This week at my new job, I have a few tasks that I'm working on. But I'm spending far more time on building relationships with my new coworkers.
When you're creating software together, having a good working relationship is critical. It's the difference between an exciting, dynamic work atmosphere versus a menial job that you dread.
What's more, I'm meeting with people across different departments at the company. I want to hear from sales & customer support. It's great to know the coworkers that are interacting with our customers every day.
Joking, sharing personal stories, and building rapport is important. It makes you feel like you're part of something bigger. It also creates trust with new colleagues.
I've long believed that social skills are more important than technical skills for success as a software engineer. So, I'm prioritizing people time over completing all my onboarding tasks as quickly as possible.