You're joining a new team next Monday — what types of questions should you ask in your first week?
Good first questions: curious and learning-oriented. Avoid questions that imply criticism before understanding context. "Could you help me understand..." vs. "Why did you choose to..."
Building rapport with a remote team you've never met in person — which strategy is most effective?
Remote rapport: intentionality required (no water cooler). Virtual coffee = informal conversation. Public acknowledgment ("great catch on that PR review").
Your second-week retrospective is happening — how should you participate as a new joiner?
Retro as new joiner: "fresh eyes framing" = valuable but should be offered lightly. "I've only been here two weeks, take this with a grain of salt, but I noticed..."
Key vocab: "fresh eyes perspective", "light touch contribution", "new joiner retro participation", "observation before prescription".
4 / 5
The team uses informal communication norms you're not familiar with — how do you learn them without offending anyone?
Informal norms: observable before asking. "I noticed people emoji-react instead of typing 'sounds good' — is that the preferred acknowledgment?" = good buddy question.
Your first pull request receives several review comments — how should you respond?
First PR review response: engaged, humble, curious. "Good catch — I missed the convention around X. For the Y comment, I chose this approach because Z — does that reasoning make sense?"
Key vocab: "first PR response", "engaged with feedback", "ask clarifying questions", "reasoning explanation in PR", "constructive review dialogue".