Tips on finding better developers
jjanarth 39 posts
I have been hiring through odesk for a long time. Got all most 3500 hours on buying. Over the time I have learned a lot. Here are some tips about finding good developers.
1. Some countries are better then others. My preference is eastern Europe and south America for the best cost / performance ratio.
2. Dont look at per hour rate as deciding factor. If a guy charge you $10/hr and takes 4 hours , while a guy who charges $20/hr takes 1 hour...you lose
3. Be proactive when you post a job. I post a job then go and start inviting people insted waiting for some one to apply.
4. Cancel early. If you see things are not working out in the first few days its not going to work out in long term, cancel the project on good term. Give 5/5 etc.
5. My preference is to work with a developer direct then going through an agency etc, it has its risks and benefits.
6. Never hire part time guys for full time work. If you have 40 hrs worth of work then hire some one who is not working some where else full time and doing your job part time nights and weekends. This never works.
7. Have the code reviewed by some one competent. I pay a consultant in US $125/Hr who will review the code in first few days to tell me if the developer is good or bad. Its best to spend this money early then spend a lot later.
8. Never hire people who send spam apps, same cover letter etc etc. Its an automatic reject from my side.
9. Trying to correct / teach a developer does not work. I never try to teach the developer in how to code , how to improve etc (and i have been a developer for 20 years) because i am not in the teaching business and its easy to find another developer.
10. Arrange the time zone. I get up at 6 AM EST so my policy is who ever working for me full time has to work 8 hours between 6 AM to 6 PM.
Feel free to add your thoughts.
Jay
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katyalombrozo 20 posts - United States - Joined Nov 22 2008
Jay, excellent list!
I am sure a lot of people will appreciate those tips.
axeo 7 posts
Jay,
Good overall list. As I have said before, many problems arise because a business oriented end-user hires oDesk direct. Still there are obvious kinks in the system here that could have been solved long ago. The question is why not.
fabertel 1 post
very interesting , thanks for posting
have couple of questions, if you like to share your expertise.
since most programmers release their project at the end and after payment,how do you review the code in the early stage when you actually do not have access to it ?
and , for same reason, what do you do to be sure that they actually publish your site at the end and not just take the money AND your finalized idea ?
thanks
Fab
jjanarth 39 posts
This is hard. I being a coder my self i can tell early if the developer is good or bad. I also start with a test project or small module.
The developer taking your idea is common, I have been offered many times where a provider on odesk will say "i developed the exact thing you are looking for some one else, i can work from that code base".
If you want 100% IP protection then you need to hire some one in US who can be bound to a contract / NDA etc
Jay
axeo 7 posts
if you are worried about someone "copying" your system, then different providers on different tiers of the project; you then assemble the complete system
margaretphillips 221 posts - United States - Joined Feb 18 2007
Regarding how do you do code review:
I am a developer and I upload my code everyday to my buyers server. oDesk also provides subversion for code versioning and code repository.
Most of my clients have test servers and want me to upload and test my code out in their environment anyway.
chomphosy 1 post
I don't know about developers, but I'm hiring for my third oDesk graphics/multimedia job, and finding it a very positive process. Here's my list:
1. Don't prejudge on the basis of country, but if you have requirements for language, say so upfront.
2. Put very specific instructions in your posting, asking for links to examples of particular kinds of work. If candidates don't follow instructions in the posting, they probably won't follow instructions well on the job either.
3. Include enough information to allow providers to make good decisions about whether or not they should apply.
4. Take a little time to search through providers and invite some to apply.
I've seen postings here from buyers who have had overwhelming numbers of unqualified applicants. We had several qualified people to choose from, and just a few unqualified ones whom we could quickly eliminate from consideration.
iprahin 1 post - Russia - Joined Feb 16 2007
7. Have the code reviewed by some one competent. I pay a consultant in US $125/Hr who will review the code in first few days to tell me if the developer is good or bad. Its best to spend this money early then spend a lot later.
I can introduce to you a man from Russia, who can be your consultant for a $30/hr
icedev 1 post - Belarus - Joined Oct 17 2009
And I can introduce _YOU_ to the man in India who can be your consultant for a $25/h. It's not question about price, it's not question about country, it's question about trust and protecting yourself from loosing money.
jjanarth 39 posts
Yep. Its my money and my project so let me spend it.