
I hired my first programmer – I'm not freaking out. any tips on onboarding? - saddington
just wanted to share some good and positive news... i hired my first full-time programmer!<p>i know this is pretty self-serving post, but, as you all know, hiring talented technical staff is... ... hard.<p>it can be really hard when you&#x27;re an early-stage startup trying to compete against much larger compensation packages.<p>the only solution that i know is to be authentic... these posts were helpful:<p>https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=19493206 
and
https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=19493206<p>so, that&#x27;s what i&#x27;ve tried to do.<p>part of my solution has been just more transparent with who we are as a project... like creating a very simple open source handbook and describing what the first day &#x2F; week looks like:<p>https:&#x2F;&#x2F;github.com&#x2F;yenio&#x2F;handbook&#x2F;blob&#x2F;master&#x2F;1-employment.md#onboarding-your-first-day--week<p>so grateful for this community because i learn things every day.
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zhte415
This might sound obvious, but make sure they have a computer. Only in one job
have I have had a computer on the first day, two of which I wouldn't call it
computer because it might have been a machine but had no OS and/or email, and
that's in 7 positions (companies/departments) over 20 years including (because
of?) government and F500s, in one case it took 2 weeks and that was an
internal transfer, no checks needed. Preferably with the OS and overall
environment that you and they are OK with.

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quickthrower2
What the? Every job I’ve had a computer on the first day since 2000!

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kzisme
My last job I didn't receive my machine for well over a month. I was told to
use my personal machine until the provided one arrived.

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marapuru
Be honest and open about the questions you have about onboarding. This should
show the new employee that their ideas are valued and also starts open and
transparent communication.

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aogl
Congratulations, making the first steps towards something like this is usually
the hardest part.

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saddington
thanks friend! i was telling someone the other day that this decision was one
of the most important ones of the year... if not THE most important.

deciding WHO i want to work with is more important than WHAT sometimes...
maybe, all the time. ️

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aogl
This decision will also influence the direction your business takes in many
respects as well.

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saddington
you're right. one the more exciting things is to simply... listen.

i have an idea of where i'd like to go, but, i know that the bigger part is
just the journey together. so excited to get started!

oh, the places we will go...!

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saddington
oh, and any suggestions on how to continue to create "onboarding magic" for my
new employee... i'd love to hear your thoughts!

how do i create THE BEST working environment possible? tips / tricks /
insights?

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new_guy
What the above comment says. Don't micro-manage, and LISTEN. If your
programmer tells you something listen to them and trust their judgement, it's
why they're there.

Also don't fall for any tech 'buzzwords', just go with what gets the job done.

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saddington
+1 — great reminder.

