Senior Staff Engineer (L7) Describes Most Important Skill - Rahul Malik

Rahul is a Senior Staff Engineer at Meta.

- **Most important skill**: dealing with ambiguity and working through others. Senior Staff Engineers operate in a broad space, so they have to be independent enough to make impact without a specific problem.
- **Advice**: figure out how decisions are made. Who makes the decisions, and what is the underlying value system?

Here's the full playlist asking engineers what the most important skill is for their level: [Asking 7 Levels Of Engineers The Most Important Skill](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/J9Io5lDGaYUpI8vGrUyI/)

Helpful links:
- [SWE2 --> Principal Eng in 4 years](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/Lvf1TDKt1R4ZJSCr9BVv/rockstar-software-engineer-story-sw2-greater-principal-in-just-4-years/)
- Taro's top 10 to get promoted from [senior to staff engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/YD8LMCSlE71VUGUbNAWM/)
- [David Pan on what makes a great tech lead](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/uHqZZ15SK19MatEvLSO6/what-makes-a-truly-great-tech-lead-a-vp-of-engineerings-perspective/)
- [Rahul on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahulbmalik/)

Do This To Get Maximum Value From Your Manager 1 on 1s

The manager 1 on 1 meeting is arguably the most sacred and high-leverage time you have in your career. Make sure you don't waste it by stumbling in with 0 preparation.

Here are the core points from the video:
- **Come in with a plan** - In your running meeting notes doc, write down the agenda beforehand with discussion points ordered by priority. Not only does this make your meeting more effective, it improves the perception of you from your manager's eyes as it shows that you're being more respectful of their time and you're more serious about your own growth and productivity.
- **Alert your manager of the plan 24+ hours beforehand** - This allows them to "pre-compute" the best responses to your meeting topics, so they don't get caught like a deer in the headlights with the trickier ones. It also makes it harder for your manager to cancel, especially when you have deeper, more important topics on the agenda.

Related resources:
- [[Taro Top 10] Software Engineer To Engineering Manager (IC -> M Track)](https://www.jointaro.com/playlist/oz0mnJvHHgM8NfVF7rgp/)
- [[Masterclass] What Software Engineers Should Look For In Their Engineering Manager](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/oeY7ncZhzJ5NO6dij5e7/masterclass-what-software-engineers-should-look-for-in-their-engineering-manager/)

System Design Series: Taro Playlists [Part 5] - Data Model

You can [find the full system design doc here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/15WaM8Ojan82g0m2mtz6kC2Hiyj0Q6VbjfqRmVNDI3qw/edit?usp=sharing) - Feel free to use it as a template for when you're designing systems at your job!

The concrete details are covered in the doc linked above, so this summary will focus on the "meta" context behind this part and additional commentary:

- Always define the data model if applicable. It is the "core operating unit" of your system - Everything revolves around it. That's pretty much what CRUD is: You have some data model and the entire ecosystem revolves around manipulating it properly.
- Define the table/collection(s):
  - What is its name?
  - What does it represent? If you can include a visual aide on how it's actually rendered for the user, that makes things a lot clearer.
- Define the fields on your model:
  - What is its name/key?
  - What is its type?
  - Is it required?
  - What does it represent? This should include information on what kind of key it is (e.g. primary key) if applicable.
- Illustrate the model to make it really clear. JSON is really good at doing this as it's very readable. There are many free incredible JSON formatters online (Alex used them all the time to make project specs).

The Key To Avoiding The Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)

Getting hit with a performance improvement plan (otherwise known as a "PIP") is one of the worst things that can happen to you as a software engineer. This makes avoiding a performance improvement plan one of the most important things for you to do, especially in the currently layoff-rich economy.

Here's the core points from the video.

