Senior to Junior

“As a senior engineer, how do you communicate with with the juniors on your team?”

As an advisor to early-stage tech startups, this is a question I think should be on any interview questionnaire when hiring senior engineers. It’s an easy way to identify good or bad fit.

If their answer is, “Oh, I don’t really focus on communication. If they’re smart, they can figure out what I’m doing. They can just read the docs” that’s not someone you should hire.

To me, any senior engineer worth their experience:

• Always works with junior engineers to explain advanced concepts and level them up.
• Encourages open conversation about their technical proposals and integrates feedback.
• Always documents their own work and decision-making.

An early-stage organization needs a mix of seniority. If you hire senior engineers who work to level up juniors to follow their lead, you’ll set up your technical org and business for success!