Go Back   vb.org Archive > vBulletin Article Depository > Read An Article > General Articles

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Do Your Research Before Hiring!
Princeton's Avatar
Princeton
Join Date: Nov 2001
Posts: 6,693

Joe Velez began developing for the web in 1998. He is an avid vBulletin user and volunteers his services as a vbulletin.org administrator. He currently spends his time maintaining and developing allnurses.com.

Vineland, NJ
Show Printable Version Email this Page Subscription
Princeton Princeton is offline 04-22-2006, 10:00 PM

Not sure who you're listening to but money doesn't grow on trees!
You work hard for your money. So, why in the world are you throwing money away?
[imgrft]https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/images/portal/moneytree.gif[/imgrft]
If you want to hire a programmer[1], do not hire based on "lowest bid" only. If you do, you'll end up with a product that has not been thoroughly tested, optimized, or worst--the program does not do what you want it to do.

Just like everyday life - you need to do some research before you act. Only after you have completed your research should you hire.

Below is a guideline of what you should do when making a request and what you should expect.

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN MAKING A REQUEST
  • If it's a large project do not expect it to be finished in a couple of weeks. A good programmer will take the necessary time to test the product before adding it on a LIVE site. Testing a large project could take weeks even months.
  • Experienced programmers are usually busy ... if you place a request for something that needs to be done right away ... you will most likely be declined or ignored due to time constraints. A good programmer thinks about the business at hand not the business that could be.
  • It's always best to pay per project not per hour. For example, a large project could take up to 100 hours or more. The hourly pay for a good programmer averages $65-$150 per hour. Do you still want to pay per hour?
  • An individual creating and releasing a popular modification here in vb.org does not mean they are an "expert" in the field.
  • Do not base your choice on the "usertitles" that are found here. These titles are set automatically by the system and are based on "install counts". In my opinion, if you base your choice in "usertitle" you will most likely come out losing.
WHAT YOU SHOULD INCLUDE WHEN MAKING A SERVICE REQUEST

The more details you offer the better chances of getting a response.
  • Budget - If it's a large project add your budget. You're only wasting your time if you don't
  • Mockups[2] - Provide mockups of how you envision your project ... the more mockups you provide the better the estimate. In some cases, it will lower the estimate. For example, a programmer could be thinking something more complex when you want something simple. NOTE: A mockup can be done on your favorite HTML editor, graphic editor, or pencil and paper. It doesn't matter ... the goal is to give the programmer something to visualize so that they can base their estimate on what you want NOT on what they think you want.
  • Expect to pay a deposit of at least 50% down. Only when the "Trust Factor" exists should you consider paying 100% upfront.
  • Provide a full description, goals, bulleted list of features, examples, mockups, and screenshots of what you are requesting. Everything should be written down ... there should be no question as to what it is that you want.
  • Get everything in writing ... The best option is to have all communications via email or a "customer help desk w/email capabilities". This will provide all parties a copy of past and present communications.
  • Do NOT include the time that YOU think the project can be completed in. For example, I have seen statements in the following manner .. "it will take an experienced programmer 30 minutes top". If you do something like this you will most likely be ignored by the best of programmers.
PROJECT COST

Factors that determines project estimate:
  • Complexity of project
  • Time to complete project
  • Requests for "Exclusive Ownership Rights" (Some programmers, like myself, will not grant "exclusive ownership rights". Others will just increase project cost by a few $1,000's.)
High demand for a programmer usually means ... more experience, less risk, and a higher trust factor. With this in mind, expect to pay more for programmers who are in demand.

TRUST FACTOR

Do not trust anyone.

However, there are things that you can look for to build credibility and trust.
  1. Take a look at current work the programmer has done.
  2. Take a look at the programmer's responses to questions. This will give you a good indication of what "type" of person they are.
    • Does the programmer belittle people if they lack the proper knowledge?
    • Is the programmer "negative" in their tone of voice?
      • Negative responses are a big flag. All responses should be positive regardless of how the programmer feels about the communication at hand.
  3. How long has the individual been a vb.org member? You don't want to hire someone who just became a member last month. Most of the "new members", are the ones that usually end up ripping people off.
  4. Ask for full name and address ... you don't want to refer to someone by their WEB nick. For example, "iMuRfaTHeR is doing the work for me", "iMuRfaTHeR has ripped me off!". My response to you is ... Huh? Who is iMuRfaTHeR? Just think for a moment ... this person could leave and come back with a different nick. Guess what? YOU might hire them again. I don't think you want that. Do you?
  5. Minimize risk by hiring people locally ... (hired in the following order)
    • City
    • County
    • State
    • Country Only hire outside when you can verify their credentials.
  6. Hire only those that you can verify ... if in doubt, do not hire.
  7. Ask for a telephone number (very important - you can verify address / locality of person with a phone number)
  8. Try to find people that have a good understanding of all aspects of vbulletin ... this includes: PHP, MYSQL, XHTML, JS, GRAPHICS ... reading their comments found here in vb.org will help you to determine "what they know".
DISCLAIMER

Information found on this article is provided for information purposes only. It's recommended that you hire a local attorney for legal advice.

[1] Programmer - in this article, we are using the term "programmer" in a general sense ... a programmer could be anyone who modifies or adds to an application in any form (eg. php, mysql, html, graphics, etc)
[2] Mockups - A usually full-sized scale model of a structure, used for demonstration, study, or testing.


