New to your tech job? Ask questions.
Yes, I know everyone always says this. Why is ‘Ask questions’ good advice?
The basics: Asking questions isn’t always just about you finding out some factual information. It’s also good to understand why, how, whom and when you ask. This may be a bit step-by-step depending on your level of experience, but know that some of these things aren’t always obvious to new joiners.
So… why do we ask questions?
To seek to improve our understanding: “What is the difference between millipedes and centipedes?” (Hint — one of them can swim)
Curiosity: “What happens if I press this?”
Being unafraid to admit we don’t know something: “Would you please explain this to me? I know all the information is there but I’m having a hard time processing it at the moment.”
To connect and potentially lead onto other things: “You mentioned you went to see that band. I love them. How was the gig?”
To demonstrate that we already know something and wish to expand on it: “So, would I be right in assuming that a + b = x?”
To verbalise our thought processes: “So if I sketch this out, then I send it to you, then you send it to them and they send it back to me, does that sound good? Or I could send it straight to them…?”
To show that we care: “How are you feeling after your rest?”
How we ask
The way we ask questions will give people more insight into us
What we do and don’t know
If you’re comfortable admitting you don’t know things and you assume it’s OK to ask questions, that’s a pretty constructive place to start. It saves time and is better than sitting there not saying anything because you’re afraid you’ll sound silly. We all feel silly asking questions sometimes, so the best thing is to go for it and practise asking the questions. You’ll have a smoother ride.
How you communicate
Be polite and approach with a general sense of positivity. You don’t have to smile a lot or be peppy. Just “Hi, I have a question, is now a good time?” should do it.
Timing
How patient are you when waiting asking and hoping for/expecting a response? People can be busy and unless it’s urgent, pick your time wisely and be flexible.
Tech teams love it when people are efficient. If possible, batch your questions then say: “I have a few questions. When would be a good time to ask?”
To connect with teammates or for a general understanding of what the team is doing: “Would you have 5/10 minutes to talk to me about what you are working on? If you’re very busy we could do it another time.”
How we take ownership and seek out information
Do you try to figure things out on your own first? Do you attempt to provide solutions as well as ask for help?
Looking for solutions before asking is usually a good approach because you’re taking on the burden of research yourself instead of expecting someone else to do it for you.
“I wasn’t quite sure if this is what was required but I’ve made a few reasonable assumptions and done a very quick mockup. Is this the kind of thing you were looking for?”
or
“I’ve identified a few gaps in the process. Here are my suggestions. Would you like to review them or should I just go for it?”
We all have times when we’re feeling overloaded and just want someone to take the load and give us the answer. But if this is your default method, think about changing it if you want the respect of the people you work with.
On the other hand, you’ll also need to learn when to stop looking and ask for help, though, as it can be a fine balance between doing some research and ending up in a spiral of trying to solve it alone.
What you do with the answer
Do you ask follow-up questions and take notes? Do you recap to check your understanding? You may not always need to, but it can save time later. I would always write down an answer — you don’t want to ask the same question twice.
Do you seek to blame?
“Could I talk to you about something? I wanted to do this but so-and-so hasn’t got back to me so I can’t.”
“I did my part but so-and-so didn’t finish theirs on time so now the project is late”.
Blaming people, in my book, is a massive no-no. It says more about you than it does about the person you are blaming.
Don’t do it. (unless you are being bullied, harassed or there is a serious situation going on, in which case, seek help immediately).
Blaming someone in a normal work scenario (late project work, lack of communication, etc.) rings some alarm bells: refusal to take responsibility, trustworthiness, taking ownership.
It could also be that you need extra support and lack confidence — you may feel that if you mess up then there will be serious consequences and you’re worried about how to handle things. Understandable, but don’t blame.
If something is not going your way or you feel frustrated, it’s fine and natural to feel out of sorts, upset, annoyed, worried or angry. If you’ve done the work but someone else hasn’t, could you have done anything to move things along? Have they been struggling with something you don’t know about?
Take time to feel what you feel … [ breathe]… then calm down and think about what’s really going on before you try to address it. Ask for help.
There is a way to phrase things if you feel like blaming: you can take collective ownership instead of blaming or sniping at someone else. Using the word “we” can go a long way. “We didn’t quite make it, here’s what I think happened and how we might do it better next time.”
Acknowledge your role and how things could have gone more smoothly. Never make it personal.
Who to ask
What is it you need to know? Decide who would be the best person to ask about the issue. It varies widely but these are some common paths to take. *check your onboarding notes first
Technical issue/hardware? IT.
Coding / database / software question? Teammate or senior dev.
Access/logins? Tech lead, line manager or IT.
Pay, holidays, HR? People services / HR.
*Onboarding: showing you around (virtually or on-site) and explaining the company, where to find this and that, where to access your holiday requests, pay, company policies, etc. Where the code lives, how to get access, etc. etc.
Lots of questions? No onboarding? This is where your question-asking capabilities will allow you to shine!
Make a nice long juicy list of all your questions then categorise and present them in a timely fashion to your line manager or tech lead and say:
“These would really help with the onboarding process. Where’s the documentation? I can add them while I’m waiting for my software access to be sorted out.”
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