a day in my life as an mct green bean

Hihi! I’m Xin Yue and welcome to a day in my life as a Green Bean (GB) in Mavericks Consulting’s Mission Control Team (MCT). 

8:45AM: Getting my day started

I know I know. You may be asking why I reach the office so early since work starts at 9am. I prefer coming in early to have a slow and calm start to my day. My routine is to fill up my water bottle, scavenge for breakfast in the pantry, then set up my laptop and all the tabs that I’ll need throughout the day. I follow this same order every day without fail. Treating these tasks as part of my daily discipline helps me start the day feeling productive and positive.

9:00AM: Planning my day

When I first started at Mavericks, I struggled to balance my personal growth and my workload. I now dedicate the first 15 minutes of each day to create a simple checklist for myself. This gives me a clearer sense of direction for the day and a clear visualisation of what I need to get done. More than that, it keeps me motivated throughout the day because I can see progress happening bit by bit whenever I tick something off. As someone who’s still growing in the role, having that visible reminder of what I’ve completed helps me stay encouraged and makes the learning journey feel a lot less overwhelming. 

10:00AM: Stand-up!

Before joining Mavericks, I had no idea what a stand-up was. All I knew was that we needed to stand 😅. This time is dedicated for us to share progress, review completed tasks, and re-evaluate the sprint backlog. A successful stand-up requires a clear understanding of our task backlog, as well as the team’s capacity and priorities for the week or month. Keeping the stand-up short and sweet is also crucial to minimising team wastage. 

Even though I am a GB, I am often encouraged to help guide and lead the team too. At first, it felt confusing because there were many different aspects to keep track of. To manage this better, I have started setting aside 10 minutes before each stand-up to review the board and prepare my updates in advance. This helps me contribute more clearly during stand-ups and keep the team aligned. I’m thankful to the Yellowbeans and Redbeans, whose guidance has helped me build this habit and improve over time. 

10:30AM: Pairing session

At Mavericks, we regularly organise “pairings”, where we pair up with someone else from the team to learn something new or to get fast feedback. As a GB, I have found that pairing with someone helps me work faster and stay aligned with team standards. 

Before I had the habit of scheduling pairings, I would often spend too much time staring at a task because I was unsure of how to start or worried about doing it wrongly. Eventually, I realised that trying to figure everything out on my own isn’t always the best solution. In fact, it was slowing me down. Scheduling pairings has helped me be more proactive, build confidence faster, and learn in a way that is both effective and efficient. 😇

A recent example: I had the task of uploading job posts on school platforms, but I had never done it before. So I scheduled a pairing session with a Yellowbean to guide me through the process of posting on all the school platforms. After a short 30-minute session, I already felt confident enough to complete the task on my own. A similar task that I had in the past took me an hour without much progress. Now, I was able to complete the task efficiently and independently. Knowing when and how to seek guidance significantly improves my confidence and productivity.

11:30AM: Post-Pairing Reflection

Once the pairing is over, I’ll usually take a few minutes to consolidate my notes. I reflect on my previous approach to identify what worked and did not work well. I try to centre my reflection on understanding the “why” and “what” behind the task. This allows me to adapt the “how” more effectively as requirements evolve. 

For example, where necessary, I’ll sometimes put together a checklist (or update an existing one). This helps me turn what I’ve just learnt into something practical I can refer back to, instead of relying on memory alone. It also gives me more confidence when doing the task independently next time. 

Similarly, because processes can change, I try to adapt by continuously reviewing my way of working. If I need to adapt and try different methods, I will take the time to experiment or update my approach as needed. It also helps that I get regular feedback that I can incorporate. All of this helps me to complete tasks better each time and be a well-rounded individual. 

This mindset stems from a lesson I learnt at Mavericks: the difference between “doing the right thing” and “doing things right”. When working on my tasks, I try not to focus solely on executing them correctly, but also on whether I am approaching them from the most appropriate angle. This means taking a step back to view tasks or issues from a broader perspective, rather than blindly completing them as assigned. Balancing these two aspects adds in an extra layer of consideration, but it ultimately leads to more thoughtful and effective work.

Then it’s time to grind! 🤓

2:00PM: Introductory calls

In MCT, a big part of what we do is recruitment. We hire across different roles, from Developers to even new MCT teammates, so there is often a lot happening at once. Because of that, prioritising is really important. We need to keep interviews moving, make timely decisions, and stay aligned as a team so that the hiring process remains smooth for candidates and for Mavericks.

Currently, as a GB, I am shadowing other experienced interviewers to learn and build my confidence. After every call, we always debrief with our interview pair to evaluate the candidate and reflect on our own conduct. This matters because interviews are not just about asking questions. We also need to make sense of what we observed, hear different perspectives, and make sure we are being fair and consistent before deciding on the outcome for each candidate.

Since I’m still in training, I usually use this time to observe and take notes on how the Yellowbeans and Redbeans evaluate candidates and how they reflect on the call overall. This is especially useful for me as I prepare to take on my own calls, because it helps me understand the thought process behind why certain questions were asked, what follow-up points stood out, and how they assess a candidate more holistically. It has shown me that a strong interview is not only about what happens during the call, but also about how thoughtfully the team reviews it afterwards. 

4:30PM: Check-in! (to get a health check 😮‍💨)

Check-ins are one of my favourite times (mainly because I get personal time with my trainer). But more importantly, they give me a chance to pause and understand how I’m actually doing. Since there is always so much to learn in MCT, these conversations help me see what I’m doing well, where I still need more support, and what I should focus on improving next.

Once those areas for improvement are identified, I can then discuss with my trainer how to work on them more intentionally. I find that this makes growth feel a lot more manageable, because instead of guessing what to improve, I leave with clearer direction and support. 

5:00PM: Goals switcheroo

So, based on what I have identified with my trainer, I’ll adjust my individual performance management sheet. This spreadsheet is included in my GB onboarding checklist, and it has been a huge help in giving structure to my growth management.

Essentially, it helps me prioritise what I need to improve on for the week, assess my current level, and come up with an action plan to do better. I find this especially useful because there are always many things I could work on at once, so having everything written down helps me prioritise and focus on what is most important instead of trying to improve everything all at once. It also helps me keep track of what I can work on next when I’ve achieved a current goal.

This might also mean that my schedule might shift or completely change. But that is okay, because any adjustments will be based on what will help me grow and perform better. This adaptiveness is key at Mavericks. Being “Agile” applies to my own way of working and personal development just as much as it does to our software projects.

6:00PM: Zao lo!!! 🏠🏃🏻‍♀️💨

TIME TO GOOOO HOME! But before going home, I always take a look at my daily checklist to see if there are any tasks that I wasn't able to complete. I like doing this because it gives me a proper sense of closure for the day and helps me leave work with a clearer mind.

If there are unfinished tasks, I’ll add them into my checklist for the next day so that nothing slips through the cracks. And if there aren’t any, then I’ll tick all the checkboxes and call it a successful day at work! 🥳🤘🏻