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Oliver Buchannon
Neil Matthams

I have over 20 years of global recruitment experience across three continents. During this period, I have hired more than 500 technical roles (mainly Software Engineers) across 30+ countries and built teams for seed-level startups through to some of the biggest tech brands on the planet. This newsletter distils the processes and systems that I have built over my career and have been battle-tested in real-world hiring environments. Hope you enjoy!

"Uses AI" Means Nothing Now

Aug 14, 2026

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4 min read

"Uses AI" Means Nothing Now

Qualify AI depth in one question

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Hire the Engineer Who Fires the Agents

Aug 6, 2026

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4 min read

Hire the Engineer Who Fires the Agents

Test for the brake, not the pedal

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Your Hiring Bar is a Fantasy

Jul 30, 2026

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3 min read

Your Hiring Bar is a Fantasy

You're filtering for AI theatre

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Ten Pull Requests in 33 Days

Jul 21, 2026

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3 min read

Ten Pull Requests in 33 Days

The new engineer ramp benchmark

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
The Best Résumé Is a Red Flag

Jul 15, 2026

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4 min read

The Best Résumé Is a Red Flag

The 5-minute test that replaces it

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
The Pause That Gives Them Away

Jul 8, 2026

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4 min read

The Pause That Gives Them Away

Spotting the AI overlay in real time

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
They Built It But Can't Explain It

Jun 16, 2026

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3 min read

They Built It But Can't Explain It

The hire to screen out now

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Hire the Domain-Switcher

Jun 9, 2026

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4 min read

Hire the Domain-Switcher

Your best engineer isn't in your industry

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Your Next Hire Has 18 Months

Jun 2, 2026

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4 min read

Your Next Hire Has 18 Months

Then AI eats their job

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Spot the Vibe Coder in 10 Minutes

May 26, 2026

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4 min read

Spot the Vibe Coder in 10 Minutes

One question. Three signals.

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Hire the FDE Anthropic rejected

May 19, 2026

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3 min read

Hire the FDE Anthropic rejected

The $200K talent pool nobody's searching for

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Hire the 22-Year-Old

May 12, 2026

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4 min read

Hire the 22-Year-Old

When experience becomes a tax

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
The AI hire you're not making

May 5, 2026

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4 min read

The AI hire you're not making

Most founders write the wrong JD

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Stop Overpaying AI Engineers

Apr 28, 2026

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6 min read

Stop Overpaying AI Engineers

FAANG numbers are the trap

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Assume the Engineer Is Cheating

Apr 21, 2026

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4 min read

Assume the Engineer Is Cheating

Redesign the loop for the AI era

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Stop Outsourcing Interviews to AI

Apr 14, 2026

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6 min read

Stop Outsourcing Interviews to AI

The filter is running backwards

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Your best hire already quit

Apr 7, 2026

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7 min read

Your best hire already quit

Why boomerangs beat new hires

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
The "Hiring Boom" Is a Mirage

Mar 31, 2026

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7 min read

The "Hiring Boom" Is a Mirage

What 67,000 open roles actually means

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Pay more, hire less

Mar 24, 2026

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6 min read

Pay more, hire less

Why your next hire costs more

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Hire the AI Sceptic

Mar 17, 2026

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6 min read

Hire the AI Sceptic

Why your best AI-era hire doesn't trust AI

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Your best engineer doesn't code

Mar 10, 2026

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8 min read

Your best engineer doesn't code

How to interview for the skill that actually matters now

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Stop Hiring Like AI Doesn't Exist

Mar 3, 2026

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6 min read

Stop Hiring Like AI Doesn't Exist

The scoping step most founders miss

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
You're Fishing in the Wrong Pond

Feb 24, 2026

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7 min read

You're Fishing in the Wrong Pond

How to know which engineers will say "yes" before you reach out

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
250+ Hires. Zero Job Adverts

Feb 17, 2026

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5 min read

250+ Hires. Zero Job Adverts

A sourcing playbook you can run this week

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
Your ideal candidate doesn't exist

Feb 10, 2026

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5 min read

Your ideal candidate doesn't exist

And that's why your hire is taking so long

Neil Matthams
Neil Matthams
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