Deliberate choices I made in recruiting for a junior role:

- Did not include yrs of experience or college degree as a requirement.
- Did screen for gendered keywords in the role description.
- Did describe growth opportunities.
- Minimized specific naming of tools/jargon.

- Did ask, in screen interview, the same 101 question central to job description, but no trivia/gotcha.
- Did talk in detail about the role and day-to-day.
- Did have extensive conversations about career goals, company, team.

- Did not include a timed coding challenge.
- Did design a take-home challenge that reflected actual tools and tasks of the day-to-day, and encouraged candidates to ask questions and ask for time if they needed it—just as they might for an actual project at work.

- Did, when reading resumes, continuously de-emphasize the prestige of listed affiliations and ask what they did with those opportunities.

- Did ask for feedback from candidates who made it deep into the process, and make a list of things we might do differently for future openings.