[Part 3] Software Engineer Onboarding: Understand Tactical Decisions

Learn the product to make good tactical decisions.

Within the first few weeks of your onboarding, you should have have fixed a few bugs and . Now it's time to slow down a bit and do some reflection on the decision-making process and priorities of the team.

- [How To Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/tyaPFMXPoz2pmzB7OVzt/how-to-build-deep-relationships-quickly-in-tech-12172022/)
- [The Crucial First Step To Building Relationships That Everyone Misses](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/YPniDFNQqoHEpYHC9JEq/the-crucial-first-step-to-building-relationships-that-everyone-misses/)

This is part 3 of a 4 part series from Daniel about how to **most efficiently** and **most effectively** onboard into a new team or company. What should you spend your time doing in the first few months of joining, and how should that change based on your level? 

This masterclass covers this topic from the perspective of Daniel Tomko, a 20 year Big Tech veteran. Daniel spent 11 years at Microsoft and 8 years at Meta in various senior IC and management positions. 

- [Go to part 4 of the masterclass here](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/JFvfEoKshdPWuiCuy3GY/part-4-software-engineer-onboarding-understand-strategic-decisions/)
- [Go back to part 1 of the masterclass here](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/IYZRmwp33E3TBeFQFr9c/part-1-software-engineer-onboarding-embrace-your-lack-of-knowledge/)

The Most EVIL Way To End An Interview (And How Not To Do It)

Here are the core points from the video:
- It is **never** okay to end an interview early because the candidate wasn't good enough. This is immensely disrespectful, especially for an onsite interview where the candidate carved out an entire day to do it (likely taking PTO if they are currently working).
- As an interviewer, you are also representing your company. If you do this, you are hurting your company's reputation as people talk - That candidate is very likely to tell others that your company is a horrible place to interview at.
- When this scenario happens, *the proper thing to do is to switch gears and go entirely into maximizing candidate experience* (as your goal isn't collecting signal anymore). This involves:
  - Giving them hints aggressively to help them complete the problem
  - Pair programming with them and trying to teach them - Use your interview to make the candidate a better software engineer!
  - Allocating more time for them to ask questions about the company - Try to get them excited! If you do this properly, they'll want to interview with your company again at a later time. People change - They may come back in a few years and be an absolutely incredible engineer you 100% want to hire.

Related resources:
- [Full session on being an amazing interviewer](https://link.jointaro.com/NhjenQ5vERKwRPdb9) - This is where this clip was cut out from.
- [Full 1 hour+ Masterclass On Acing Your Big Tech DSA Interview](https://link.jointaro.com/VfSeuUFiXNtKa5if7)
- [Full 1.3 hour Masterclass On Acing Your Big Tech System Design Interview](https://link.jointaro.com/Tmqs62Lw7WV4qDw59)
- [How Alex Got Into Meta With 0 Prior Leetcode Experience](https://link.jointaro.com/vaNH1hjRUhmF8ibSA)

Why Big Tech Compensation Is So High - RSUs

This video explains how **Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)** work as a major part of tech compensation, especially in large tech companies. It outlines key timing mechanisms, industry trends, and the outsized impact RSUs can have on total earnings.

- **RSUs are company shares granted over time**, typically as part of a four-year compensation package. For example, an employee may be awarded 4,000 shares and receive 1,000 per year.
- **Most companies enforce a one-year cliff**, meaning no shares are received until completing the first full year. However, some companies like Google and Facebook have moved toward shorter cliffs, such as three months.
- **After the cliff, vesting usually occurs quarterly or monthly**, gradually releasing shares to the employee. This incentivizes ongoing retention.
- **Graphics help illustrate vesting schedules**, showing an initial cliff followed by incremental monthly or quarterly share distributions over the remaining years.
- **RSUs can far exceed base salary in total value**, especially at the senior level. In some cases, RSUs make up 75% or more of an individual's total compensation in big tech.

A Huge Way Companies Reward You For Joining - Signing Bonus

This video explains the role of signing bonuses in tech compensation, particularly how they’re used by companies to stay competitive and how candidates should evaluate them carefully when reviewing offers.

- **Signing bonuses are one-time cash payments** intended to sweeten a job offer and help a company stand out among competing opportunities.
- **Unlike base salary and equity, signing bonuses are not banded**, meaning they can be more flexible and generous—sometimes reaching up to $175K–$200K for top-tier roles at big tech firms.
- **Because signing bonuses are tied to retention**, they’re typically prorated over time. If the full amount is paid upfront and the employee leaves early, a portion must usually be repaid.
- **Most signing bonuses are structured around a one-year commitment**, but some companies now split them over two years, spreading risk and encouraging longer retention.
- **It's important to read the fine print**, especially around repayment terms and payout schedules, since these details can affect real take-home compensation and decision-making.

Making Every Single Meeting You Have Effective

What do you absolutely need to do with every single meeting in order to make it effective?

What is the most important question you should be asking yourself constantly during a meeting?

Setting clear goals for every meeting ensures focus, alignment, and efficiency. Rather than drifting through discussions, this mindset helps make the most of everyone's time.

- **Define the meeting goal upfront**: Whether the goal is to build a relationship, align on a decision, or explore a specific topic, clarify it before stepping into the meeting.
- **Hold the goal in mind throughout**: Actively track whether the conversation is moving toward the intended objective—even as you engage in real-time dialogue.
- **Course-correct if needed**: If the meeting strays off-topic or stalls, use the goal as a guidepost to refocus the discussion or adjust expectations.
- **Reflect afterwards**: Evaluate whether the meeting achieved its intended outcome. If not, determine what adjustments can improve the effectiveness of future meetings.
- **Build the habit**: With consistent practice, goal-oriented thinking during meetings becomes second nature, enhancing both productivity and influence.

What Is An Engineering Manager?

In this lesson, we explore what an Engineering Manager (EM) is, what they do, and how understanding their incentives helps us collaborate more effectively.

- We learn that an EM is a leadership role supporting engineers, typically managing 8–12 reports, though team sizes can vary widely.
- We understand that the EM’s primary goal is ensuring the team consistently delivers meaningful impact.
- We recognize that knowing an EM’s core incentives helps us work with them more effectively and collaborate better overall.
- We review the two major career tracks in tech: the IC (individual contributor) track and the M (management) track, which begins with the EM role.
- We note that the EM is the first layer of management, with roles like Director, VP, and CTO above them, and that most of us will report to an EM unless we reach very senior IC levels (e.g., L8/L9).

It’s not what you can see. It’s what they feel and don’t say.

There’s a kind of tension that never shows up in Jira.\
But you can feel it. In meetings. In messages. In that slight shift in tone.

This section helps you see what people won’t say directly—but always signal.\
Because the real blocker isn’t the one they’ll name.

**Want to go deeper?**

- Explore more tools and courses at [**Taha’s Method**](https://www.tahasmethod.com/) — from interview prep to leadership development.

- Follow me on [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tahahussain/) and subscribe to my weekly newsletter, [**The Conscious Leader**](https://tahahussain.substack.com/), for more lessons like these. 

- **Taro members get 30% off** my flagship course [**Top Tech Leader**](https://bit.ly/tarotopleader)*. Discount available later in the course.*

Maximize Your Equity And Benefits In Tech [Part 2] - The Big Picture

Equity compensation can be a powerful but complex part of your total rewards in tech. Here are the core points from the lesson:

- Startup equity is high risk, with data showing over 60% of startups from 2018 have already shut down, and only a tiny fraction have reached IPO or unicorn status
- Multiple cognitive biases—like endowment effect, loss aversion, and optimism bias—can cloud judgment and lead to poor decisions about holding or selling stock
- Emotional and social factors, such as FOMO, herding behavior, and recency bias, often push people to mirror peers rather than make rational equity decisions
- Selling strategies can range from immediate liquidation to goal-based triggers (e.g., home down payment), percentage-based sales, or predefined holding periods
- It's crucial to plan ahead, especially around liquidity events, and work with financial professionals to optimize tax implications and align decisions with personal goals

Next steps with Andy:

- [Connect with Andy on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andymoranio)
- [Leave feedback and/or sign up for Andy’s newsletter](https://subscribepage.io/taroequitycourse)
- [Schedule a consultation](http://adastrafp.com/contact-us/)

Become A Debugging Master [Part 8] - Write Down All The Context

One of the easiest ways to massively speed up your debugging (and make yourself look way more senior) is simple: write things down early and often. Here are the core points from the lesson:

- Don’t wait for clarity to write—writing your thoughts down is what *creates* clarity and uncovers next steps
- Always document repro steps, failed attempts, blast radius info, and hypotheses while debugging
- Writing things down improves your retention, narrows the search area, gives credit to others, and makes handing off bugs much smoother
- Even half-baked notes are powerful because they build momentum, reduce confusion, and help you communicate progress to others effectively

Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech [Part 19] - Common Mistakes To Avoid

Networking is really easy to mess up as there's a lot of toxic mentalities you can fall into. This lesson teaches you:

- The #1 way people mess up networking
- How to strike a balance between being pragmatic (having shields up) and being idealistic (helping people)
- Why going outside of your comfort zone is critical for networking
- What fake networking looks like, shown with a very common example among engineers

Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech [Part 16] - 1 on 1 Meetings

Want to make someone like you? Go talk to them privately! This lesson teaches you:

- Why 1 on 1s are the most important vehicle for deepening relationships
- A simple 2-step framework to make a relationship incredibly powerful, centered around 1 on 1s
- The core mindset you need to have in order to make 1 on 1s effective
- How to think about the frequency of your 1 on 1s
- Basic tactics to get far more value from your 1 on 1s, especially with more senior people

Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech [Part 13] - Lead With Kindness

Many engineers get impatient when it comes to networking, frustrated that it takes so long to get someone to provide meaningful value to them. It doesn't need to be this way. This lesson teaches you:

- A very simple way to understand networking and how to convert it into something that provides concrete benefits
- Why leading with kindness is the most powerful mindset you can have to build trust *fast*
- How leading with kindness really isn't that difficult, especially if you're smart and on the lookout for disproportionate activities
- What it means to lead with kindness, explained with an in-depth example that is very relevant to Taro

Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech [Part 6] - You're Going To Get Burned

Networking isn't all sunshine and roses - You're going to go through a lot of pain as well. This lesson teaches you:

- Why many relationships fall apart
- Why you shouldn't let a failed relationship turn you off networking forever
- A tactical, mathematical framework to minimize risk and maximize upside when it comes to networking
- How to identify if a relationship isn't going anywhere and should be cut off

Build Deep Relationships Quickly In Tech [Part 5] - Understand Their Incentives

At the end of the day, everyone is out to get something, especially in the professional world. This lesson teaches you:

- Why understanding other people's incentives is so important
- How to figure out other people's incentives
- The playbook to build an amazing relationship once you truly get someone's incentives
- What it looks like to truly align incentives, explained with an in-depth example

SWE Internship Survival Guide [Part 5] - Act With Urgency

Top interns succeed by treating every week as high-leverage and avoiding the common traps that waste time. Here are the core points from this lesson:

- Adopt a mindset of urgency—internships are short, so prioritize work that drives progress on your main project and skip distractions like excessive social events or irrelevant tasks
- Use a structured timeline: ramp up quickly in the first 3 weeks, execute intensely for 6, and aim to wrap and demo your project by week 10
- Aggressively seek help when blocked and bias toward action—don’t wait for replies when a quick conversation can resolve things faster
- Avoid rabbit holes into infrastructure or tooling curiosity; stay focused on work that directly impacts your deliverables and evaluation

Ace The ML System Design Interview [Part 2] - Why You Need A System

The machine learning system design interview can be daunting, but understanding common pitfalls can help you succeed. Here are the core points from this lesson:

- Align with the interviewer on the problem statement before diving into design to ensure the right problem is being solved
- Use a structured approach: start with big-picture system design, then address data considerations and modeling, only discussing deployment and operations if time allows
- Clearly articulate reasoning by explaining the "why" behind design choices and considering trade-offs between different techniques
- Take control of the interview by making assumptions, validating them with the interviewer, and simplifying the problem to fit within the given time
- Write down key assumptions and decisions to maintain clarity and provide a reference for both yourself and the interviewer

If you like what Ilya has to say, subscribe to his YouTube for more high-quality ML/AI career guidance: [MLEpath - YouTube](https://go.mlepath.com/taro-youtube-mlepath)

If you want hands-on support from Ilya to crack the FAANG ML interview, join his coaching program: [MLEpath - Coaching Program](https://go.mlepath.com/taro-march-25)

Part 1 [RBP] Exploring Modern React Frameworks + Setup

This lesson covers setting up a new React project using best practices. It discusses choosing the right framework, emphasizing the benefits of Next.js for its full-stack capabilities and features like routing and image optimization. The lesson also touches on the importance of TypeScript and ESLint for code quality and maintainability, and introduces the App Router as the modern approach to structuring Next.js applications.

- Florian’s free web development playlist on YouTube: <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrnPJCHvNZuDG6BWjUFVxeWyYlve_SVJO>
- Code link: <https://github.com/codinginflow/react-best-practices/branches/stale>

Part 0 [RBP] React Best Practices - Course Intro

Florian Walther, from Coding In Flow, shares the common pitfalls and best practices in React development. This course will help developers write cleaner and more robust React code by addressing frequent mistakes. The lesson also highlights additional resources available, including a YouTube channel, newsletter, and a GitHub repository with code examples.

- Florian’s free web development playlist on YouTube: <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrnPJCHvNZuDG6BWjUFVxeWyYlve_SVJO>
- Code link: <https://github.com/codinginflow/react-best-practices/branches/stale>

15 SWE Years In 1.5 Hours [Part 19] - Work-Life Balance

We work to live, not live to work. Unfortunately, it can be very tricky living that reality, especially in the post-layoffs age of 2023 and onward. This lesson teaches you:

- Why your work-life balance isn't purely dictated by the company you work for
- Which factors you can adjust to facilitate work-life balance
- A healthy way to prevent yourself from sabotaging your own work-life balance

Get The Rating You Deserve [Part 6] - Slow & Steady

**In this section, we'll delve into the importance of patience and strategic thinking in career advancement.**

- **The Power of Patience:** We'll discuss the significance of taking a long-term perspective and understanding that significant growth often requires time and consistent effort.
- **Balancing Exploration and Exploitation:** We'll explore the delicate balance between learning and applying knowledge, and how to effectively allocate time to both.
- **Mindful Communication:** We'll emphasize the importance of clear and effective communication, both in expressing your desires and in actively listening to others.
- **The Role of Mindset:** We'll discuss the importance of cultivating a growth mindset, embracing challenges as opportunities for learning, and maintaining a positive outlook.

If you want to get personalized support from Yogi, you can reach out to him at [coaching@yogisharma.com](mailto:coaching@yogisharma.com) or schedule an introductory call to dive into your situation at <https://tinyurl.com/meetyogi>.

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.