Comments on: What Makes a Good Web developer, and how can you tell?

By: Isaac

Isaac — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:05:09 +0000

I see where you’re coming from. But, in all fairness, you have a blog, and you comment on this one, and you work at Yahoo!, and working at Yahoo! does tend to keep webdevs rather busy. (And actually, as webdevs go, if they work(ed) at Yahoo, then they’re probably high quality. I’ve had recruiters tell me as much.)

The point I was getting at was how to guess the odds of a webdev being a rock star, given only the resume to go on. Looking at two resumes, all other things being equal, the one who’s written 1000 useful comments on php.net is more likely the guy you want.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 02:18:24 +0000

You know, I agree with most of this. Except the online involvement part. It think it is important that a developer is current, and to be current they need to be reading blogs and keeping up. They may not really have time to contribute much to the blogs and the community at large. (they being me mostly) I would like to think this doesn’t make me a bad developer, just a busy one. Nevertheless I always keep up with the latest developments, ideas, techniques. I also avidly follow all ecmascript4 flamewars.

By: Isaac

Isaac — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 22:45:42 +0000

Absolutely, I can’t believe I forgot about that, thanks!

Since this post was specifically about reading through resumes, it can be tricky to judge web presence. However, if someone hasn’t registered their name .com (ahem) and put it on their resume, then how serious are they about web development? At the very least, include a list of sites that you frequent and blogs you read. (This is also a great interview question, partly for personal gain. I’ve found some great sites because a candidate mentioned them!)

You can be sure, a hiring manager is going to google your name. It won’t be the first thing he does, but if you get through the first basic checks, it’ll happen. If the only hit is your LinkedIn profile and a few comments on Fark, that says a lot. The top hit should be your blog, your resume, your comments on A List Apart and php.net. So get out there, converse and contribute, and use your real name.

The worst thing is to have a developer stagnate in his own world. He’s gotta get out there and get inolved. His skills will improve twice as fast.

I’d go a step further. His skills will improve at all; the only other alternative is for his skills to degrade over time. Programming is a social behavior, and in this connected age, there’s no excuse for doing it alone. Stagnation virtually ensures that your skills will devolve. It’s not just about being outpaced; if you’re not engaged in the broader community of developers, you are going to lose the perspective that comes from multiple viewpoints, and eventually, even the skills you once had will fade.

If you aren’t experienced enough to be adding much to those communities, it’s probably worthwhile to put the sites you read on your resume. What sites you think are relevant says a lot about your priorities and experience as a developer. (Here’s a hint: stay far away from w3schools.com. If you like that site, it’s a red flag. It means you’re probably full of bad habits and half-learned techniques, and think you know your stuff.)

By: Dynamic Developer

Dynamic Developer — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:13:21 +0000

Good post. I think it’s also important for a candidate to show that they’re involved (or willing ot be involved) with the wider developer community. Taking part in blogs, forums and events, etc. I’ve done the most learning when interacting with other developers, even when i’ve been the one offering help. The worst thing is to have a developer stagnate in his own world. He’s gotta get out there and get inolved. His skills will improve twice as fast.

By: Mark El-Wakil

Mark El-Wakil — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 23:14:42 +0000

Thanks for posting this. I’m actually in the unenviable position of looking for developers now, and I found this useful.

Keep on blogging