DC Digital Talent editorial ·
Make the scope visible
A useful screening note states which responsibilities and technical areas were explored. A conversation about an Android release does not automatically establish backend architecture depth. Explain what the conversation covered and what it did not, so the hiring team knows where further assessment is required.
Separate contribution from team achievement
Ask an engineer to describe a real change, their own decisions, the alternatives considered and the outcome they observed. Record the distinction between work they led, work they contributed to and systems they inherited. The aim is to understand judgement in context, not reward the most polished account of a successful team project.
Include gaps and next questions
An honest note includes uncertainty. Perhaps the engineer gave a strong account of debugging but little evidence of mentoring. Perhaps a migration was described clearly but performance measurements were not available. These are focused follow-up questions for the client, not reasons to fill the gap with an assumption.
Leave the final decision with the hiring team
Peer screening is an early source of evidence. It does not replace your own technical assessment, references where appropriate or a discussion of how the person will work in your team. Use it to make the next interview more specific and to decide whether that interview is worth having.