Why 1-on-1s can accelerate your career

Many tech companies promote the practice of having managers regularly syncing (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly) with developers in 1-on-1 meetings.

These can serve many purposes for managers:

• align on the status of a project;

• gauge how happy a developer is with the current work;

• raise concerns about team dynamics and/or individual performance;

• ...
  

However, from your perspective, as an IC, a meeting of this style can be an amazing opportunity for you to take hold of your career progression and steer it in the direction you want. Let's see how.

Taking control of your career by leveraging 1-on-1s

The best way to propel your career forward is by ensuring that the right topics are discussed during a 1-on-1. These are the topics that are of your own interest when you're looking to move your career forward:

• how can you help your manager: asking simply how you can be of help to your manager can unlock amazing growth opportunities that would never materialize otherwise;

• how can you get to the next level: what are the expectations people in management and/or HR have to place you at the next level? Remember you can only get there by walking the walk, and the first step is to know which direction to take;

• what will come next in the roadmap/where are the biggest growth opportunities: sometimes, knowing what to work on is more important than being impactful at your current tasks. Choose wisely;

Conclusion

In order to leverage your 1-on1s in the best possible way for yourself, remember to ask exactly what it is you want from your career and how you can steer the conversation in a direction that suits you:

• set your own expectations and define exactly the goals you are pursuing;

• voice your concerns and propose approaches to reach a solution together with your manager;

• think if going the extra mile is doable for you and manage your workload accordingly;