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Barry Cranford

About Barry Cranford

http://meetamentor.co.uk

Posts by Barry Cranford:

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I’ve just been introduced to a mentor, what should I do next?

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If this is you — Congratulations! You’ve just been introduced to someone that could change your life.

It’s hard to overstate the impact a mentor can have on your career, your life and your mental health.

They can not only help with your known unknowns (the things you know you don’t know) but can also help you to find and solve the unknown unknowns (the things you had no idea about). This is where the magic really happens.

Before we get to that though, first things first.

If you are reading this because you’ve just been introduced to a mentor through Helen or Barry at Meet a Mentor then we must first manage your expectations.

Consider this the mentor matching equivalent of a blind date. Just like dating, a lot of mentoring comes down to chemistry. Neither side should feel under any obligation to force a relationship that isn’t there. Some introductions will result in long term relationships, some will lead to metaphorical marriages but many will be the mentoring equivalent of one night stands.

We believe the best way to approach a mentor-mentee relationship is for the mentee to take accountability for driving the relationship. First impressions are important, here’s our advice for how to start the relationship off on the right foot.

1. Be overly respectful, enthusiastic and grateful

It sounds obvious, but in our experience this advice is necessary. If you have been introduced to someone who doesn’t know you and yet is offering to help you, for FREE then the first thing to do is be very grateful. Genuinely grateful. Showing kindness, courtesy and gratitude is the best way to start.

Enthusiasm also helps. You should demonstrate this by writing swiftly to your mentor. Same day as the introduction if possible but definitely within 24 hours.

2. Ask the mentor what’s best for them

Where possible we would recommend face to face interaction, even if that’s just 5–10 minutes through zoom. Failing that a phone call. However, it’s worth noting that some mentors have made it clear to us that they prefer to have initial contact asynchronously, over email or slack. So don’t assume anything and ask the mentor what’s best for them.

Be respectful of your mentor’s time and wishes, make sure you check with them how they would like to engage.

3. Prepare your questions and let your mentor know what you want

If you’re looking for advice on a specific topic, let them know. If you’re looking for guidance on planning your career journey, let them know. If you don’t yet know exactly what help you need, that’s fine… but let them know. They will know a bit about you already, but you should be prepared to start the conversation by saying something like “Should I tell you why I signed up for a mentor?” Allow them an easy opt-out at any point.

Beyond that make sure you have a few key questions prepared around your subject. It can be difficult to get those questions, so if you need help with this part then let Barry or Helen know. We have a list of questions for any situation.

We are here to support you every step of the way. If you don’t think it’s going to plan, let us know and we can organise alternative introductions and let your mentor know.

Good luck!

If you have arrived here and have not yet met a Mentor, and would like to know more then:

Meet-a-Mentor is a community founded and run by RecWorks Ltd that connects members from the UK tech industry. We run an active Slack group and meet-ups as well as offer 1–2–1 mentorship opportunities. You can find out more here.

If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me at bc@recworks.co.uk or Helen Lewis (our Meet-a-Mentor Coordinator) at hl@recworks.co.uk.

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9 Reasons why you should join our Aspiring CTOs group

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At RecWorks we have recently created a new initiative designed to inspire and develop a diverse new generation of CTOs within London and beyond.

It is called Aspiring CTOs. The group has just over 50 members, here are some of the recurring themes we have seen in the reasons they told us made them sign-up:

1. To understand what the CTO role actually looks like

Our membership told us that they’d like to understand how specifically the CTO role differs from a slightly more junior leadership role. What are the new challenges and stresses that it brings? How do these change across companies or industries — what are the patterns?

2. To build a loose plan to get your first CTO role

Our members want to hear about the journey that CTOs already in position have been on — so that they can clarify paths, steps and actions that others have taken. They want existing CTOs to reflect on the lessons they have learned and what tips or advice they can pass on. What are the shortcuts, what are the pitfalls and what should be the focus in a plan to make it into the role? Some people are also looking specifically for CV and interview advice.

3. To find out what knowledge and skills they lack, and advice on how to fill the gap

Many of our members want to know what skills are absolutely crucial in the CTO role so that they can understand where their weaknesses are and focus on improving. Several are also looking specifically to get advice on directorship and how to transition from the technical team to the leadership team.

4. To understand how they compare and contrast to other members

Several of our members commented that they are looking to connect with a group of like-minded individuals, on the same journey, to understand how they compare. Have they shared similar challenges, do they come from similar backgrounds and have a similar skill set? Do they share motivations?

5. To build a network of like-minded individuals and experts

Many of our members tell us that they are looking to find a network they can learn from. Others say that they want connections that they can discuss problems with. Some have mentioned looking for people that can help them when it comes to sourcing work.

6. To meet a mentor

Several of our members have mentioned hoping to find and be paired with a mentor as a key reason for joining the group.

7. To share knowledge

One of the most commonly recurring things that came up was people looking to share knowledge or their own experiences with others that are in the same boat.

