Promotion Tips for Software Engineers | Career Chat

Hello everyone,
Welcome back to another coffee career chat series~ If you're aiming to get promoted from a SDE1 to a SDE2 this year, then follow these 6 tips that were vital to my promotion journey. I hope you'll find at least one of these tips helpful!
Learn more about Formation and apply to their fellowship program here: fm.dev/jennc
Best,
Jenn
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❀ epidemic sound
[ftc]
This video is sponsored by Formation ♥ Thank you for supporting my channel - you guys are the best!
[Timestamps]
00:00 Intro
00:42 Learn & Understand Promotion Process
02:13 Ask for Opportunities
03:03 Ask for Regular Feedback
03:41 Formation
04:53 Keep an Internal Resume
05:25 My Internal Resume Template
07:36 Don't Be Afraid to Push Back
08:38 Maintain Work-Life Balance
09:07 Outro

[@software-with-rosh]

I love this career chat. The internal resume is also amazing for being able to market yourself in a 1:1, so thank you for sharing that.

[@imjenncho]

Thank you! I’m glad you found the internal resume tip helpful. It really helped me identify areas to gain more data points for as well throughout my promotion journey.

[@aliaalea]

Congrats Jenn🌸 I’m so happy for you Thank you for sharing with us🫡

[@imjenncho]

Aw thank you! 😇

[@tylerliu2760]

Huge congrats, well done!! I’m hoping to get to SDE2 this year, this was very helpful 🙂

[@imjenncho]

Thanks Tyler! Best of luck to you as well with your promotion :)

[@webdecoded]

Loved the video! Especially the template, think it would be helpful for a lot!

[@imjenncho]

Glad to hear it!

[@lv6773]

Great video!! Looking forward to the next one

[@imjenncho]

Thanks!

[@herdevlife]

Congrats on the promotion ❤

[@rayl6599]

As one moves up the IC ladder, it is important to understand which group of folks will be debating your promotion decision bec it will shift towards more folks outside your immediate project team. And if none of those folks have heard of you, well, that isn’t a good setup. Finding the opportunities to gain exposure across the org becomes increasingly important and is probably the biggest stumbling block for mid career staff eng ICs. It may also help to seek a more senior manager who can rotate you onto different projects to work with a larger group of technical leaders.

[@imjenncho]

This is great advice! Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻 I completely agree with you, getting exposure from your work with other senior managers or engineers is equally as important.

[@Tiffany-dw1yp]

That’s something I didn’t think about 😔 Was wondering if you happen to be open to mentoring juniors?

[@rayl6599]

@@Tiffany-dw1yp Someone within your company who knows your process and also knows the people involved would be a better fit. And, generally speaking, 2 levels above tend to provide the more relevant and current info. Added bonus of such a mentor is, at around mid career and beyond, input re technical competency from ICs 1-2 levels up will be sought, so your mentor's circle would be those people.

[@Tiffany-dw1yp]

@@rayl6599 Thank you for the advice! Honestly I'm feeling super nervous and slightly complacent at work. I hope it's alright to share, at the very least, as to why I'm having a difficult time finding a mentor in my own organisation. I did not come from a computer science/IT/engineering background prior to my new job - I was an arts student who happened to pass the interview through sheer luck. I'm reporting directly to the Head of Engineering, however, my manager is SUPER busy and replies me in 4 working days, and PR gets reviewed in 2 weeks. At this stage, I'm about 12 weeks into my probation and it got extended because he wanted me to feel the codebase more but remains positive about the quality of my PR. I learned Git, next.js, Jest, node, docker compose in 10 weeks T_T. Everyone else in the organisation had to fight really hard to earn their place, and I really don't want to come off as a dumbass in most cases working with them but I realised I will never be able to learn if I don't reach out to other seniors. More so, other managers do not understand what the Head of Engineering is doing with hiring me & do not know much about what is expected from me. Me wanting to find a mentor largely stems from needing help to focus harder & reassure that I'm on the right/wrong track. But I understand, the best people to do that is someone who already understand how the organisation works. AAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Thank you so much for reading & the advice though!!

[@MrSprinklecupcake86]

Love this video! I'm a new SDE and would love to hear more about how you structure your 1:1s with your manager - what the conversation looks like, how you are able to discuss what you want with him/her.

