The toolbox

A grandma enters a hardware store looking for tools to complete her toolbox. Few days ago she found it on the basement and noticed it was empty… so decided to buy a few things just in case she needs to ask her son to repair something on the house.

She is not an expert on the topic, but decides to pick some that look familiar like a hammer, a blade knife, a few hex keys, a tape measure and some screwdrivers.

Upon arriving home, she decides to fit all the new stuff she bought inside the toolbox and there comes her first problem... the toolbox is not large enough, and she does not have enough money to buy a new one, so it's time to find a solution.

She decides, after considering several alternatives, that she will keep only those tools that might be required and throw away all those that have another tool that fits the same role. She could not leave the hammer out, despite it uses a lot of space, as you cannot really hit nails with a screwdriver. Blade knife must be kept, as none of the other tools are sharp enough to do a cut. Hex keys, while all look the same, they perfectly fit in different hex holes, so leaving one out may become a problem some day. The tape measure seems a good candidate, as it has limited use, but… what if she needs to do some precise measure to cut something or to buy the right sized furniture that fits on her home? There you go, inside the toolbox. Wow, too much screwdrivers, this might be something to consider. She soon realizes there are two different shapes, one as in an X and others as in a I, so she needs to keep at least one of each. Having 10 screwdrivers, she notices that 5 of them are in increasing sizes. Contrary to the hex keys, you don't need to have a perfect fit to use it, so she decides to keep sizes 1, 3 and 5 of each one, leaving a total of 6 from 10 she initially had. All tools are properly placed on the toolbox and she is now able to close it.

Now imagine you are screwdriver 4 of X type and you are left out of the toolbox. Let’s then change the toolbox for a real company, and size 4 of type X is your work position. Yeah, you got it, you have been fired and you don't know why (despite all the common jargon used to get you on the street, most companies won’t exactly tell you “you are not needed because of X”, due to legal concerns).

Many times we fail to see our work as a toolbox, and upper management as that granny. Granny may have been a construction worker in the past and get the right tools from the beginning (a company with a growth plan) or just a house woman and have no idea on what she is buying. In any case, the tools (resources) she gets, may no longer be required later due to not fixing her toolbox (budget). We tend to think that we are valuable but we don’t place ourselves on a valuable position, making a difference from what others can provide. At the time of a budget cost, trust me, you will be playing a harsh game as you may be left out.

Once you apply for a job and get hired, you first need to understand what is expected from you, but also need to see what others in the same position as you are doing right now. Job descriptions are vague in most cases, people who write them are either the hiring manager (which may not be totally aware of the technical challenges) or someone from HR who does not know what your job is like, outside of what a manager was able to communicate by phone or email (talking about broken telephone game).

The first thing you need to check is what projects your co-workers are involved into at the moment you join. This will not only show you what technologies are in use, but also what kind of challenges they are facing. Most co-workers will likely not share details on what they are doing to new people though, so you need to work a bit on sneaking in without making them think that you want to take over their work (that should not be your goal!).

After several weeks on the company (a month or so), you should already be in good shape to understand what is expected from you at this place, besides the vague job description. If your team holds weekly meetings, those are the perfect moment to ask for things, even if they make you look like totally clueless. Remember, you are new, the more you ask, the better you will understand how to help the rest of the team (you don’t want to be that size 4 X screwdriver, right?). This is a common issue on many new hires, they often fail to ask questions due to thinking they would look dumb/newbies to the rest of the team, but doing so they are placing themselves in a really bad position… as most companies will expect you to be a productive from day one, and if you have questions… trust me, you won’t get far.

Within 3 months, if you haven’t been able to spot a way to be “required” (not needed!) on a team, then you are failing at doing your research. And, no, please do not go to your manager for suggestions. A manager won’t fully understand the details of the work, they might know a lot of the bureaucracy and overall information on what is done on your team, but will likely be clueless on giving you a honey pot where you can find something great to do. Their expectations will likely be more oriented to the long run (they are constantly pushed to think that way), and not on the immediate needs from a team. If there is someone who is offering you assistance in the team (like a mentor), be nice and accept that, but try not to abuse of their good will… as that may end up badly for you.

Even better, if by any reason you have some gold mine (work that nobody is exploiting yet), then be the first one to take over it. Let’s be clear… being first means two things, there is nothing to compare your work against (which is good and bad at the same time, as competition normally pushes people to do better), and as many people won’t understand it (because it’s new), it might need some marketing from your side to sell it properly (not only your manager, but upper management too), otherwise their misinformed opinions (not always communicated to you) may end up getting you fired (“The new guy wants us to use [Linux/AWS/Puppet], does he think we are stupid or what?” … sounds familiar? Ha!). So you don’t just have to do that shiny new thing, but also need to work on a sales pitch for everyone to see it the way you do. Being proactive at your job does not only mean that you anticipate to issues, but you also think of new ways for improving the work you do… even if nobody understands it yet.

Once you hit your first anniversary at the job, if you have not become the hammer, blade knife, tape measure, or any of the hex keys, then you are in danger of becoming obsolete. Grandma will eventually open the toolbox and find you there. Once that happens, you will be again seeking for a new job soon…

For people being hired temporarily (for a short/limited time), you will likely be hired with a specific purpose. If you like the company/job, and want to stay after your contract ends, don’t wait till the last moment to speak up. The sooner you show your intentions (both, by talking to your manager and also helping out on requests that do not fit what is expected from you), the more likely you will get an extension or a permanent contract. And what if this does not happen? Well… any experience you get, any further knowledge you acquire, will likely help you on your next job, so don’t get frustrated, you might fit on another grandma’s toolbox eventually…