8. Support and self-confidence

A few members mentioned things around looking to feel the support of being part of a community of others on the same journey. I’ve heard from various CTOs, in the past, that it can be immensely reassuring and confidence building to know that you’re not the only one that is struggling with a particular challenge. Even better if you can find people that have solved that challenge and can offer you support.

9. Positive vibrations

This was the response from only one of our members but could be my favourite of all the reasons.

FAQs

Now you know why you should join, here’s more information about what you can expect from our group.

What is the aspiring CTOs initiative?

It’s a small group of people who are interested in stepping into a CTO role at some point in the next 1–3 years.

What would I be joining? Where do discussions take place?

Essentially you are joining an email group. It is designed to suit those that are keen to move quickly AS WELL AS those that are thinking about their future plans but are not yet in a position to progress.

It is administered through Google groups and we also have a dedicated Slack channel on the Meet a Mentor Slack group.

What is it all about? What happens within the group?

Whilst it’s only a few months old and growing constantly, here are a few of the things we have:

  • Q+As — Private Q+As over zoom with experienced CTOs. You’ll be part of a small group and have a chance to submit questions and speak directly to our guests
  • Mentoring roundtables — Regular events in which you’ll get a chance to meet a variety of experienced CTOs for events that run almost like a blend of speed dating meets Q+As
  • Mentor introductions — A chance to be matched with CTOs that are happy to pair with you directly
  • Shared content library — A chance to share content related to becoming a CTO and to see relevant content from other members
  • Buddy system — We are introducing a buddy system in which you can be paired with people that have been a member of the group for a while and are happy to talk you through their experience

Who are the members?

Engineering managers, architects, team leads, tech leads, developers and new CTOs. We have circa 60 members at the moment, across a diverse membership base representing different nationalities, race, gender and ethnicity groups. All are welcome to join, we are currently looking at BAME CTO and women CTO mentorship programs.

As with everything we do, we have a strong focus on being friendly, respectful and supportive within the group.

I want to join what do I do next?

Sign up and enter your details . One thing we would strongly recommend is to connect with a buddy, you can do this by selecting yes when prompted on the sign-up form.

I am intrigued, but I’m not yet ready to apply for roles, can I join and be passive?

Absolutely. If the CTO role is something you aspire to one day but maybe not right now, then you can sign up and passively absorb the information until you are ready to get more involved.

Can I join if I’m not based in London?

Definitely. The bulk of our members are London based because that is where our business, clients, communities and hence most of our network is based. You are, however, welcome to join no matter where in the world you are. We already have members from around the world. Plus, our Q+A’s and lightning talk events are currently held on zoom, so the world is your oyster.

Good luck! Any questions 

Meet a Study Group (MaSG) – FAQ and Sign Up

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Meet a Study Group is the latest addition to Meet a Mentor. If you are interested in signing up to a study group under the Meet a Study Group initiative you can sign up here

If you’d like to find out more then here is an FAQ:

It is a project designed to connect you with a small group of people that are looking to learn the same things as you as part of online study group. The groups are based on the Meet a Mentor slack group. The learning is typically based around an online course or book, which is voted on by the members of the group.

Q – What is the point? Why should I join in?
Learning a new technology can be difficult, it can be useful to have a support group around you to answer questions and keep you on course. You will join part of a small group of people that all have the same goal in mind. There are often enthusiastic and driven mentors/advisors within the group that can help keep you on course when you get stuck.

This is an example of feedback we received that lead us to create this initiative:

“What I found lacking in an online course was an active forum to discuss. It would have been good to have something like slack to communicate with others on course.”

Enter Meet a Study Group!

Q – Which groups exist at the moment?
So far we have groups around Kafka, TDD, Reactive Programming, Clojure and have new groups coming around Java for beginners and Deep Learning/Machine Learning. We expect to be setting up new groups around various technologies all the time.

Q – Who is behind the Meet a Study Group initiative
Ultimately it is being driven by members of the Meet a Mentor initiative. RecWorks (founders/organisers of Meet a Mentor) are on-hand to get the groups started and provide support where required with organising events, connecting with mentors and general administration and support of the groups, but the groups are driven by the members. You can see our privacy policy here

Q – Will there be a workshop/meetups involved?
This is up to the group lead and the members of the study group. There is definitely the opportunity to organise in-person workshops and meet ups if members of the group want to.

Q – Which courses are used in the study groups?
Each group will make this decision themselves. Where necessary we can put you in touch with experts/mentors and get their thoughts on the best material to use.

Q – Can I join and opt out later?
Yes, absolutely. We know some people will have a change of heart

To sign up to a group under the Meet a Study Group initiative you can sign up here

Potential Q+A Session: Driving Technical Innovation With 20% Time

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  • Are you a software developer that wished your employer would offer 20% time to work on your own software projects? Would you like to know how to get management buy in?
  • Are you a CTO considering introducing this at your company to either drive technical innovation or as a perk to increase retention?
  • Are you someone that has worked in this environment with opinions as to whether it was successful or unsuccessful?

