Awesome that you chose #PBJAM, filled out your profile, joined a group and have scheduled that first meeting based on mutual availability! How cool are you?
Now, the question that might be on your mind... what happens in the first meeting, what do I do, what are the expectations of me and so on. Let's discuss them!
Setting up attentive and professional environment for a good peer session:
Turn your phones to vibrate (if you are not expecting emergency calls, turn the phones off completely)
Be ready: Visit restroom, get a glass of water, a bite to eat so that when peer session starts, you are ready
Choose a spot that is as quiet as possible and where you can expect 45-60 minutes of privacy, we don't recommend cafes or libraries or open spaces. Your home office, a private room or a conference room is much better venue!
Be on-time! Showing up on-time shows that you are serious and you respect the time of your peers. Yes, we all have things that cause delays every once in a while, but build your reputation as someone who is always on-time (a great professional reputation to have, isn't it?)
Audio Setup: Choose an audio setup that provides you the best audio. This could be your laptop speaker, headphones, Bluetooth or your cell phone speakerphone. Make sure that it is not picking up background noise.
Video Setup: Yes, we all look awesome! Do look professional for peer sessions. Every interaction that you have with your peer is a practice run for that next interview. It is desirable to have plain background for video sessions, but if you have your library/home office/kids drawings that's OK too. Main point is to have minimal movement in your background that could distract your peers. You don't want your pet to hog the video session, do you?
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