How mentoring looks like at EFD and why we take it seriously

Starting on a new job can be demanding. It takes time to get a handle on the work, products, processes, and how your new colleagues operate. Sometimes, it can take up to a year before you are fully onboarded into the role, achieving the level of confidence and independence that are key to your performance and job satisfaction.

There are many skills, behaviours and circumstances that determine your success in an IT company. On top of technical knowledge, you will most certainly need proactivity, a deep understanding of the product, the ability to work in teams and adaptability to change. Fitting into the company culture will be important, too. 

First three months: A mentor by your side

We know you cannot learn all that over night. We understand that when you first start in an organization, things can be overwhelming. Even more so if you are fresh from the university, or with little experience in the workforce. 

The team at Emil Frey Digital will invest time and effort to support you in your first months at the company, to make sure we give you the best shot at reaching full productivity and satisfaction in our organization.

Our mentoring program is designed for new hires, especially those in entry-level and junior positions. Mentoring - as we do it - supports both personal and professional growth. It lasts for three months and has a clear structure. It includes regular check-ins, clear evaluations, and focused feedback.

What to expect from the mentoring program at EFD

What exactly can you expect? First off, you will get a dedicated mentor to help and support you as you settle into your job role. You will meet with your mentor regularly and talk about any challenges. We encourage you to share and talk through both positive and negative experiences. 

Your mentor will not always have all the answers, but they will do their best to help you navigate your first weeks and months at EFD. Your mentor will also check in with you occasionally, to get a better sense of your progress.

Second, we use bi-weekly reports to track your progress in a clear and understandable way. It helps us identify any setbacks, partly by comparison with earlier periods or similar candidates. This allows us to provide you with ongoing feedback and guidance. We believe it is important to get advice and support on time, as this can make your learning process smoother.

Understanding your progress in nine areas 

After three months, we will evaluate the success of the mentoring program using a mentoring matrix and real examples. The matrix helps us understand and evaluate your performance and progress in nine areas. There are four levels of proficiency for each area.

Your mentor, team lead, scrum master, and possibly other team members (QA, PO/PM) will be involved in the evaluation. Human resources will participate in a supporting role.

This is what we focus on:

1. Code quality. For positions in development, we look at your code quality and encourage you to think about code optimisation and reusability. We take your experience level into account.
2. Problem-solving skills. We assess whether issues arise from a lack of knowledge or a lack of self-confidence. We highly value when you can work independently with other team members.
3. Testing quality. We encourage developers to focus on quality rather than quantity in their work. For other roles, we assess how well they pay attention to details and how good their testing documents are.
4. Communication skills. You should be able to identify the most relevant information pertaining to your work, and communicate it clearly and effectively.
5. Independence. We look at your ability and willingness to research and solve problems on your own.
6. Proactivity. We encourage you to develop a proactive attitude. This means asking for feedback, sharing your opinions, and proposing new ideas or solutions.
7. Participation in scrum ceremonies. We like to see you contributing in a meaningful way, based on your experience level.
8. Motivation. If we notice you lack motivation, we strive to understand why. We will make an effort to align your tasks with your interests and skills.
9. Response to feedback. It is very important for us to see that you can accept feedback constructively, learn from it and use it to improve your work.

The evaluation may lead to one of the following outcomes:

• Successful completion. You have learned a lot about the product, culture and tasks, and you are ready to continue without a mentor. Well done! You can always ping your mentor for help, but we believe you are now ready to handle a lot of things on your own. In fact, sooner or later your mentors and colleagues will have things to learn from you!
• Extension of mentorship. If necessary, we will extend the program by up to three additional months, to focus on specific areas. It will be tailored to your individual needs. We are happy to do it for candidates with the kind of knowledge and mindset that we need in our organization.
• Ending the mentorship. This doesn’t happen often, as we are meticulous when screening and hiring. Typically, we will recognize good candidates, i.e. people who can and want to succeed in our organization. Still, it can turn out that we are simply not a good fit. This can be for various reasons, and we see it as perfectly normal. We will express our appreciation for your time and effort, and wish you all the best in your future ventures. One day our paths might cross again! 

Our mentoring process is designed to provide you with the right tools and guidance as you work to settle and succeed in your role. By focusing on key areas and providing regular and specific feedback, we build a skilled and motivated team that can handle the responsibilities our company has been entrusted with.

Over 90% of our mentorships are successfully completed, which we believe is a result of our thoughtful selection process, supported by a structured mentorship program. Check out our job openings and get in touch if you spot a position you are interested in!