New E5 MLE at Meta -- How Do I Set Myself Up for Success?

I am an ML Engineer with 6 years of experience at a mid-sized company, and I recently received an E5 MLE offer at Meta. I’ll be joining one of Meta’s recommendation systems teams, but my prior experience has been in a different ML field.

I’ve seen a lot of negative posts about Meta’s fast-paced and ruthless work culture on online forums, so I’d like to learn from other Metamates about what I can do to set myself up for success as an E5 MLE at Meta. Here are a few things I’ve planned so far:

Before joining Meta

1. Go through Taro’s onboarding materials -- this onboarding course, onboarding playlist, this course, etc

2. Reach out to my Meta manager before my start date to understand the tech stack and projects planned for H2.

3. Ask my Meta manager or technical lead for any recommended external resources, such as books or online tutorials, that I should review before joining the team.

4. Read published research and blog posts about the recommendation platform I’ll be working on.

After joining Meta

1. Discuss expectations and the performance rubric with my manager, and start working toward these goals from day one.

2. Set up 1:1s with teammates and other cross-functional partners during my first 2–3 weeks.

3. Find mentors at Meta - both within my team and outside of it.

4. Volunteer for smaller tasks early on to build trust and learn the stack in low-risk contexts.

I’m also especially interested in any Meta-specific advice on:

1. Navigating calibration and performance review cycles to avoid surprises.
2. Identifying “impactful” work that matters at the E5 level.
3. Writing impact-oriented project updates that align with Meta’s culture.

In addition to what I’ve shared above, I’d really appreciate any tips, lessons learned, or suggestions for a successful onboarding and career at Meta as an E5 MLE!