About People Way
I'm Hugo
I run People Way, a recruiting studio for tech companies
Advisory, Search and RPO
My story
I started in consulting. BNP Paribas in San Francisco, then Jumia in China where I was right-hand to the CCO during hypergrowth. Two years of building teams, processes, and operations at scale. That's where I understood: what truly makes the difference in a company is its people.
I came back to France and trained in recruitment at Mobiskill. Learned headhunting, cold calling, closing. Then I spent a few years trying to find the right way to do this job. I collaborated with agencies, collectives, tried to co-found things. Each time something didn't fit: building an agency with junior employees wasn't my thing, being asked to do it as a full-time employee with no equity wasn't either, and working solo in a generic network with no niche felt pointless. I needed to find my own model.
In 2021 I went fully independent from Marseille. First RPO client: TheFork. Then Decathlon, where I recruited 30 people in 8 months. That was the proof: it works at scale when you do it seriously. Since then, Electra, Voodoo, BeReal, Finary. Today I still collaborate with Flaire on senior engineering and AI searches, and I run People Way, my way of doing recruitment.
I use AI every day. It helps me move faster on sourcing, screening, and market analysis. But the parts that matter most, understanding people, reading between the lines, giving honest advice, that stays human.
That's People Way. Good work, done properly.
How I work
Fewer clients, deeper work
I don't scale by adding accounts. I take on a small number of mandates and go deep. You get my attention, not a junior's.
Honest feedback
If your job spec is wrong, I'll tell you. If your process is slow, I'll tell you. Recruiting works when both sides are honest.
I stay after the hire
The job isn't done when someone signs. I follow up, make sure onboarding goes well, and stay available if things go sideways.
What we stand for
These values are operational, not decorative. They are decision filters.
Clarity
We remove ambiguity before it becomes cost
Clear words, clear processes, clear deals. If something is fuzzy, it gets fixed or removed. Complexity is a failure of thinking.
Leverage
We build systems that work even when we don't
Prefer systems over effort. Prefer automation over repetition. Prefer one good process over ten heroic actions.
Trust
Long-term relationships over short-term wins
No bullshit, no dark patterns. Transparent expectations with clients, candidates, and partners. We choose fewer clients and serve them better.
Taste
Judgment is a competitive advantage
High standards in execution, communication, and tools. Saying 'no' is a form of quality control. People Way should always feel well-crafted.