- Your performance review rating should never be a surprise: Regularly check in with your manager to figure out how you're trending to avoid the dreaded PIP.
- On top of asking for constructive feedback regularly, you shouldn't be afraid to ask every 2-3 months if you're on track to get the rating you want once the formal performance review happens. The clearest way this manifests is a hypothetical rating: *"Would you give me at least a \[Meets Expectations\] for my performance so far?"* This is the most powerful way you can stay in sync with your manager.
- Make it clear with your manager that you'll take any hypothetical rating with a grain of salt, so they're more comfortable giving it to you. If you're brave enough, you can even ask them to err towards the lower-end so you don't overset expectations.
- Keep your eye on the ball: Keep referencing the expectations plan you made at the beginning of the cycle and evolving it as necessary.
- Turn it up at the later end of the cycle. Humans have bad memory: It's unfair, but recency bias is huge. Try to land your bigger wins just a few weeks or months before the formal performance review process starts.

Related resources:

- ["What's the difference between a low performer software engineer and a high performer?"](https://link.jointaro.com/QHkWNXoJV5Y9VYvH9)
- ["How do I help my manager (who is also my mentor) be a better manager and mentor?"](https://link.jointaro.com/eG5c6usaJNY9wopP8)

An Often Forgotten Part Of Tech Pay - Don’t Mess Up Your Taxes!

This video segment offers **critical tax advice for high-earning employees in big tech**, particularly in the U.S. It emphasizes the importance of understanding how taxes work with equity compensation to avoid severe financial consequences.

- **Set your withholding percentage close to your actual effective tax rate**, which for many tech workers is around 30%. This helps avoid massive surprise tax bills—sometimes exceeding $100K—during tax season.
- **RSUs (Restricted Stock Units) are taxed as income when they vest**, not when they’re sold. If the stock value drops after vesting, you’re still taxed at the higher initial value, creating a potential mismatch between tax owed and actual value retained.
- **Default withholding settings are often too low**, especially on platforms like E\*TRADE (commonly set at 22%). If not adjusted, this can lead to underpayment and steep penalties later.
- **If RSUs lose value and you’ve under-withheld**, you may be forced to sell more shares than expected just to cover your tax liability.
- **Some intentionally under-withhold to invest the difference**, but this is risky and should only be done with a clear financial strategy in mind.

20 Years Of Fighting Procrastination [Part 13] - Your Phone Is A Menace

Your phone can be both a powerful tool and a massive productivity killer—how you manage it makes all the difference. Here are the core points from the lesson:

- To prevent unconscious distractions, keep your phone physically out of reach during deep work and turn off nearly all notifications by default
- Replace passive phone checking with active forecasting—mentally plan what you’ll do next based on the outcome of a task to stay engaged
- Use batching strategies (e.g. scheduled email checks) to reduce context switching and maintain focus
- Aim to move up the PEM framework: from Pleasure (mindless scrolling) → Engagement (being immersed in your craft) → Meaning (working toward a long-term purpose)

How To Build A Strong Manager Relationship (From An Ex-Amazon VP)

The relationship you have with your manager is the most important one in your professional life. So why do so many tech workers **make obvious mistakes** when dealing with their manager?

In this session, Ethan will share strategies and tips to:

1. Build trust with your manager, even if you've had challenges in the past
2. Drive your professional development and earn investment
3. Navigate difficult conversations and manage up effectively.

[**Ethan Evans**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanevansvp/) managed teams of 800+ while a Vice President (VP) at Amazon. Across 15 years, he grew from manager to Vice President, providing executive leadership for multiple $500M+ businesses. In that process, he's managed hundreds of people directly across dozens of changes in his own management chain.

Ethan is now a career development expert and teacher. Watch his course about layoffs on Taro: [**Make The Most Of A Layoff: Maximize Your Severance Package**](https://www.jointaro.com/course/maximizing-a-severance-package/)

Learn more:

- Watch the [**interview series with Ethan about eng management on YouTube**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8McoEVUiYQ&list=PLMrAfqhZjqfIkD-0p0tJ_zqvPnBdYsixT&index=4).
- Ethan's live cohort-based course "Stuck at Senior Manager" is open for enrollment now: [**https://maven.com/ethan-evans/break-through-to-executive**](https://maven.com/ethan-evans/break-through-to-executive)
- Taro members get a discount to join [**Ethan's Level Up community**](https://levelupwithethanevans.substack.com/taro25)

