When visiting a new country or city, a tourist guide is invaluable. It offers a quick overview of local customs, top sites to see, how to get around, a pull-out map, and the places to find the best food. Every software engineering team should have a similar guide to welcome…

A good 10s personal introduction is key to making people listen — The one minute pitch, also known as elevator pitch, is a great template for convincing other people to adopt a certain solution. Here is a breakdown:

Some tips when you are good or bad with names — I always have a hard time remembering names of people I have met. There are tricks that have helped me over time. I understand I am not alone. If you are good at remembering names, congratulations. It’s a great skill to have. …

Strategies for tumultuous times. — Check out the TechLead Journal podcast where Chris explores this topic. Uncertain times, whether they are personal or external, can lead to serious self-doubt, stress, and eventually burnout. No one is alone at this and strategies for coping exist, without marginalizing the feelings you have. “Everyone is OK, but I…

COVID-19 will have the lasting impact of making remote working the new normal in the Tech Industry — For general tips on communicating better as an engineer, check out my recent book, C4E. News Updates May 02: 50% of Goldman Sachs could work at home forever. May 11: Google and Facebook extend work-from-home until 2021. May 11: Productivity loss of working remote is 1%. May 12: Employees at Twitter can work from…

Some surprising approaches to calculating Pi — Each year on March 14, we celebrate Pi Day at Uber Amsterdam. This year, we were planning to celebrate Pi Day on Friday and to look at a couple of algorithms using PyAlgoViz. Due to COVID-19, the in-person celebration of Pi-Day got canceled, and instead we did a video call…

COVID-19 caused a world-wide WFH experiment. What now? — Whether you work from home structurally as a remote employee, or whether you are part of the world-wide WFH experiment caused by COVID-19, working from home will be different to most of us. Here are some tips to make working from home effective. …

It’s all about Communication — A technical interview might be seen by some people as an event where the candidate tries to sell their qualities and the interviewer does the most to challenge them. Instead, it is a two-way discussion filled with communication opportunities. During an interview session, the candidate is selling their skills. But…

22 Ergonomic and Productivity Tips — If you suddenly find yourself working from home as a result from Covid-19 and you wonder how to set up an effective home environment, scroll down to tip 13 that describes my home setup. Also, check out the article How to work from home effectively that specifically discusses communication techniques…