done is never a problem. The trouble is when you have to do something out of this development workflow, and this is where onboarding could really make a big impact for us developers starting in a new company.
This includes all practical stuff like how to set up a meeting or book a meeting room, how to make the presentation, where to send and save documents and so on. Sometimes I would need some extra help, let’s say, I need to reach out to some people, but you don’t know who you have to reach and how.”
There is always a strong focus on training and product and project understanding when it comes to onboarding software developers. However, social onboarding must also be considered. There are multiple social benefits of a good onboarding programme, it fosters a sense of belonging, as well as trust. It also makes you feel more open to asking questions, become more participative and achieve higher job satisfaction.
A developer onboarding template is a tool we have created that would beneficial for you and your workplace in creating a structured new hire journey. You can easily access it below.
Developer Onboarding Insights
Having videos in my onboarding was very nice because it wasn’t so much reading. It was very engaging.
—Kike Bodi, Software Development Consultant at EBP Consulting ApS.
Developer Onboarding Insights
Having videos in my onboarding was very nice because it wasn’t so much reading. It was very engaging.
—Kike Bodi, Software Development Consultant at EBP Consulting ApS.
Multimedia Content in Pre & Onboarding
“In the last company I worked at, they had a pretty nice onboarding. They had a few videos, and then at the end of these videos, there were follow up questions that really enforces the main points that they wanted us to focus on, it was very engaging. You really get an idea about the company culture, how they work, the tone that we should talk to each other and more.
Usually, I’m the only developer in the companies I work at. So basically, I don’t need onboarding because I have to create everything from scratch and then implement it. But there are also companies where I worked wherein I wasn’t the only developer. However, there wasn’t really any onboarding material. It was just the most important information, of course, depending in the industry that you are getting into.
For example, I once worked for pharma, so I needed to know the regulations. Before getting started, I had to read around nine PDF documents that involved a lot about technical information and acronyms, that sometimes, you don’t really understand. You just read it and mark the task as done. And then you get started. You get into a team that has already a repository of code that is already working.”
Developer Onboarding Insights
It’s the responsibility of the company that I get a nice onboarding experience.
—Kike Bodi, Software Development Consultant at EBP Consulting ApS.
Developer Onboarding Insights
It’s the responsibility of the company that I get a nice onboarding experience.
—Kike Bodi, Software Development Consultant at EBP Consulting ApS.
Added Benefits of Onboarding
Guidance to the Right Direction
“The companies that offered onboarding needed to do so because they are big companies with a lot of people. So the chances of you feeling a bit lost is a bigger. Because when you start with a big company, everyone is doing their own tasks and are busy. They usually don’t have much time to help you. With the onboarding, you avoid that. And it’s the responsibility of the company that I get a nice onboarding experience.”
Expanding Connections in the Workplace
“As long as you are working in a bigger organisation, employees have their own silos and, there are some that would be hard for you to reach out because they’re not from your department. On the times where I experienced onboarding in a big company, I had a much bigger connection in the workplace.
On cases that I don’t get one, what I do, is as soon as I get started, I just reach out to as much people as possible. If I have any doubts or questions that I think they could help with, I simply just reach out. I’m not always reaching out to the same person, so that way I’m also expanding my connections in the company and these people could also reach out to me when they need help.”
Building Relationships & Easier Integration to the Company
“My buddy also was a big part of my onboarding being successful because he was the source of all the information I needed, who to ask and so on. He helped in me building stronger relationships and getting involved not just with my team but with the rest of the company.
I actually think you should have a buddy permanently, at least for the first year. Of course you should not rely on your buddy too much and it’s good to look for your own resources, but it’s always nice, especially as a developer, to have someone you can ask. My buddy was like a path to get integrated into the team, he made it easier.”
Developer Onboarding Insights
I think you should have a buddy permanently, at least for the first year.
—Kike Bodi, Software Development Consultant at EBP Consulting ApS.
Developer Onboarding Insights
I think you should have a buddy permanently, at least for the first year.
—Kike Bodi, Software Development Consultant at EBP Consulting ApS.