Effective Mentoring Criteria

Question

What should be the basic things that should a mentor or team lead or anyone (experienced) in the team do to groom up or mentor a newly joined developer?? -

Answer 1

I always try to not spoon feed answers. By this I mean I go out of my way to answer a question with a question, and ask them what they think, and why they think that. I have found using this approach a great way for helping people help themselves.

It also helps if you explain why you are doing it this way, as some people don't like it, and just want a quick answer. Usually saying that there won't always be someone around to answer your questions explains this way though.

Along the same lines is pointing them in the direction of where they might find the answer. You have to be prepared to not have someone be 100% effective immediately. You (and the mentee(?)) have to be prepared to invest a little time.

I guess I just like the idea of teaching a man to fish, rather than giving him a sandwhich.

Answer 2

There are plenty of resources o point a new person to regarding development depending on their field of expertise but I tend to think what is also important is the less technical things that tend to be forgotten when a new person joins a group as it can be easy to leave a new developer feeling left out of the group.

If you haven't yet then having a look at their CV is always good to get an idea of the person and their strengths and weaknesses

1. Take them round the office and introduce them to everyone.
2. Provide them with information regarding standards and procedures in use.
3. Remember to make them aware you are there for advice when they need it.
4. Show them where all the tea making facilities are.
5. Show them how to do basic things they need for the job, such as how to fill in timesheets, where intranet pages are etc.
6. Invite them to lunch

Answer 3

1. Teach them to ask smart questions.

2. Make them read The Pragmatic Programmer. While Code Complete is great, it's huge, and I haven't finished reading it yet.

3. Encourage them to suggest ideas, but demand that they back them up with proof. My first boss constantly demanded that I prove my ideas. It made me think a lot harder about my code, which has made me a better programmer.

4. If they don't have one already, get them a subscription to the ACM, the IEEE Computer Society, or both. Both societies provide access to literally hundreds of up-to-date technology ebooks and courses. If ever there was a field of endeavor that demanded constant self-improvement, then this is it.