Don't allow yourself to be deceived by the legions of unqualified programmers and web developers

Also note that certifications and schooling is not a true test of competence. Any serious hire situation should include an acid test that involves a coding test project and code review by a qualified reviewing developer.

@Josh - you are right, there are many unqualified persons who call themselves web developers just because they know how to install wordpress and change a theme.

But you are also forgetting something - professional web developers are not cheap and not easy to find. And I'm not sure they will invest their time into taking tests.

The problem is that clients want a professional website and think that getting it for $5 on fiverr is realistic.

Great tips. Thanks for posting.

Well, this is a subject that I, of course, am concerned about. MOST of the advice here is true and good, and most of the other advice is sometimes true.

A little bit of advice:

Sometimes there ISN'T any documentation, or third party systems present problems.

But let me tell you about two things I have run into!

One company recently stated very little, and told me I would be working on a main piece. They also said the timeframe. I was VERY qualified to do that, and actually got everything specified done before I arrived!!!!! Eventually, it morphed into an entire application requiring STILL UNSPECIFIED standards. NOBODY could hope to do it in 20 YEARS, let alone a few weeks, given the total lack of info as to what exactly they want. It is like they asked me to write an article involving spiderman, and I wrote a nice little writeup. They THEN said that I should write a novel, and I wrote an action flick. They then complain that I should write it as a love story and have certain characters and use certain words, but they refuse to tell me the words or characters!

Of course, with a contract I just came from, they claimed NO documentation existed though I found it did. Still, they failed to provide me with a chunk of code they said they wanted me to look at.

As for testing the programmers, there is a REAL problem. Oracle tests often test things most don't need, and are troublesome at best. So they may not mean much for YOU. The M/S VB test tests some things often not needed, etc... So does the M/S SQL test. And they are ALL multiple choice! So what do you use? I would suggest finding one good programmer, or friend, that COULD do the job asking the candidate PERTINENT questions.

BUT WHATEVER YOU DO, BE HONEST with the candidate, and make sure they have done the tasks before, etc... SO MANY failures occur because of someone ELSE! Just look at the requests here. WEB DEVELOPER? Some think that is pure HTML! Some requires java script, java, PHP, SQL, or who knows what.

And realize that if you need graphic work done with photoshop, SAY SO! If you need to have a person use certain libraries, SAY SO! If you intend to resell software, SAY SO! It will give them a chance to help you, make your relationship better, and MAY keep you out of court!

Too many expect ALL programmers to be able to do EVERYTHING! Let me tell you a secret. Pssst..... It is NOT like the movies. NO programmer can do everything, and computers, and platforms, are different!

Steve

I out source pieces that i do not know to other programmers. Often all you need is a good work ethic, because finding coders is easy. Getting a project in on time and under budget is not so easy. Do not try to save money. Really sad what happens to most companies. They get burned when cutting corners. After all, you get that for which you pay. Good programmers are expensive. Like they do not work for 50 cent an hour in some sweat shop over seas.

I feel like to this fear mongering. There is a plethora of skilled labor out there. It's the same for hiring for any position; you need to interview properly to ensure that they are skilled in the areas you require.

Sadly, lack of attention to this detail is one of the top issues facing internet business owners whether they realize it or not.

It is about taking responsibility for the stability, security, and quality of the technology people build their businesses on.

you're absolutely right, but there are two sides to this coin. Sometimes clients are unsure what they're asking for and communication problems arise from that as well. Sometimes third party services and scripts ARE the problem and they sound like excuses. Sometimes a really bad infrastructure has been created and then someone expects the programmer to be a miracle worker when they're saddled with a bad setup.

As a webmaster if you're hiring developers you need to learn as much about the process as you can, you don't have to learn to code but do your best to understand the work you're asking for, and make it clear exactly what you want. This can prevent a lot of problems in the future. Learning as much as you can about the process will empower you to call someone if they're BSing you.

The idea of asking them to write a demo app is a good one. If you have a project of considerable size, you don't want to find out halfway through it that you hired the wrong person. If they want your business, they'll take a few hours on their own dime to win the project. I've done this several times myself where I built some small app to solve a fake problem just so they could look it over and see my work before buying.

There's nothing wrong with interviewing and shopping around. There's also nothing wrong with outsourcing. That's an entirely different discussion but not all outsourced labor is bad, and not all of it is good. For simple repetitive work an outsourced solution is great but for large project architecture it's handy to have someone within a couple time zones so you can communicate with them easier and solve problems quicker.

Hey Josh,

I can understand where you're coming from - I'm sure you've had people tell you that your software was the reason their programmer couldn't do what they were paid for.

This should be common-sense, but in IM there are a LOT of people looking for a bargain when it comes to outsourcing so I can imagine this is a big problem when you look right across the spectrum of what goes on every day.

Thanks for taking the time to share the warning.

The biggest problem I've seen when hiring developers is a lack of testing. Having spent 20 years in software development for complex medical devices and other mission-critical areas, more of my life was testing than coding.

In my experience, most outsourced programmers are totally unfamiliar with proper techniques and protocols for verification and validation testing. And it shows in their work. I've begun submitting verification test protocols with my requirements. I tell them to not even think of delivering the product until it passes the verification test to ensure it meets all requirements.

My professor wants me to be a programmer... just dropped his class last Friday. Cant deal with that mess.

OP is right - you should check programmer's credentials.

HOWEVER, nobody has to pass an exam to be a programmer, and exams don't really prove anything.

I've worked as a programmer for 15 years, and don't really have any qualifications (I'm a biochemist by training).

For what it's worth, NONE of the best programmers I've worked with over the years have had computer science degrees. The best programmer I worked with majored in English.

Best thing to do when hiring is to go on elance or oDesk and check the job history.

Mind you, most hirers are idiots on these sites - I've lost count of how many "I want a facebook clone, I will pay $500" gigs on there.

Your timing is perfect for me. I have a client wanting a membership site added to her website. She needs various other bits and pieces on her site too. I have quoted around £800 as I want the job done right for her. I wasted a fortune getting a warrior to custom make my site a while back. I ended up with no support and a virus ..... I then was rescued by another warrior who fixed the whole thing for me and said the coding was a mess.

So my plan is to go to Elance and find someone ...... how can I ensure they can actually do the job they are being paid to do.

I call myself a software engineer. Graduated in Electronic Engineering and been developing all kinds of software ever since the late 1970's. I have to say that this thread is a breath of fresh air.

For the last few years while working in IM I have become depressed by the apparent low status endowed upon good software developers. I recognise every situation quoted in the posts above plus many many more and I despair because very few people in this game appear to begin to understand.

So perhaps there is hope for me after all :-)