Meta PSC for New Hires: What to Expect in Your First Review

Landing a role at Meta is exciting—but it comes with a performance culture that can feel like learning a new language. The Performance and Skill Calibration (PSC) review is more than a check-in; it’s your roadmap for growth, recognition, and influence within the company.

Think of it as your career compass: it evaluates not just what you’ve done, but how you approach problem-solving, collaboration, and strategic thinking. If you’re wondering how to navigate your first PSC without stress, this is your real, actionable guide.

What is PSC? Understanding the Process Behind the Reviews

Meta’s PSC, short for Performance and Skill Calibration, is the cornerstone of the company’s talent development system. Unlike typical performance reviews, PSC is structured, transparent, and calibration-focused. It’s designed to ensure fairness and alignment across teams and to help employees grow in their careers intentionally.

Here’s what makes it unique:

• Leadership-driven – The Head of Engineering and the VP of Engineering define the framework, ensuring that the review system aligns with Meta’s broader strategic goals. This isn’t just HR bureaucracy; it’s a system designed by people who understand the technical and cultural nuances of the organization.
• Manager involvement – Managers advocate for your growth, provide structured feedback, and contextualize your contributions relative to peers and team goals.
• Calibration-focused – PSC ensures equity by comparing performance across teams. Two engineers doing similar work on different projects are assessed fairly, avoiding bias and inconsistent evaluations.
• Multi-dimensional evaluation – PSC looks at impact, collaboration, technical skill, problem-solving, and growth potential.

Documenting your contributions early and consistently can make the PSC process less stressful and more impactful. It allows you to tell a compelling story of your work and ensures nothing important gets overlooked during evaluation.

When to Expect Performance Evaluations

Timing is critical. Unlike traditional annual reviews, Meta’s PSC is predictable but continuous, allowing you to track progress and avoid surprises.

• First formal review – Most new hires undergo their initial PSC after 6 to 12 months, though this may vary depending on your role and team.
• Ongoing feedback loops – Meta emphasizes continuous feedback. Managers provide guidance during project check-ins, one-on-ones, and team retrospectives. This helps you course-correct and demonstrate growth before the formal PSC.
• Calibration sessions – Your manager will discuss your performance with other leaders to ensure fair comparisons across the organization. This peer-level evaluation is what makes PSC rigorous but fair.

Treat these check-ins as mini-preparations for your PSC. Ask for specific examples of your contributions and areas for improvement so you can address them proactively rather than reactively.

Pro tip: Don’t wait for the review to get feedback. Actively request check-ins every quarter—it signals initiative and helps avoid last-minute surprises.

Who Participates in Your PSC

Understanding who is involved in your PSC can make the process less intimidating and help you prepare strategically. PSC isn’t just a one-on-one between you and your manager—it’s a coordinated evaluation with multiple voices contributing to a fair, calibrated assessment.

Here’s a breakdown of the participants:

1. Your Manager

Your manager is your primary advocate and the first evaluator. They track your contributions, assess your impact, and provide examples of how you’ve met—or exceeded—expectations. During PSC, your manager presents your performance to other leaders for calibration and ensures your achievements are communicated effectively.

2. Peer Managers and Team Leads

Calibration is at the heart of PSC. Peer managers and team leads participate to compare performance across teams, ensuring equity. They provide perspective on how your contributions stack up relative to others doing similar work and help maintain consistent standards.

3. Head of Engineering & VP of Engineering

Leadership plays a crucial role in designing the PSC framework and participating in high-level calibration discussions. They review aggregated ratings and input to ensure fairness, alignment with organizational priorities, and adherence to Meta’s evaluation principles. Their involvement means PSC is not just about day-to-day output—it’s about your impact at the team and organizational level.

4. Cross-Functional Stakeholders

Depending on your role and projects, cross-functional colleagues who have collaborated with you may also provide input. Their perspective helps highlight your influence beyond your immediate team, showing how your work supports broader goals and drives outcomes across Meta.

5. You (Self-Assessment)

Finally, you are a participant too. Your self-assessment and narrative play a critical role in framing your impact. Documenting projects, measurable outcomes, and examples of collaboration ensures that your story is heard clearly during the PSC.

Understanding this ecosystem of participants allows you to tailor your preparation, gather input proactively, and ensure that your contributions are visible to the right people. In a sense, PSC is a multi-angle snapshot of your impact, not just a single opinion.