Come Up With 500k+ User Project Ideas [Part 18] - Go Deeper: Follow Through

Join Alex for Group Office Hours (check the bottom right): <https://www.jointaro.com/p/alex-chiou/>

Share your side project idea in the Taro forum: <https://www.jointaro.com/questions/create/>

Community member made summary of the course: [Side Project Ideas - Summary Doc](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/tech-career-growth.appspot.com/o/courses%2Fgeneral_resources%2F%5BSUMMARY%5D%20Side%20Projects%20-%20Coming%20Up%20With%20An%20Idea.pdf?alt=media&token=d7a9aa4e-c02d-4663-ac91-a09547428fe2)

Related courses:

- [Level Up Your Code Quality As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/course/level-up-your-code-quality-as-a-software-engineer/)
- [Get More Interviews: Write A Stellar Resume As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/course/get-more-interviews-write-a-stellar-resume-as-a-software-engineer/)

Master The DSA Interview [Part 6] - Why Does FAANG Do This?

If data structures and algorithms aren't actually used on the job, why do Big Tech companies use these problems as a cornerstone of their interview process? This lesson teaches you:

- Why Big Tech isn't just being evil and stupid when they use data structures and algorithms problems on their interviews
- How data structures and algorithms problems can have a surprising amount of depth
- What most engineers don't understand when it comes to how FAANG rejects candidates
- How Google and Meta in particular differ from almost all other companies when it comes to hiring, which affects how their interview processes work

If you're interested in working at early-stage startups that don't ask LeetCode problems: ["How to find and connect with scrappy startups?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/9jFuRj3UymeHsaKIzXia/how-to-find-and-connect-with-scrappy-startups/)

Maximize Your Productivity As A Software Engineer [Part 8] - Touch Grass

Let's be real: Most software engineers are out of shape. While this isn't too bad early on, things quickly get worse. This lesson teaches you:

- How to get into exercising as easily as possible
- The many benefits of regular exercise
- A way to hack your brain to make yourself more likely to exercise

Write A Stellar Resume As A Software Engineer [Part 2] - Why You NEED A Killer Resume

As a software engineer, there are a million different things you can do. Choosing the right things to work on from engineer to engineer, but the good news is that having a great resume is one of those right things for every engineer. This lesson teaches you:

- Why optimizing your resume is one of the highest return on investments you can possibly do
- Understanding the overall job search funnel and how a good resume fits within it

Grow From Mid-Level To Senior Engineer [Part 20] - Mentorship

Mentorship is one of the most skills to master as a software engineer, especially at senior levels. It is both a way for you to do some good and scale yourself. This lesson teaches you: 

- The difference between passive and active mentorship
- Ways to provide passive mentorship to teammates
- Why you should consider taking on an intern as a mid-level engineer growing to senior
- The jump in quality when it comes to mentorship advice given by a mid-level engineer vs. a senior engineer
- The key thing to remember when being an effective mentor

To learn how Alex was such an effective mentor: [\[Case Study\] Mentoring Junior SWEs \[E3\] to Senior \[E5\] In Just 2.5 Years At Meta](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/EX9563YnxcJb62cCmetg/case-study-mentoring-junior-swes-e3-to-senior-e5-in-just-25-years-at-meta/)

Negotiation Course: Helpful Phrases During Negotiations

The phrases covered here are applicable in various scenarios as you go through the interview process.

Negotiations require a deliberate choice of words, avoiding apologies, and showcasing your value beyond just compensation. By using these phrases, you can confidently navigate negotiations and achieve your desired outcomes.

> Interesting.

> Compensation is definitely important for me, but I care a lot about the people I work with and what I’m working on.
>
> I want to do my best work in a company that values me.

> *At this time, I’m more interested in understanding the company and people rather than the compensation.*

> *I’m sure we can work out the compensation if we think this is a mutual fit.*

> *I have a few other opportunities I’m in the process for, but if this is compelling enough I’m ready to commit.*

> That role wasn’t a great fit, so I’m exploring adjacent opportunities.

> My focus is to have tons of impact at the company and I want to take part in the success.

