Category: "Career / Jobs"

Open source - open season

Open source is extremely accessible, meaning literally everyone can download it and use it.

This is a double-edged sword.

For people that want powerful sites with sophisticated applications, most of the materials are available, free. For people that want to learn how to use the software, they can use it.

However, it also means that virtually everyone can claim exposure and competence with the products.

The best qualified people will admit they have little experience, or that they are still learning. Those that are new to the field may be reluctant to admit their inexperience, for fear of missing out on an opportunity.

This is one area where requiring a certain level of related education can help differentiate between candidates that are likely to succeed and those who will struggle. The foundation knowledge provided by a computer science or software engineering degree, even if it isn’t web-specific, should help someone new to the field learn quickly and learn well.

Experience is not as reliable as a way to measure someone’s qualifications. If they have worked with something, poorly, for five years, they may not be a valuable asset.

Sample URLs can be used to assess a candidates skill level, but one must be sure their contribution is clearly stated. For example, one person might do the site design, another might do the server-side logic.

There are many self-taught web people who have excellent skills and experience, however, there are also many people who consider access and exposure to web code a license to practice - but lack the requisite skills to be part of successful projects.

Location is a Commodity

Location can be considered a commodity - something which is purchased. The cost of business real estate, whether leased or purchased, is not only financial, but affects the people who are willing to visit your business and work there.

Most people don’t want to commit to a location for a job. Today’s career environment is very fluid, businesses change frequently, and the cost to purchase and settle in a home is high.

Thus, when choosing an office location, it is extremely important to position it where the people you want to staff it with are willing to go. The only truly reliable way to identify a location that will attract ‘good people’ is to select an area with similar businesses. This can be used to roughly estimate the available talent pool. Bear in mind it is unlikely you will find an exact population of perfect employees, but by the same token, a general skill set can often be discerned (for example: software, hardware, education).

In the event that the existing location is causing the business to suffer due to difficulty in hiring and retention, there are several possible options:

  • Allow telecommuting - extremely cost-effective, potentially risky. Creates communication overhead.
  • Open a satellite office - may greatly increase overhead, and includes some of the telecommuting risks/expenses.
  • Move - choose a new location, perhaps by starting with a satellite office.
  • Import employees - strive to find people eager to relocate into the region.

How to attract good professionals with a job post on the web

Well-qualified people seeking work have two primary questions:

  1. What will I have to do?

  2. What skills should I have?


This translates into “who do you want?” and “what do you want them to do?".

Questions about the company:

  1. Where is it?

Some people are very interested in benefits and compensation, but, unless there are special circumstances, those are really not as important. Special circumstances might mean that they may need really good health insurance to take care of a dependent, or a minimum amount of income to meet current financial obligations.

The location of the work is important, because, if they must go there everyday, it will have a major impact on their life.

Most people believe they are smart, and respect that other professionals are equally intelligent, whether they are recognized publicly or not. Most job seekers aren’t looking to work with people that describe themselves as ‘fun’. If someone is looking for a job, they are seeking a fair income, in exchange for a professional level of service. They aren’t looking for friends or fun.

When posting a job on the web, the following practices are valuable:

  • Ensure the job title is appropriate
  • Clearly describe the desired qualifications, especially those which you are not willing to compromise on
  • Clearly describe the role and responsibilities of the position
  • State the location, but don’t try to persuade people it is convienient. Convienience is relative.
  • Ensure there is a link to your company site, so people can learn more
  • Check the LinkedIn, FaceBook, and other public postings of your employees. Many candidates use these tools to find out what type of people work at your company. Be sure the posts are appropriate.

  • Salary is always commensurate with experience.
  • Avoid appearing desperate by running the same ads in the same places, over and over. People will assume there is a reason the position hasn’t been filled, or that the company has high turnover, and they won’t submit a resume
  • The work environment means different things to different people. It is better to say nothing, and allow the candidate to form their own opinion during the interview, whether by direct questions or simple observation.
  • If there are some very special benefits, it would be worth mentioning them. For example, free concert tickets, regularly, on-site daycare, telecommuting.
  • If there are any off-hours responsibilities or shifts, be sure to state that in the ad
  • Web professionals often submit URLs of recent work. Be sure to request them so you can review the work done. Candidates should describe their contribution to the project.
  • Be willing to negotiate for benefits and wages if the candidate is a really good fit, and make that clear during the interview (not on the job post).
  • Volatile companies with rapid growth may be perceived as risky, even if the growth is well-funded and the company is extremely successful. Avoid stating the position was created in response to growth, because rapid hiring may be followed in a few months with painful downsizing. Project an image of stability, so candidates feel they will have a secure position.
  • Be humble. Most people have strong positive feelings about their company, but by the same token, there are many great companies, and many great jobs. The job post isn’t an ad, it is a request for team members.

2 Year Curriculums for Internet Professionals

Logic / Engineering

Year 1
Fall
HTML
Javascript 1 (Logic)
Spring
CSS
Javascript 2 (DOM)

Year 2
Fall
MySQL
PHP 1
Data structures
Spring
Linux
PHP 2
Topics
Security
Client/server architecture considerations
Applications engineering
Template languages

Design / Development

Year 1
Fall
PhotoShop 1 - Fundamentals of design
HTML
Spring
User Interface Design
CSS

Year 2
Fall
Multimedia 1 - Visual design and construction
JavaScript
Application engineering - integrating designs with applications
Spring
Multimedia 2 - Flash/Shockwave, animation and audio
PHP
Topics
Page optimization
Server tuning
Browser compatibility

It is assumed these would offered in a Community or Junior college. Additional general education electives are assumed.

Management notes

One the most important things I have learned is the impact of organization, roles and responsiblities, on a company.

Even with a great technical team, if you don’t have good leadership and management, you will not be successful.

If you fail to resolve a conflict between employees, you risk losing the better employee, because they will likely have a choice (meaning able to get another good job), where the less qualified person will not.

If the goals and limits of a project are not clearly defined and communicated to a team, the team members will be unable to make good decisions as they work, and they will not be able to stay within the budget.

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