As a former employee of Meta, formerly known as Facebook, who spent a year working for the tech giant before moving on for multiple reasons, I am incredibly thankful for the lessons I learned during my tenure. And no, I won’t be using my newfound knowledge to take over the world or anything (although that would be pretty cool, right?), but I do hope to share some of the key takeaways I gained from my experience with you.

Strategic Feedback is Key

At Meta, feedback is a constant presence in your work. Whether it’s from your manager, or your peers, you’re always receiving input on your projects. I quickly learned that not all feedback is created equal, and it’s important to discern whether the feedback you receive is a potential blocker or just a nice-to-have suggestion. This allowed me to prioritize my efforts and focus on the most important aspects of my work.

Creativity is King

One of the things I loved most about working at Meta was the creative freedom I had. The company’s robust design system provided a foundation for me to experiment with and explore different ideas. Through meticulous attention to detail and endless exploration of the same components, I was able to come up with some truly unique designs. I learned that creativity is not just about coming up with something new, but also about pushing the boundaries of what already exists.

Building Relationships is Key

Working at a large company like Meta can be daunting, but I found that building relationships with colleagues across different teams and departments was invaluable. It allowed me to learn more about the company and its culture, and it also provided me with a network of people who could help me when I needed it. Whether it was bouncing ideas off someone in a different department or collaborating on a project, having strong relationships made my work easier and more enjoyable.

Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity

One of the most challenging aspects of working on complex projects at Meta was dealing with ambiguity. As I gained more experience and took on more responsibility, I found that projects became increasingly unclear and difficult to define. However, I also learned that with the right approach, it was possible to move these projects forward and drive meaningful outcomes for the company.

First and foremost, it was important to take ownership of the project and embrace the ambiguity. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by the lack of structure, I found that it helped to approach the project as an opportunity for creative problem-solving. This meant taking the initiative to research, experiment, and iterate on potential solutions.

Another key element of driving ambiguous projects forward was collaboration. In many cases, it was impossible to define the project’s parameters entirely on my own, so I learned to work closely with my team and other stakeholders to gather insights and feedback. This allowed us to iterate on ideas and arrive at a shared understanding of what we were trying to achieve.

Finally, I found that it was crucial to stay focused on the end goal. Even if the path forward was unclear, keeping the final objective in mind helped to guide our decision-making and ensure that we stayed on track.

Overall, driving ambiguous projects forward at Meta required a combination of creativity, collaboration, and focus. But with the right mindset and approach, it was possible to turn these challenging projects into valuable contributions to the company’s success.

Overall, my time at Meta was a challenging and rewarding experience that taught me a lot about myself and my abilities. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked there and to have learned from such a talented and passionate group of people.