[thelist] HTML test (tip)

[Scott Dexter]

(Hi, I'm Scott. I'll be your Devil's Advocate today)

> 
> > 1. you might ask yourself why they can't determine your HTML 
> > proficiency based on your portfolio and/or and interview and/or 
> > reference checks.

because, as your potential employer, I want to see things that looking at
already done work can't show:
1) If you can code by hand
2) How fast you code cleanly
3) If you can write code without flipping through a reference for all your
needs

> > 
> > 2.  work quickly. don't worry if it's not pretty. chances are they 
> > don't care (or won't notice) if your attributes are quoted or your 
> > TD's closed.

uh, that's just sloppy and shows you don't care about it in the first place.
Work quickly, yes, but work clean. You can probably get a feel for your
interviewer for whether or not they'll scrutinize the code. Assume they
will. Assume someone will.

> > 
> > 4. if you think they care about your design skills, think again.

you're actually correct here. an 'HTML test' is just that: HTML. Now, if I
asked you to design something, I'd want you to wax poetic on my whiteboard
with a marker.

> > 
> > 5.  You are a circus dog.  The HTML test is a hoop.  How 
> high can you
> jump?

It's a filter mechanism. Remember that while you may be able to dream in
HTML, there are a number of people who make it past the resume/portfolio who
can't write code worth a shit, or need the book next to them the whole time.

Keep in mind that sometimes you may be asked to present how you'd code a
comp without actually writing the code: "Well, I'd break this into two
tables here, make that a rollover, and keep that stuff there text
images...."

In other words (and Rudy did put it much more succinctly --Circus dogs
eat--), take every interview seriously. For all you know, your interviewer
has been burned by quite a few 'designers' that couldn't code themselves out
of a bag, and once you establish that real-time credibility you're off to
the races....

just some thoughts
sgd
--
think safely