We all expect the first day on a new job to be a little causal with some paperwork, followed by instruction and lunch with new co-workers. But all this does not exist in the case of world’s most popular social networking site Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), says a report from Business Insider. The new engineers are asked to write a new code for the site on their very first day, according to a 2013 Venture Beat story.
Facebook Bootcamp
This first day writing of a new code is one of the exercise, which is a part of the Bootcamp, a six-week on boarding program for new engineers. The program was created in 2008 by early employee Andrew Bosworth, now working as a vice president of advertising, for maintaining the company’s culture as it expands.
On opening their laptops, the first thing that new engineers notice is the welcome email along with a few work from the Bootcamp manager, according to Bosworth. He added that Bootcamp is not meant to make people comfortable.
By the end of their six-week Bootcamp, the new employees are expected to have an idea of things they like working on best, and on that basis are given a choice to join the team they like.
Move Fast and Break Things
There is a specific schedule in the company. During the first month, new engineers are given lectures by senior Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) employees about the company’s history, and here they are also given a short introduction of the company along with the ins and outs of its various products, which introduces them to a risk taking culture best exemplified by the company’s early motto, “Move Fast and Break Things.”
According to the San Jose Mercury News, in a couple of days, the new engineers are expected to have all the code ready to go live for Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) daily users. This is done for the purpose of making engineers familiar to the frenetic pace with which the company is always updating its site along with pushing them to solve problems under pressure.
Jocelyn Goldfein, former Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) director of engineering tells Mercury News that this is a secret recipe of Facebook. Goldfein added that he has gone through the same, and eventually understand the essence of it. He describes that the process of ‘Move Fast and Break Things,’ helps to continue innovating.
