[thelist] Offering contracts: Opinions on Etiquette?

[Frank]

>i know this seems like a lot of info, but you can never be too careful with
>potential employees.  after all, you're going to be trusting them with
>company secrets, passwords, client information, etc.  you should be very
>certain that the person you're hiring is really who they say they are.

Thank you Jeff, that nicely counter balanced Matt's point of view. 
This was my first thought. "You tell me you're a highly skilled CF 
developer. As developer myself, I'm always proud to show off how I 
squeezed 18 milliseconds off of this particular piece of code." (No 
matter how dull it may be to non-programmers).

If my coder can't get excited at solving a particularly ugly problem 
he solved (no matter how ugly the kludge), s/he won't get excited 
about doing a good job. What I'm looking for is a developer who os 
strong in his or her current skills, and excited about moving up to 
his/her next level of evolution. Personally, as soon as I've solved a 
problem, I get bored with implementing it over and over again. I want 
something new, tougher, cooler that what I can currently do. There's 
a real pride to be taken in saying "I did this!".

I think the lesson I learned was this:

When interviewing a new coder, as if they would prefer to give you a 
sample of some small application they developed and are proud of, or 
if they prefer to take a test on the spot at the interview (arrange 
it before hand).

If the coder becomes defensive when asking them to sell themselves to 
you it's possible that they've either got nothing to sell, or won't 
work within your framework. Beware the Prima Donna.

It's easy to wave money at people. I've discovered that the appeal to 
greed is time limited. Make sure you find out what the programmer's 
chief values are, and see how you can meet them. This, in some cases, 
might be a challenge, an appeal to artistry, the sense of adding 
value to the world, or flat out catering to ego. Use this judiciously.

I have a tendency to ask more questions, than to provide answers to 
people, so I wanted to put out a big Thank You to all of you who take 
the time to respond to mine and other people's posts. Taking the time 
to answer questions helps people in a direct way in their life. Hats 
off to all the members on this list for creating such a great 
environment.

<tip type="cheap tip">

Offering a tip, or a solution to a problem you've recently had is a 
nice way of saying Thank You to the people on [thelist].

</tip>

<tip type="Sub Contracting">

There are many places you can go to find talent other than expensive 
head-hunters.  Do a search on the web. Look in your local free 
computer paper. Look into classified ads in your regular paper. 
Approach your local college or university. Mention that you're 
looking for a particular kind of person in just about any situation. 
(Know how many coders you can find over a pint?). Keep adding to your 
list. Just 'cause you're full at the moment, doesn't mean you won't 
need more in the future. Fill the funnel, so to speak.

</tip>
-- 

Frank Marion                      Loofah Communications
frank at loofahcom.com               http://www.loofahcom.com