A junior team member is intimidated during a code review session. How can you help them overcome their fears?

Building trust among the team is a very important part of the review and feedback process. Positive criticism should be communicated actively. Goals and objectives of the process should be communicated effectively. Review process should be performed in person or on a call/meeting whenever possible in order to understand the thought process of the author and a chance to explain the perspective of author as well. Trust always work bothways. As a senior, give juniors a fair chance to review other's code reviews as well including you. This makes them feel included and they can learn from better code as well.

Creating a supportive environment during code reviews is crucial for easing the fears of junior team members. Encourage open communication and reassure them that the review process is not about finding faults but about collaborative improvement. Emphasize that their contributions are valued and that code reviews are a standard practice for everyone, from interns to senior developers. This normalization helps build a culture of trust where feedback is viewed as constructive rather than critical. By fostering this supportive atmosphere, junior team members feel more comfortable sharing their work and receiving feedback, ultimately contributing to their growth and confidence within the team.

You can try paying a little more attention to them by helping them during you free time and also try figuring exactly what the problem is that is bring about their fear this way you can help them better

Encourage them to make decisions and reassure them that making mistakes is part of the learning process. Also, Share resources like coding guidelines, best practices, and relevant documentation to help them improve their skills independently.

Our society nails in the idea of "talent" over growth. We assume a singer can sing because they were born with an incredible voice. We assume an artist can draw because they have an uncanny ability to mimic shapes or invent new creative images. We assume a programmer can code because they have some innate intelligence. The truth is, everything in life is hard work. And working hard can improve nearly any skill. Share a story of your struggles with a junior programmer you're mentoring and tell them how you overcame them. Personally, I dropped out of a CS degree because I thought I couldn't hack it. I share this whenever developers I mentor are struggling.