About the HackerOne Engineering Mentoring Program

The program began in 2021 as an internal resource for engineers to be mentors and mentees. Mentors build their leadership and mentorship skills, while mentees improve on areas they want to develop. Those interested in one of the roles are paired and kick off a 12-week program.

“EMP not only bolstered my technical knowledge in the H1 codebase, but it also made me a stronger communicator, gave me the skill set to be a more effective project lead, and showed me better approaches to solve unexpected problems.” - Serena Kuo (United States), Engineer, Mentee

At the heart of the program is the mentorship relationship. This pairing is not haphazard; it's a well-thought-out process that considers the project, goals, and interests of both mentors and mentees. The program matches employees twice a year, letting teams participate in the program when it best fits their schedule and commitments.

Since its implementation, nearly 30 employees have gone through the program as a mentor and/or mentee. The program is designed to foster an environment where knowledge transfer, skill enhancement, and team collaboration take center stage.

Employees have built soft skills such as public speaking, cross-team connections, and project management, and technical skills such as Ruby on Rails, SQL and Elasticsearch, debugging, and front-end coding.

“EMP boosts the development of engineers’ talent. It’s a two-way process; when you teach, you also learn. It expands your network and brings new opportunities. New opportunities mean growth within the company, which helps the retention of skilled people. So, it’s a win-win both for the employee and the organization.” - Ilhan Mercan (the Netherlands), Engineer, Mentor

Programs like these are important to equip the team with valuable skills that contribute to personal and professional growth. In an era where technology is advancing fast, HackerOne’s Engineering Mentorship Program can help shape the future of engineering in and outside of the organization, and we are proud of our employees for making this program so successful.