Writing test cases is impactful. It helps to bring you up to speed and learn about the codebase and structure. I always have new engineers focus on unit tests and improving quality of tests based on any missed edge cases they may come across. Then slowly start tackling some features. 

Chief Technology Officer @ UrgentIQ

Michael Lu

You can find most of the levels posted and salaries listed on <https://www.levels.fyi/> based on the big tech company you are looking for. As for responsibilities and skills, there's some good examples listed here - <https://www.levels.fyi/blog/swe-level-framework.html>. There are different levels based on the company you are looking for.

Director of Software Engineering at Sakara Life

I find it helpful when engineers keep track of their goals and aligning them to company/engineering core values. Some companies have leadership principles and aligning them into those buckets based on the goals you accomplished throughout the year. Here's some examples I ask my direct reports to keep track of.

- Create a comprehensive document such as "2024 Accomplishments" to systematically record every achievement throughout the year.
- Document each accomplishment with the corresponding date, emphasizing the impact for each and include even small wins.
- Attempt to quantify the impact of achievements, such as "automating X process," which resulted in a four-week reduction in manual workload for engineers or product team members.
- Collect feedback from peers, colleagues, and product managers, focusing on the value and impact you have contributed.
- Build a closer relationship with your manager to ask for feedback as much as possible
- If there's a provided engineering leveling guide, see how your accomplishments align with the next level (Sr. Software Engineer) description. If there isn't one, you can just check job postings on your company's website for the senior role or ask your manager about the job description.