1 / 5
Your manager mentions your '30-60-90 day plan' — what is this?
A A structured goal framework for the first three months: 30 days = learn (understand codebase, team, processes), 60 days = contribute (complete first meaningful tasks, join ceremonies), 90 days = lead (own initiatives, work independently, identify improvements) B A timeline for completing all required technical certifications in the role C A probationary period where performance is formally reviewed each month D The minimum time required before requesting a salary review after joining
30-60-90 plan: widely used onboarding framework.
Key vocab: "ramp-up period", "30-60-90 day plan", "onboarding milestone", "productive contributor timeline", "initial onboarding goals".
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2 / 5
Your onboarding buddy sends a Slack message — what is a buddy system?
A Two new joiners paired together to share the onboarding experience simultaneously B A formal mentoring programme where a senior engineer reviews your quarterly performance C Assigning an experienced team member as a single point of contact for a new joiner's day-to-day questions — reducing friction for practical questions that don't require manager escalation D A buddy ride-along where the new joiner shadows every meeting their buddy attends
Buddy vs. manager: buddy = informal day-to-day support; manager = formal performance/career. Buddy helps find Slack channels, explains culture, answers "where is X?".
Key vocab: "onboarding buddy", "day-to-day support", "single point of contact (SPOC)", "informal guidance".
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3 / 5
Access provisioning is taking longer than expected — what does this mean in engineering onboarding?
A Providing the new employee with office space and a laptop B Setting up accounts and permissions across all systems the employee needs: GitHub repo access, cloud console (AWS/GCP), Jira/Confluence, staging environments, internal tools, VPN — a prerequisite for any productive work to begin C Approving the new employee's first expenses D Installing all required software on the new employee's development machine
Access provisioning: often delayed (IT tickets, security review). New joiner impact: cannot contribute until access is granted.
Key vocab: "access provisioning", "permission request", "provisioning timeline", "access ticket", "tool access checklist".
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4 / 5
Your team lead says 'just observe for now' in your first week — what does this mean?
A You should not attend team meetings until the second week B You should avoid making any commits in the first week C You should ask constant questions to understand the codebase quickly D Before proposing changes or improvements, spend time understanding context — how the team works, why past decisions were made, what problems they face — before suggesting solutions based on limited information
"Observe before opining": powerful onboarding principle. New joiner who immediately critiques = alienating; who asks curious questions first = trusted. "I've noticed X — could you help me understand the historical context?"
Key vocab: "observe before opining", "context gathering", "curiosity over criticism", "establish trust before suggesting change".
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5 / 5
Your first 1:1 with your manager — what should you discuss?
A Your expected salary review timeline and promotion criteria immediately B Your understanding of the role, what success looks like in the first month, how your manager prefers to communicate, what the team's current priority challenges are, and who the key people are you should meet C All the access provisioning issues you encountered in the first week D Your assessment of the current codebase quality and suggested improvements
First 1:1: alignment > complaints. Good questions: "What does success look like in 30 days?", "How do you prefer to give feedback?", "Who should I meet in the first two weeks?", "What are the team's biggest challenges right now?"
Key vocab: "first 1:1", "expectations alignment", "communication preferences", "success definition".
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