We’ve been iterating on our design hiring process for the past two years at BuzzFeed. Shedding light on what’s worked (and hasn’t) for us internally has had a positive impact on other teams at BuzzFeed, so we’ve decided to make our hiring process and approach public.

This is the second in a three part series, and will focus specifically on sourcing and recruiting. To learn more about why our design team is so involved in this process, read part one.

In my previous post I stressed how design has taken ownership of the entire hiring process, from end to end…

For the past two years, I’ve been knee-deep in trying to solve one of the most difficult design challenges I’ve faced in my career: hiring. How do you find and hire the best designers in this increasingly competitive industry? At BuzzFeed, we’re looking for product designers who are talented executioners, strategic thinkers and humble to boot. It’s a tall order that requires a thoughtful and intentional process. What started with a few sweeping changes to introduce a sense of order and consistency to our hiring approach in early 2015 has since been iterated upon and improved with each successive interview.

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Two weeks ago I got the exciting opportunity to speak at and attend The Conference in Malmö, Sweden. The Conference is a tech conference, but it’s one that focuses more on the implications that emerging technology has on humans. To use a specific example from the event itself: it’s less about the “how” of building artificial intelligence and more about what in the fresh hell that means for the rest of us (spoiler alert: we’re all f*cked).

Now that I’ve had some time to decompress and get my work email back to Inbox 0, I thought I’d reflect on my…

There’s been a thought brewing in the back of my mind, brought to the forefront of my attention thanks to the #thatwoman hashtag which resurfaced some frustrating memories.

After experiencing some subtle inequities at my past place of work, and hearing from a substantial amount of former female colleagues who faced much more overt discrimination, I brought up the situation in casual conversation with a former male co-worker.

“[Company] has a woman problem.” I said.

“I think it’s more of a designer problem.” He corrected.

Now this is a totally fair rebuttal. I was the only designer there at the…

My recent trip to Argentina started out like a dream. I sipped some yerba mate, indulged in dulce de leche, hiked up a mountain, learned to tango, kissed a boy, and ate more meat than I probably have on my own tiny frame. Those first nine days were absolutely surreal. However the dream turned into a nightmare when my friend and I were followed and mugged by five young men in Montevideo, Uruguay.

I’m writing down the details of what happened partially for self-preservation, but also because I had way too much time to think on the nearly 13 hour…

The word “user experience” makes me involuntarily cringe. It elicits the same reaction from me as nails on a chalkboard. It is also one of the most common phrases in my profession— “design”, which as of late is also high up on my semantic shitlist, eclipsed only by the seemingly innocuous “simple”.

Aside from sounding pretentious as hell, the word “user experience” has been diluted to a point in which it holds no actual meaning. …

Which environment will better allow me to grow and thrive as a designer? This was the question I asked myself many times before making the cross-country move from San Francisco to New York. In an environment of exposure I’m surrounded by the crème de la crème of product design: inspiration, mentorship, and advice all at my fingertips. Yet the idea of working in isolation would allow me the opportunity to develop my own individual perspectives, methods, and philosophies outside of the dominating opinion of the Bay Area’s tech elite. …