> This is a large decision and I want to commit fully to the job I end up choosing.
>
> I want to do right by the company I join and build the next part of my career there.

> *If you could send over the offer, I’d love to take a look in more detail.*

> *I’m chatting with my partner about the job stuff so I should be able to give you an update after that.*

How Rigid Should You Be With Your Coding / Content Schedule?

As a 17 year veteran of Amazon, Steve understands seasonality. Q4, the holiday season, is crunch time. There’s a huge pressure on Amazon employees to keep up with demand, and engineers will routinely spend long hours to ensure stability and quality.

The key to doing sustained creative work is to lean in and lean out of periods of intense work, at the right times. Amazon employees know that Q4 will end, and therefore, the crunchtime will end within a few months.

Similarly, for content creation or writing code, **it’s important to segment your schedule into chunks where you can create a deadline or “crunch time”.**

Another perspective is to think about quantity vs quality. For your side projects or content creation endeavors, it’s worth being rigid for a bit (“a commit everyday” or “a video every week”), but it’s also worth changing the routine after some time.

Burnout happens when people don’t see an end in sight from a stressful period. 

- [Learn about burnout](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/xsbM1ctL9HYa6d7E9ejh/the-silent-killer-of-too-many-software-engineer-careers-burnout/)
- [Avoid burnout](https://www.jointaro.com/question/CfPvvtIW02MxVwR1fnP4/how-can-i-avoid-burning-myself-out/)
- [3 Mistakes Engineers To Avoid (from an Eng Director)](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/lhj2batcsdMiEOSKOGLo/3-mistakes-too-many-software-engineers-make-from-a-director-at-airbnb/)

Connect with Steve: 
- [Taro](https://www.jointaro.com/profile/aZJL3ucq9dQnscO09F4JDRkgPo72/)
- [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@ALifeEngineered)

What Advice Do You Have For Women (And Allies) In Tech?

There are not enough women software engineers. Rachel talks about the importance of sponsorship for career advancement, being ok with discomfort, and using employee resource groups (ERGs) to find community + support.

For allies (those in positions of privilege), acknowledge contributions from women and call out their good work if it's not getting noticed. 

Rachel also discusses how to evaluate a company's priorities around diversity and inclusion.

For more wisdom from Rachel, [here's her Taro playlist](https://link.jointaro.com/Cm5rJk4RJTkWhhnq7).

"Why is Taro named Taro?" - 9/13/2022

- Here are the 3 main constraints we had on a name:
  - It should be short (4-8 characters).
  - There should be a good domain for it, ideally a ".com" website URL.
  - It should have positive associations.
- The reason it took 3 months to find a name for our product and company after we quit our jobs is because we spend the first 3 months thinking about what idea we wanted to do.
- "Tech Career Growth" is a wonderful name for our free community, but it's not a great product name as it's too long and too literal.
- We took ~3 weeks to decide on a name. Here was our process:
  - Come up with guiding principles for the name (covered above)
  - Brainstorm a bunch of names (100+)
  - Narrow it down to ~8 based on the above principles
  - Make a deck with the final candidates, weighing pros and cons
  - Have a couple rounds of discussion/debate to pick 1 name
- You can think of "Taro" as a similar play to "Apple". Doesn't really describe what the product is, but it's a food with positive associations and a short name.
- The logo is a "T" and has additional symbolism by looking like roads. Our goal with Taro is to help you **navigate** your career!

