Java is one of the most popular programming languages in the world, so every company in the world is looking for the best Java developers.
This is where these outstanding onboarding processes will help your company stand out and maintain top technical talent.
This blog discusses key aspects of the onboarding process for high-quality remote Java developers and some pitfalls to watch out for.
What Does a Java Developer Do?
Java is a cross-platform object-oriented programming language designed for use in the distributed environment of the Internet.
The language is extremely versatile and is used by Java developers for a variety of technical tasks, from building web and Android applications to big data and supercomputers.
1. Keep Everything Ready Before First Day
Developers need access to many systems, so it’s important to have everything you need and wait for them on the first day.
This is even more important when booting remotely.
If they need a company laptop, make sure it is sent to them long before their start date. Providing them with company products (stickers and socks are especially popular) helps to welcome them and make them feel at home.
Also, make sure that developers have access to all the software and systems they need to do their job properly. This means standard company work applications such as email and Slack, as well as IT systems that require them, such as: AWS account and all different tools.
If the developer has access to a highly secure system, notify the security team in advance.
2. Fully Integrate them into your Team and Company
The next important step is to introduce new remote developers inside and outside the team.
Most importantly, help them feel comfortable with their team! In remote context, you may need to be more creative:
Team Lunch with Introducing session: Get everyone together at Zoom to pay for a takeaway lunch
Regular coffee hangout: Keep an always open or regular zoom room where people can enjoy coffee and beer and get to know each other informally
Remote company meetings: Regularly gather the entire company (or departments of large companies) to keep you up to date so everyone knows where your company is.
The next step is to help them build important relationships throughout the organization. This can happen naturally in an office environment, but it is important to schedule a particular meeting in a remote context.
Set up to attend meetings with key people who need to work with you. This will give you an early idea of who will contact who for a particular task or question.
3. Provide Peer Support
A great way to support remote workers, especially in the complex world of software development, is to provide formal support from experienced colleagues.
The goal is to make them feel part of a culture of empathy and psychological safety.
A popular approach here is the mentoring program.
Mentors can answer questions about internal technical topics and processes. You can help them set goals and ensure they have all the resources they need to do their job.
The other is to assign “companies” to new employees.
It’s similar to a mentor, but it’s not formal. Instead of making sure you know the technical details right away, we focus on encouragement and friendship to help you relax as a team.
4. Communicate Expectations and Priorities Very Clearly
This underrated step is to clearly communicate the company’s expectations and priorities (at the same time, provide new developers with the support they need to meet them).
This is especially important remotely. When working remotely, it becomes more difficult to grasp these often-unspoken elements of the work environment.
Similarly, help your new hires get some early wins by giving them some small projects to delve into. This will give you familiarity with how your organization works and with tools and frameworks that you are not familiar with. You can gradually expand the scope of your project to make them feel more comfortable.
It is also important to give them room to fail. Let them taste a little bit of mistake and know that it’s okay to make a mistake. Hopefully, with the support of a mentor or buddy, you can quickly learn what you need to do to catch up.
5. Provide Continuous Training and Company Resources
Recruiters in remote areas cannot step into the office and learn the values and processes that underpin the work of the team.
You have to teach them!
Here are some useful resources:
Intranet / Wiki: A type of internal repository where people can learn about the internal tools and processes of different teams and people, as well as companies.
Talks and Blogs: Search for content created by the founders of companies that explain their values and senior technology executives that explain their philosophical and systematic approach to IT.
Welcome eBook: A welcome document that explains the company’s core values and provides good ideas on where to get the information new employees need and what help is available.
6. Track the Document
This is an important step for effectively onboarding Java developers.
It’s about getting them used to your technology stack and your company’s software development process and life cycle as easily as possible.
Good documentation is clear, concise, well-organized, up-to-date, and regularly reviewed. Combined with proper peer support, new hires should have everything they need to integrate into their software development pipeline.
The important areas to consider are:
Don’t let new employees derive how to work from the codebase. Give clear instructions in the following important areas:
Development
> Applications: Apps maintained by the team and how are they maintained and managed?
Tools: How to use tools such as version control, configuration management, testing, CI / CD, monitoring, etc.
> Coding: How to use the code base, how to design, coding principles, coding style guides, etc.
> Framework: The development framework to use and how to use it
Operation
> Architecture: Provides an overview of your company’s IT infrastructure and architecture, and how to deploy it securely.
> Systems and Dependencies: Clarify the various systems that exist and the connections and dependencies between them.
7. Process and Working Method
New Java developers need to integrate into standardized workflows to help them understand the path to production.
This includes:
> Access / Approval: When a new employee arrives, have all relevant accounts and access rights ready
> Workflow framework: Integrate new developers into your workflow. GitFlow, as soon as possible
Incidents, Issues, and Change Management: Document how to make changes and safely address issues.
> Version Control: Document version control and branching strategies to ensure that your Git history is clear and concise.
> Checklist: Prepare a checklist for major processes
> Policy: If you have policies to handle specific situations, let them know and make them available (for example, how to handle peak traffic).
> Standup: Standup and retrospective look a little different, so please explain the methodology and process
Risks
What happens if I don’t do onboarding properly? There may be results.
> Lose talent: If you make it difficult for new employees to feel integrated and supported in your company, they may switch to a company that is willing to invest more in their people.
> Loss of productivity: This is a big investment, but by allowing employees to learn new skills and work methods early on, productivity can be significantly increased and benefited in the long run. increase.
> Avoid being overwhelmed: Don’t overload newcomers in meetings and documentation, but rather help them integrate in a long-term phase
> Don’t keep support: After completing the initial onboarding process, don’t just let go of new hires, but stay in touch with support!
Concluding Tips
The demand for Java developers is high, so it’s important to do the right onboarding to attract and retain the talent of this top technology.
If you’re looking for a top Java developer, check out our database of scrutinized global engineering talent, ready to integrate seamlessly with your existing team!
