Mistakes we did on our Devrel jobs

We learnt it the hard way, but don't have to.

Hi readers, this issue is a collaboration between Haimantika and Sonia. We have been in the industry for 4-5 years now and have made a lot of mistakes. Today, we talk about them! We hope you learn a thing or two from our mistakes and avoid repeating them. But, do not be afraid to make mistakes. As cliché as it might sound, this is how we learn and grow.

Haimantika: Personally, talking about my mistakes took a lot of strength, but it is a “hard to swallow” pill. Most of you will probably relate to it. It's never easy to talk about our own shortcomings, but here we go:

Sonia: Sharing my mistakes wasn't easy either, but it's an important part of growth. We all make mistakes, but the key is to learn from them. Here are some of my experiences and what I learned from them:

Not being vocal enough

I worked on many things, both tasks that were my responsibility and those that weren’t, but I did not talk about it enough. Not only that, when I had an opinion on something, it was always very feeble. Even though I knew my thoughts were correct, I was scared to put them forward. Healthy debates are very common in companies and should exist because that is how you build the best product or program. I always thought, “What if I put forward a different opinion and it hurts them?” I wasn’t wrong, but this is not how businesses work. I learned the difference between business and personal emotions and how I need to be more vocal and communicate my thoughts.

Not spending enough time building with the product I am advocating for

This is a big mistake that I made. As DevRels, we are user 0 of our product and should be building with it extensively to improve it and advocate for it. Now that I think about it, it was mostly due to my lack of time management skills. DevRel as a job includes a lot of context switching and involvement in activities that can take up a lot of your time, but you NEED to make time for yourself to build with the product. The more time you spend with the product, the more you know about it, and the easier it is for you to advocate for it.

Not spending enough time coding

In my first DevRel job, I focused too much on writing content and engaging with the community, neglecting my coding skills. While writing blogs and engaging with the community were important, my technical skills started to slip. This hurt my credibility and made it harder to connect with developers on a deeper level. Coding is at the heart of being a DevRel person. Without strong coding skills, it’s tough to relate to the developers you’re trying to help. They expect you to understand their challenges and speak their language, which you can only do if you keep up with coding. To be good at DevRel, you need to balance writing and community work with regular coding. 

Poor slack communication skills

Early on, I wasn’t great at communicating on Slack. I often sent short, rushed messages without much detail, thinking everyone would just get it. This led to a lot of confusion and wasted time. People often had to follow up with questions, and we lost precious time clarifying things that should’ve been clear from the start. Write clear, detailed messages. Include all necessary links and make sure your instructions or questions are easy to understand. It might seem like overkill at first, but it prevents misunderstandings and keeps projects moving forward. Good communication saves everyone time and keeps things running smoothly. Plus, your colleagues will appreciate the clarity and effort you put into your messages.

Unclear expectations with the manager

One big challenge was not having clear expectations from my manager. DevRel roles often require a mix of writing, speaking, and being active on platforms like Twitter and YouTube. Without clear boundaries, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unsure of where to focus your efforts. I found myself stretched thin, trying to be a jack-of-all-trades but master of none. Have open conversations with your manager about your role. Make sure you both understand your responsibilities and priorities. This helps you focus on what’s important and manage your workload better. It also helps to advocate for a realistic scope of work, so you can excel in specific areas rather than spreading yourself too thin.

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And with that, we wrap up this month’s newsletter. We hope you found it helpful and that it aids you in your career journey. If you'd like to share your learnings, feel free to DM us on X or leave a comment here :)

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