If you are and you’d like to join a discussion around the subject then I’d like to hear from you! Based on the feedback of a member of the Meet a Mentor community, we are considering running a Q+A session around how companies aim to drive technical innovation by introducing time for developers to work on their own projects.

Please enter your details below if this would be of interest to you

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Q+A Session: Why Learning Clojure Will Make You A Better Programmer

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Our second official Q+A Session happened on Wednesday 28th February at 18:00. The full transcript of the Q+A is available on the #qanda_clojure channel in the Meet a Mentor slack group. If you are not a member you can sign up below.

We spoke at length for an hour to four mentors on the subject of “Why Learning Clojure Will Make You A Better Programmer”. This was a moderated discussion in which mentors were asked questions like:

  • What are the best bits of Clojure and why should Java developers look at it?
  • What eureka moments did you have that helped you learn Clojure
  • If you could have your time again what advice would you give yourself to learn what you know now in half the time

Current mentors/question answerers included:

Timothy Pratley – Timothy is the author of the book “Professional Clojure”, and a contributor to the Clojure core language. He has 18 years of professional software development experience in banking, robotics, logistics, and advertising. He spent the last 4 years exclusively using Clojure and ClojureScript developing enterprise systems for Fortune 500 companies. He enjoys making YouTube videos about Clojure, going running, and reading books.

Daniel Lebrero – Daniel is a technical architect with more than 15 years of software development experience. He has been dabbling with Clojure since 2011 and using it professionally since 2013. He has worked on monolithic websites, embedded applications, low latency systems, micro services, streaming applications and big data. He now creates open source software at Akvo. A long time Java practitioner, he now also loves ().

John Stevenson – John has 20+ years of industry experience, working at several leading edge consultancy companies. He is also an active organiser ​for several technical communities in London, and runs regular​ workshops for developers ​and those new to programming, including ClojureBridge London. He has spoken at many conferences ​on topics including Functional Programming (Clojure)​, developer experience, agile ​and​ devops practices. When not playing with Clojure he c​ycles ​long distances through beautiful countryside to keep healthy​ and de-stress.

If you are already a Meet a Mentor member then you can read more at the #qanda_clojure channel. If you are not a current member and want to get involved in this event then please sign up here:

 

Why some graduates get every job they apply for… and how you can too!

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There was an interesting discussion in the Meet a Mentor Community yesterday about developers working on personal projects outside of their core hours and how that is perceived by interviewers.

It made me cast my mind back to my graduate recruiting days. When I was a recruiter I personally loved finding candidates that showed an interest outside of work, but really all that it offered was undeniable proof that this person has a ‘true’ passion or genuine interest for their discipline. Infact I find the same at dinner parties, I love meeting anyone that has that kind of passion whether that be for coding, guitar or otherwise.

As a recruiter finding that evidence basically made my job easier and recruiters are specialists at looking for the quick/easy win.

I think it comes back to the phrase that actions speak louder than words.

A great example of this can be seen when working with graduates. There are obviously hundreds that come out of university looking for tech jobs each year. I would say as much as 95% of conversations would go something like this:

ME – “What sort of job do you want?”
GRAD – “I want to be a developer”
ME – “That’s great, would you say you’re passionate about it?”
GRAD – “Yes absolutely I love writing code and really want to learn more about it”
ME – “Superb news, so what have you learned since you finished university? Do you do anything with any open source projects?”
GRAD – “….no not really”
ME – “Ok have you taught yourself any technologies since you graduated?”
GRAD – “No I want to get a job so I can learn some”
ME – “Do you have any way to show me that you are genuinely passionate about this?”
GRAD – “I got a 2:1 – is that enough?”

I would often then test them and the conversation would continue like this:

ME – “We actually have some support roles would you look at them too?”
GRAD – “Yes! I love support work”

I got to learn through experience that 9 times out of 10 this type of graduate would fail the interview. In the end I stopped working with most grads that had no evidence to back up their passion. (Though I did start the Graduate Developer Community to help try and get grads find their passion).

I would say perhaps 5% of grads we would speak to would ever be able to demonstrate that clear passion for development… and they were the ones that would often get offers for every job they applied for. They’d know what language they loved, they’d have downloaded the source code and have a few projects on the go and as a result were often a cut above the rest. It was a pleasure working with them and helping them find their dream jobs.

I know it’s not entirely the same as senior developers, but there are definite parallels. I would say it is still only 10-20% of the industry that truly have the passion for development that many employers love. I speak to many developers that I know are 100% passionate about it but prefer to leave it at work… nothing wrong with that at all, but it does lead to the problem that there is then no ‘evidence’, no ‘actions’ to back up their words. It doesn’t make the developer bad in any way – it just means the interviewer has to work a bit harder to find that passion, or the interviewee has to work a bit harder to demonstrate it.

My advice to everyone that is considering getting a new job and wants to succeed in every interview is to make the decision as easy as possible for the interviewer or recruiter.