[Part 1] Meta Intern Success Series - Internship Program Overview

- The Meta software engineer internship program is very legit. It resembles the experience of working as a full-time Meta engineer as closely as possible, complete with calibrations and a formal manager.
- The program is also hard. The pass rates that got mentioned around the company were 50 to 75%. It's one of the harder software engineer internships to get a return offer from as the goal is to perform at E3 MA. If this is your first software engineer internship or you have only interned at companies weaker than Meta prior, the high bar can be overwhelming.
- However, the reward is tremendous. Meta is an incredible company to work at and amazing as a career starter. Meta is also one of the highest paying companies for the entry-level band (E3), and the signing bonus for return offer interns is sky-high (60k to 100k).
- 4 outcomes for Meta software engineer interns:
  - No offer: As mentioned before, many interns will unfortunately be here. The numbers after this correspond to the percentage of the "surviving" pool.
  - MA (70%): "Meets All Expectations", which is a regular return offer. The vast majority of successful software engineer interns get this. 
  - EE (25%): "Exceeds Expectations", which is given to very strong interns.
  - Rockstar (5%): For interns that completely crush it and are very close to functioning as a mid-level engineer (E4).
- Internship schedule (assuming standard 12 week length):
  - Weeks 1-3: Onboarding
  - Weeks 5-6: Mid-cycle review
  - Weeks 10-11: Final calibrations (return offer is decided here)
  - Weeks 11-12: Relax and have fun. Only your performance from Weeks 1 - 10 is counted towards your final review
- As a software engineer intern, you formally report to an intern manager (IM), which is shown on the org chart. On top of the IM, you will have 1-3 other peers who will review your diffs and help you. During calibrations, feedback from your IM and these peers will determine your final rating.

For more expert internship advice: [Full SWE Intern Advice Playlist](https://www.jointaro.com/topic/software-engineering-intern/)

What People Get Wrong About The Manager To Software Engineer Relationship

In this lesson, we discuss the common mistake that senior engineers commit, which is that they continue to assume that the manager is an authority figure.

This is often the case, but doesn't have to be. David talks about a case in his past job where an IC on the team was more senior than him as the manager. And the IC engineer was objectively more important to the team, indicating the value of this senior-level person not only to getting work done, but also setting direction and giving feedback to others.

Senior engineers should view the relationship with the manager as a partnership rather than a person for whom they must *follow orders*. **The tech lead and manager have different but overlapping responsibilities in helping the team succeed**. Realizing this unlocks a more fruitful collaboration.

Remember, managers will frequently have blind spots that a tech lead can point out. These insights and observations may manifest in actually pushing back on the manager's plans or strategy. This is a role that senior engineers should embrace.

- More from David: <https://www.jointaro.com/topic/david-pan/>
- [Onboarding as a Tech Lead at Robinhood in 1 Month](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/X8vpfJooDpsX915ouC00/case-study-becoming-a-tech-lead-again-in-just-1-month-after-joining-robinhood-from-meta/)
- [The EM "Partner In Crime": The Tech Lead](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/uZQZlS6tdXbztajM0tqa/the-em-partner-in-crime-the-tech-lead/)

The Best Gift You Can Give Yourself When It Comes To Productivity

Which of these is the best gift you can give yourself when it comes to productivity?

True or false: Phones are great productivity tools as they allow us to accomplish almost anything in a really convenient way. This is why we should make sure that we always have our phones close by as we are working.

Where should you have your phone when you are trying to do deep work?

Between flow state and context switching, which is the safer option to invest into to make yourself more productive?

One of the best ways to improve your productivity is to block off chunks of time where you can focus without having to context switch.

Engineer Your Ideal Tech Career [Part 11] - Michael Novati: Becoming A High-Level IC

Next, [Michael Novati](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelnovati) chats about his impressive career advancement and passion for high-level IC work. Michael progressed from a new grad engineer to Staff engineer at Facebook within 3 years, and then Senior Staff after.

He reflects on the key steps he took to progress quickly, common misconceptions people have about being a high-level IC, and the types of people who may love this work longer-term.

Looking for mentorship from tech’s top engineers + personalized job hunt assistance and interview prep? [Formation.dev](http://Formation.dev) can provide you unlimited career coaching, technical mentorship, personalized practice, and mock interviews. Join us here: <https://formation.dev/partners/taro>

Worksheet: [Formation - Coding Your Career](https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/tech-career-growth.appspot.com/o/courses%2Fslides%2FFormation%20Career%20Direction%20Worksheet.pdf?alt=media&token=f6344b78-529a-411e-a449-7a34a8d55fc8)

Tech Career Growth Videos

Our instructional videos provide software engineers with insights needed for career growth. Masterclasses go incredibly in-depth on a specific tech topic while case studies are real examples from established engineering leaders.