[@imjenncho]

thank you! im hoping to answer this in a future career chat video about what to do/not to do during your early sde years

[@labcoatdiaries7657]

Great tips! I will definitely incorporate in my career too🎉

[@imjenncho]

So glad!

[@ryanmatthewchen]

As a senior SWE, these tips are awesome for anyone who is working their way up from SE1, wish I had this kind of guidance when I first started!

[@imjenncho]

Thank you, I appreciate this especially coming from a senior swe!

[@ryanmatthewchen]

Absolutely! Awesome of you to provide tips for other aspiring developers! Keep it up 😄

[@the_ghost_investor]

Congratulation Jenni!!!

[@imjenncho]

Thank you!!

[@fanjin]

Thanks for your suggestion on internal resume!

[@imjenncho]

Glad it was helpful!

[@danielsantillan6310]

Congrats on your prom! Keep going :D

[@imjenncho]

Thank you! You too!

[@richardwang8731]

Congrats! I just started like 7 months ago so I'm looking to do the same

[@software.engineer.hannah_]

Love these tips! Sounds like you have to actively figure out the plans to get promoted🥲 Thank you so much for sharing Jenn❤

[@imjenncho]

No problem, I hope these tips are helpful! Best of luck 😇

[@larissahora]

I’m working on my promotion to senior swe! 🎉 this is very helpful! Having a clear goal, working on it and getting feedback is what I’m trying to do :)

[@imjenncho]

that's amazing! promotion from mid-level swe to senior swe is definitely a bigger leap and the process can look different but i agree that feedback is always important. Best of luck to you Larissa!!

[@kimeiga]

Thanks for this :) If I had to give any advice for FB it would be really to just pick the right team that has the most opportunities for support and mentorship and the easiest projects. Often an infra team will do. If you are dumb and get reorged into a different job title like me you can work all nighters for three halves and still not get promoted because product

[@fuzailkhonabdurahimov9165]

Congratulations on your promotion. I am just starting out in the software development but you must have worked really hard for it.

[@imjenncho]

Thank you! Best of luck with your new role. Must be exciting!

[@fuzailkhonabdurahimov9165]

yeah it is , still grasping react after jquery and php hopeful get a chace to use your advice

[@colinzhou9560]

I'm watching this and don't even have a full-time job to begin with, hahaha. Great video!

[@imjenncho]

Hahaha thank you 🤭 I hope you’ll find it helpful one day at least!

[@vishalvarun9782]

congratulations ma'am

[@patk891]

Awesome advice Jenn. Bit off topic but have you ever noticed any "fake developers" at Amazon (unseasoned developers who don't really know what they are doing so they feel like they have to fake it to survive)? How do you deal with it if their work affects you? I've run into these before and they called themselves senior developers.

[@tylerliu2760]

Amazon’s promo process is very rigorous, “fake” developers would never get to SDE2, much less senior level

[@douglasvinicius6969]

In your opinion which area has a learning curve with less time Back end or Front end?

[@Gegagrega]

How did you feel about leaving college? Did you miss it once you started your work life?

[@the_ghost_investor]

The only way to get promoted fast is to work hard, get out of your comfort zone (learn new things) and take any opportunities present (take new challenges and risks) without kissing your superior asses or step on your coworker's toes. I got promoted in one year doing that and had a lot of respects from my peers and the CEO.

[@martinpankov2736]

The tips are great! Please reduce the echo in this and in the next videos!

[@imjenncho]

Thank you! Ah yes, I’ll definitely work on reducing the echo on my next video. I actually forgot to turn on my external mic and it was too late to refilm 🥲😅

[@8484f]

what is ur new salary ty

[@frameofmind8800]

🤗

[@marulsidiq2111]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😘😘💐

[@parsefal4664]

Wow really youhooo : ) I glad to see you again :D Привет Рад тебя видеть. Ты классная! : ) Спасибо за то что ты делаешь! : ) your little far friend :D )

[@allancardona7910]

hello

[@ianxander7298]

But have you met Jeff Bezos?

[@_TEOTIA_JAAT_]

Can you guide me about my promotion, currently working as a sde 1 in Microsoft india... I spent 3 years in this company and still wasn't promoted to sde 2