How to Hire a Good Web Developer

Definition

A Web developer, strictly speaking, builds and maintains websites. However, a lot of people who create a site from start to finish -- designing graphics and webpages, figuring out the site map, then producing the site -- call themselves Web developers, so it's a confusing term. People who conceptualize and plan out the site are actually Web designers. Developers are the people who use some form of HTML to build the actual pages. A Web developer's other responsibilities could include optimizing graphics for the Web and producing rich media such as Flash, streaming media, or online audio.

Skills

Basic

Advanced

• Can hand-code HTML
• Can optimize graphics and webpages so that they load quickly
• Can handle cross-browser optimization -- making sure the site looks good on different browsers

• Familiarity with JavaScript
• Photoshop
• Dynamic HTML (DHTML)
• XML
• Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
• Familiarity with CGI forms
• Can deploy dynamic Web technologies such as XSSI, JSP, ASP, Dynamo, and Cold Fusion
• Familiarity with SSI (server-side includes)
• Has a working knowledge of JavaScript and CGI scripting. This will become increasingly relevant as DHTML becomes more widespread and more content is generated using scripts

How to Screen for Quality

• Candidates should be able to provide URLs of previous work. This is the equivalent of a portfolio.
• HTML code should be clean and well organized. You can check this by looking at the HTML source code of sample URLs.
• Many Web development companies screen job candidates with a standardized HTML coding test. Candidates are given an image created in Photoshop and asked to turn it into a Web page using only text-based editors.
• Get references from previous clients or employers. Was this person easy to work with? Did he or she produce a fast-loading, well-functioning site?