Ten years at any company is remarkable, but Emil Ng’s journey at Hireology tells a story that goes far beyond tenure. As a Lead Front-End Engineer who joined the company in 2016, Emil has witnessed and helped shape the evolution of Hireology’s engineering culture and product development.
Many Chapters, One Book
When asked about his progression from Front-End Engineer to Senior Front-End Engineer to Lead Front-End Engineer over the past decade, Emil offers a unique perspective: “Each milestone has almost been like working at a different company, even though it has been a single company.”
This sentiment captures the dynamic nature of Hireology’s growth and Emil’s ability to adapt and evolve alongside it. Rather than a linear path, his career has been marked by continuous transformation, with each chapter bringing new challenges, technologies, and opportunities to learn.
From Code to Big Picture Thinking
Over 10 years, Emil has developed a crucial skill that separates senior engineers from their junior counterparts: the ability to see patterns and think abstractly. “After a while, when you start doing enough of the work, you start realizing, ‘oh, this is the same thing as this other thing that I did, but in a more abstract way,'” he explains.
But perhaps more importantly, Emil has mastered what he considers the more critical skill: learning how to work with people. While he’s clear that he never wants to pursue a management track (“I like the tech side,” he says firmly), he’s found immense satisfaction in mentorship and technical leadership.
“There’s a certain point when you get high enough—you can’t help but deal with people, which I enjoy,” Emil shares. “I love mentoring people. That’s definitely one of the perks of getting to a higher level of knowing enough to say, ‘This is how you should think about this.'”
Creating a Culture of Curiosity
One of Emil’s most significant contributions to Hireology’s engineering culture is something that might seem simple but is profoundly impactful: making it safe to ask questions.
“Being able to ask questions without people saying, ‘you don’t know that’—that’s been huge,” Emil reflects. He actively works to model this behavior, encouraging newer engineers to ask “stupid questions” (though he’s quick to note they’re not stupid at all). “People just don’t know it—it’s fine,” he emphasizes.
This approach has created ripple effects throughout the engineering team, fostering an environment where learning is valued over ego and curiosity is encouraged over pretense.
Leading by Example
Emil’s mentorship philosophy is rooted in demonstration rather than dictation. “I try to show by doing, and not necessarily by telling if I can avoid it,” he explains. “Setting good examples, I think, is very important.”
This hands-on approach extends to how he handles disagreements within the team. His strategy is pragmatic and measured:
- Pick your battles: “If it’s not that important, I just let it go. Is this a hill I need to die on?”
- Seek compromise: For moderately important issues, find middle ground
- Enforce standards: Only put his foot down when established team standards are at stake
Proud Moments and Tough Challenges
When asked about his proudest accomplishments, Emil doesn’t point to a specific technical achievement. Instead, he highlights the feedback he’s received from engineers he’s mentored: “It’s so great to hear from people who have grown so much in their career from when they’ve started to where they are now, and hearing from them say, ‘I really appreciate the mentorship that you’ve given.'”
He also emphasizes the importance of recognition: “Sometimes it’s just something simple—if you acknowledge they’re doing something good, then it makes people feel good, and they’ll keep doing it.”
One of his most challenging technical projects was the initial implementation of interview scheduling on the applicant tracking system, which had a tight deadline and multiple team members working simultaneously. “It was a lot of trying to figure out who could work on what at what time without preventing everybody else from stepping on each other’s toes,” he recalls.
Beyond day-to-day development, Emil also contributed to shaping Hireology’s hiring practices by creating the interview question templates for front-end engineering positions, helping ensure consistency and quality in the hiring process.
Looking Ahead
What excites Emil most about Hireology’s future is the shift in focus. “Our goals are built around the product now, whereas before, a lot of it was on the revenue side,” he notes. “We have both the advantage of driving that direction, and the brunt of that work is on our shoulders now, so it does make things kind of interesting.”
A Legacy of Learning
When asked about the legacy he hopes to leave behind, Emil’s answer is characteristically focused on people: “I’d want others to carry that on—when they mentor, make sure that people who are just starting out can ask questions and not be afraid to not know what they’re doing. Things are changing so fast, you can’t know everything.”
Life Beyond Code
Outside of work, Emil has been pursuing another passion: music production. He’s been learning to play guitar and piano while collecting synthesizers, even posting clips to his YouTube channel (though he admits that producing and publishing music is “actually a lot of work” when you care about quality).
Advice to His Younger Self
If Emil could go back to 2016 and give himself one piece of advice, it would be this: “Don’t worry too much about the details, because everything’s gonna change.”
It’s fitting wisdom from someone who has navigated a decade of transformation—both personal and organizational—with grace, curiosity, and a commitment to lifting others up along the way.
Closing Thoughts
Congratulations to Emil on 10 incredible years at Hireology! His technical expertise, mentorship, and commitment to fostering a culture of learning have made a lasting impact on our engineering team and company culture. Here’s to many more years of growth, innovation, and asking all the questions.
