Managing a new grad engineer is definitely different from managing someone who is later in their career. I'd like to expand on some things that have been very helpful for me when coaching new grads:
- Energy management - just because you want to do all the things does not mean you necessarily should. Extroversion vs introversion was a big topic for us
- Impostor syndrome - comparing your journey to people with literal decades of experience more than you will lead to poor results. Keeping engineering level charts handy and charting growth over time is very helpful for positive feedback as well as granular constructive feedback
- When to ask questions - when to struggle for growth and when it's time to ask for help
- How to ask questions - how do you ask questions in a remote company in a way that is best suited to get the right information and be conscious of other people's time and attention?
- What kinds of questions and conversations are appropriate in a workplace - askamanager.com is a fantastic resource and I cannot recommend this enough
- How to document things - leaving behind documentation so others know what you're doing and have the appropriate context
- Differences in performance management between school and career - there is no A+ in careers and promotions take longer than a semester to achieve. A "meets expectation" is actually a very good thing because it means you continue to get paid!
- Setting up explicit guidelines on projects - how to set up projects for early career and new grads so they're set up for success, having a pairing partner, clearly defined success criteria, small and achievable milestones
Managing a new grad engineer is definitely different from managing someone who is later in their career. I'd like to expand on some things that have been very helpful for me when coaching new grads: