# 5 Tips for Hiring Tech Professionals

> Here are a few pieces of advice, drawn from my experience working with companies, that I wish I’d had back when I was a manager.

- Author: Mathieu Eveillard
- Published: 2025-06-25
- Updated: 2025-11-13
- Tags: Organization, CEO
- Canonical: https://www.mathieueveillard.com/articles/recrutement-profils-tech/
- Translation (fr): https://www.mathieueveillard.com/fr/articles/recrutement-profils-tech.md

![5 Tips for Hiring Tech Professionals](https://www.mathieueveillard.com/articles/2025-06-25-recrutement-profils-tech/recrutement-profils-tech.webp)

My work brings me into contact with many organizations, and I constantly come to [the same conclusion](https://www.mathieueveillard.com/articles/insuffler-le-changement): some things can be changed with the current staff, while others, more fundamental issues, require new blood. In other words, you can’t make a racehorse out of a donkey\*, which is why recruitment is of particular importance.

So here are a few tips, based on my experience in the corporate world, that I wish I’d had back when I was a manager, or tips I wish I’d been able to put into practice if I’d had the freedom to do so 🙃

## Favor a strong interest in your business

It can’t be said enough: IT is not an end in itself. IT is a very useful tool for streamlining your business, whether it’s logistics, finance, human resources, or funeral services. A developer who isn’t eager to actively build expertise in your industry, who isn’t curious, or who only talks to you about [Kubernetes](https://www.mathieueveillard.com/articles/hype-technologique) will eventually end up building overly complex systems that are detrimental to your business. **In-depth knowledge of the business is the foundation of all pragmatism**.

## Look for skills that stand the test of time

Technologies are [fleeting](https://www.mathieueveillard.com/articles/architecture-vs-technologie): today’s React may be tomorrow’s jQuery; today’s JavaScript may be tomorrow’s COBOL. It’s therefore better to have a candidate who approaches programming through the lens of architectures, language paradigms, patterns, algorithms, and methodologies than a pure specialist in the technology of the moment. Such a candidate may not be the most effective in the short term (though…), but they’ll make all the difference in the long run.

## Involve your teams in the hiring process

This is a classic pitfall: the new hire is dropped into a team where they’ve only met the manager, or worse, hired with no team assignment at all. Instead, organize a “360-degree” hiring process so that the candidate and each team member can truly choose one another. Don’t rely solely on self-reports; if possible, organize a real work session focused on a concrete, current issue facing your company.

## Don’t hire someone who knows how to do it; hire someone who’s hungry

Which is better: a candidate who has held a similar position and will simply reuse their expertise without asking too many questions or adapting to your company? Or that other candidate, who doesn’t check all the boxes but has a thirst for learning, a desire to push themselves, and will thank you for trusting them, while also better taking into account the unique context of your company? It’s up to you 😊

## Hire people who aren’t like you

We naturally tend to hire people who are like us, because it makes us feel comfortable. While a foundation of shared values is, of course, essential, you’d be well advised to hire people who are different from you; they’ll bring different skills, a fresh perspective, and healthy debate. Creating an army of clones is the last thing you want…

## [Bonus] Hold on to the people you hire!

Let’s hear from Steve Jobs: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” In other words, be very demanding during the hiring process: be selective and walk away if you have even the slightest doubt, even if it means going without someone to do the job for a long time. But **once you’ve hired someone, trust them**! And please, please, don’t fall into the trap of micromanagement.

_\* This phrase doesn’t sound very humanistic, but I use it because it’s a familiar saying. My deep conviction is that everyone is good at something but rarely employed in that very field. In other words, there are mostly horses that aren’t running in the right race. A real challenge for our educational system…_