How Feedback is Delivered

At Meta, feedback during the PSC is designed to be transparent, actionable, and growth-oriented. Unlike traditional performance reviews where ratings are handed down with little explanation, PSC feedback is structured to give you clarity on your performance, impact, and areas for growth.

Here’s what to expect:

1. Manager-Led Feedback

Your manager is your primary point of contact. After calibration discussions with other leaders, they will share feedback that reflects both your contributions and how they compare to expectations. This is typically delivered in a one-on-one meeting, where your manager walks through:

• Key accomplishments and measurable impact
• Strengths and areas where you’ve excelled
• Specific opportunities for improvement or skill development

This meeting is interactive. You can ask questions, clarify examples, and discuss next steps for growth.

2. Written Summaries

In addition to the verbal conversation, Meta provides a written summary of your PSC results. This document includes:

• Performance rating and calibration context
• Highlights of your impact on projects, teams, and cross-functional work
• Recommended areas for development and suggested learning resources

Having this written record helps you track your progress over time and plan concrete steps for improvement before your next review cycle.

3. Focus on Growth, Not Just Ratings

Meta’s PSC emphasizes learning agility and forward-looking development. Feedback is framed around:

• What you did well and why it mattered
• Areas where your impact could be amplified
• Skills or behaviors to prioritize for future opportunities

The goal is not just to assign a rating, but to help you understand how to increase your influence and impact within the company.

4. Opportunity to Discuss and Respond

Feedback isn’t a monologue. You have the chance to discuss specific points, provide context, and share your perspective. Thoughtful engagement demonstrates ownership of your growth and signals that you take feedback seriously.

By understanding how feedback is delivered, you can prepare to receive it constructively, act on it strategically, and incorporate it into your ongoing career development. Treat each PSC cycle as a roadmap for growth rather than just a judgment—this mindset can set you up for long-term success at Meta.

What You Should Avoid

PSC is high-stakes, but several mistakes are common and easily preventable. Avoid these pitfalls:

• Overconfidence without evidence – Assertions like “I contributed a lot” won’t impress unless backed by measurable results. Track quantitative outcomes, such as efficiency gains, users impacted, or bugs resolved.
• Ignoring feedback – Meta values learning agility. Feedback is an opportunity to grow. Failing to act on it signals stagnation.
• Obsessing over peers – Calibration ensures fairness. Constant comparison with colleagues can distract from improving your own performance.
• Poor documentation – Keep detailed notes on projects, cross-team initiatives, and problem-solving examples. Even a simple spreadsheet with metrics, dates, and outcomes can make a huge difference when you compile your PSC portfolio.

Think of PSC preparation as building a career portfolio: each metric, project outcome, and story strengthens your case.

How Meta’s PSC Stands Out

Meta’s PSC isn’t just another performance review—it’s a systematic growth tool. While many companies evaluate only individual contributions, Meta’s process balances team-wide fairness, measurable impact, and alignment with core values.

Key differentiators:

• Calibration across teams – Your rating is contextualized against peers, ensuring consistent standards company-wide.
• Impact over effort – PSC emphasizes results of your work, not just hours logged. Did your project reduce bugs, improve performance, or streamline workflows? That’s what matters.
• Transparency and clarity – You know the scoring criteria and expectations upfront, unlike opaque review systems elsewhere.
• Growth-oriented feedback – PSC highlights not only what you’ve done well but also next steps for your career, including stretch opportunities and skill development.

During your preparation, frame your work around impact and alignment. Explain how projects improved efficiency, performance, or team outcomes. This clarity can make a strong impression during calibration discussions.

Common Challenges New Hires Face

Navigating your first PSC at Meta can feel overwhelming. Even top performers encounter common hurdles during their first evaluation cycle. Recognizing these challenges ahead of time can help you address them proactively and turn them into opportunities for growth.

1. Understanding the Evaluation Criteria

PSC is multi-dimensional, evaluating not just output but impact, collaboration, and learning agility. New hires often struggle to translate day-to-day contributions into measurable impact. Without clear examples and metrics, it can feel like your work isn’t fully recognized.

Tip: Keep a running log of accomplishments, including project outcomes, process improvements, and cross-team influence. Frame each contribution with challenge → action → result.

2. Overestimating or Underestimating Your Impact

It’s common for new hires to either oversell achievements or undervalue contributions that actually matter. Misalignment with your manager’s perspective can affect calibration discussions.

Tip: Seek periodic feedback from your manager or peers. Ask how your work is perceived and adjust your self-assessment accordingly.

3. Navigating Cross-Team Work

Meta highly values cross-functional impact, but new hires may feel limited by their immediate team responsibilities. Work done outside your core team—like supporting another team or improving processes—can be overlooked if not documented.

Tip: Track all collaborative efforts and outcomes. Include these in your PSC portfolio to showcase broader impact.

4. Balancing Visibility and Modesty

Finding the right balance between sharing accomplishments and avoiding self-promotion can be tricky. Some new hires hesitate to highlight wins, while others overemphasize minor tasks. Both extremes can hinder performance perception.

Tip: Focus on outcomes and evidence. Let the results speak for themselves rather than relying on subjective language.

5. Adapting to Meta’s Feedback Culture

The feedback culture at Meta is direct and data-driven, which can feel different from previous workplaces. New hires sometimes struggle with receiving candid input or may misinterpret constructive criticism as negative judgment.

Tip: Approach feedback as a growth tool. Treat every comment as actionable information to refine skills, improve processes, or increase impact.

6. Time Management During PSC Preparation

Preparing for a PSC can be time-consuming, and new hires often underestimate how much effort it takes to compile documentation, gather examples, and draft self-assessments. Rushing this process can reduce the quality of your submission.

Tip: Start early. Document contributions continuously rather than waiting until the review cycle begins.

By understanding these challenges, new hires can approach PSC with greater confidence and clarity, turning potential stress points into opportunities to demonstrate growth, influence, and strategic thinking.

5 Must-Do Things for PSC Success in 2025

Meta’s review culture rewards preparation and proactive engagement. Here are five strategies to maximize your first PSC:

1. Document consistently – Record projects, contributions, and metrics continuously. Structure your notes by project, role, measurable impact, and cross-team involvement.
2. Seek feedback early – Request input from your manager and peers on both strengths and improvement areas throughout the year. Early feedback reduces surprises during your review.
3. Demonstrate cross-team impact – Highlight contributions beyond your immediate team. Meta values engineers who think and act at an organizational level.
4. Highlight complex problem-solving – Use examples where you navigated ambiguity, solved challenging problems, or improved processes. Detail your approach and the results you achieved.
5. Show learning agility – Reflect on feedback and demonstrate tangible improvements. Learning from experience and applying lessons quickly is highly valued.

Whenever possible, quantify your contributions. For example, instead of saying “Improved code quality,” say “Implemented automated tests that reduced production bugs by 30%.” Numbers convey impact far more convincingly than general statements.

Step-by-Step Framework to Approaching Your First PSC

Here’s a tactical roadmap for effectively preparing for your first PSC:

Step 1: Take Inventory (Weeks 1-2)

List all contributions, wins, and ownership examples. Include quantitative metrics (performance improvements, code efficiency, user impact) and qualitative metrics (collaboration, mentorship, problem-solving).

Step 2: Collect Feedback (Weeks 3-4)

Reach out to teammates, cross-functional partners, and your manager. Ask for specific examples of impact. Document these for your PSC portfolio.

Step 3: Map Achievements to Meta’s Core Values (Weeks 4-5)

Align contributions with Meta’s principles, such as Move Fast, Build Social Value, and Be Bold. Demonstrating alignment strengthens your narrative and shows cultural fit.

Step 4: Practice Self-Assessment (Week 5)

Frame your self-assessment as a story: challenge → action → impact. Keep it concise, measurable, and evidence-driven. Avoid generic claims; use concrete examples that show your initiative and results.

Step 5: Review and Iterate (Week 6)

Have a mentor, manager, or trusted peer review your documentation. Refine your narrative, double-check metrics, and ensure clarity. A polished, evidence-backed submission demonstrates professionalism and preparedness.

Conclusion: Treat PSC as a Launchpad, Not a Hurdle

PSC at Meta isn’t just an evaluation—it’s a launchpad for your career trajectory. By preparing strategically, documenting impact, and demonstrating learning agility, your first PSC can be a stepping stone toward promotions, high-visibility projects, and long-term success.

PSC isn’t about perfection. It’s about clarity, evidence, and reflection. Approaching it thoughtfully allows you to showcase your value, influence your calibration, and set the tone for accelerated growth at Meta.

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