Questions? Contact Joe @ http://vbulletin.org.
No reprints of this article is allowed.
Reply With Quote
  #42  
Old 01-01-2012, 04:57 PM
Shabcool Shabcool is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 9
Благодарил(а): 0 раз(а)
Поблагодарили: 0 раз(а) в 0 сообщениях
Default

good tips
Reply With Quote
  #43  
Old 02-07-2012, 11:08 PM
massrealtorpro massrealtorpro is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 7
Благодарил(а): 0 раз(а)
Поблагодарили: 0 раз(а) в 0 сообщениях
Default

this may have just saved me, I am now going to take my time now and reevaluate how i handle the desperate help i require.
Reply With Quote
  #44  
Old 01-16-2014, 09:16 PM
manchu39's Avatar
manchu39 manchu39 is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 2
Благодарил(а): 0 раз(а)
Поблагодарили: 0 раз(а) в 0 сообщениях
Default

I think we have just become a victim of this very post. We are trying desperately to find someone to complete our site. Anyone interested or know somebody? Really appreciate any/all feedback.

Thank you
Reply With Quote
  #45  
Old 01-16-2014, 09:19 PM
ozzy47's Avatar
ozzy47 ozzy47 is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 10,929
Благодарил(а): 0 раз(а)
Поблагодарили: 0 раз(а) в 0 сообщениях
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by manchu39 View Post
I think we have just become a victim of this very post. We are trying desperately to find someone to complete our site. Anyone interested or know somebody? Really appreciate any/all feedback.

Thank you
Your best bet would be to post in the paid requests section, https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=30

Describe what it is you are looking to have done, so potential hires know what is needed.
Reply With Quote
  #46  
Old 01-16-2014, 09:23 PM
manchu39's Avatar
manchu39 manchu39 is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 2
Благодарил(а): 0 раз(а)
Поблагодарили: 0 раз(а) в 0 сообщениях
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ozzy47 View Post
Your best bet would be to post in the paid requests section, https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=30

Describe what it is you are looking to have done, so potential hires know what is needed.
Thank you very much Ozzy47
Reply With Quote
  #47  
Old 05-26-2015, 06:24 PM
SaN-DeeP's Avatar
SaN-DeeP SaN-DeeP is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Mumbai, India
Posts: 1,195
Благодарил(а): 0 раз(а)
Поблагодарили: 0 раз(а) в 0 сообщениях
Default

Sorry to bump an old topic again, but this kind of stuff is required every month (updated though )
Quote:
Experienced programmers are usually busy ... if you place a request for something that needs to be done right away ... you will most likely be declined or ignored due to time constraints. A good programmer thinks about the business at hand not the business that could be.
This is the best thing.. in case of some complex programming for sure..

Can some programmers confirm the hourly rates present (its been 7-8 years now)
65 - 150 US$ in past compared to present rates ?

Thank You.
Reply With Quote
  #48  
Old 06-25-2015, 04:10 AM
TheLastSuperman's Avatar
TheLastSuperman TheLastSuperman is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 5,844
Благодарил(а): 0 раз(а)
Поблагодарили: 0 раз(а) в 0 сообщениях
Default

I can, my base rate is $75/hr and when working on hacked sites since I'm taking a risk I charge $150/hr. Others vary and it truly depends on a number of factors including location/experience/history(portfolio or similar) and I've seen some fantastic coders who work for under $25 some so low as $10-$15/hr although that's usually from folks located overseas and NO, just because someone does not speak perfect English does not mean that they do not understand code (php/html etc) I've been privileged to work with many who I could tell by their work was on par (how they coded was great, unlike other horse hockey I've seen) despite the language barrier.

I know a few more skilled than myself who charge less, differences-a-plenty though so can't truly compare its best to do research and pick the programmer who suites your needs and your budget.
Reply With Quote
Благодарность от:
Daniel
Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 09:14 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.12 by vBS
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
X vBulletin 3.8.12 by vBS Debug Information
  • Page Generation 0.04684 seconds
  • Memory Usage 2,286KB
  • Queries Executed 24 (?)
More Information
Template Usage:
  • (1)SHOWTHREAD
  • (1)ad_footer_end
  • (1)ad_footer_start
  • (1)ad_header_end
  • (1)ad_header_logo
  • (1)ad_navbar_below
  • (1)ad_showthread_beforeqr
  • (3)bbcode_quote
  • (1)footer
  • (1)forumjump
  • (1)forumrules
  • (1)gobutton
  • (1)header
  • (1)headinclude
  • (1)modsystem_article
  • (1)navbar
  • (4)navbar_link
  • (120)option
  • (1)pagenav
  • (1)pagenav_curpage
  • (2)pagenav_pagelink
  • (8)post_thanks_box
  • (7)post_thanks_box_bit
  • (8)post_thanks_button
  • (1)post_thanks_javascript
  • (1)post_thanks_navbar_search
  • (2)post_thanks_postbit
  • (8)post_thanks_postbit_info
  • (7)postbit
  • (8)postbit_onlinestatus
  • (8)postbit_wrapper
  • (1)spacer_close
  • (1)spacer_open
  • (1)tagbit_wrapper 

Phrase Groups Available:
  • global
  • inlinemod
  • postbit
  • posting
  • reputationlevel
  • showthread
Included Files:
  • ./showthread.php
  • ./global.php
  • ./includes/init.php
  • ./includes/class_core.php
  • ./includes/config.php
  • ./includes/functions.php
  • ./includes/class_hook.php
  • ./includes/modsystem_functions.php
  • ./includes/functions_bigthree.php
  • ./includes/class_postbit.php
  • ./includes/class_bbcode.php
  • ./includes/functions_reputation.php
  • ./includes/functions_post_thanks.php 

Hooks Called:
  • init_startup
  • init_startup_session_setup_start
  • init_startup_session_setup_complete
  • cache_permissions
  • fetch_postinfo_query
  • fetch_postinfo
  • fetch_threadinfo_query
  • fetch_threadinfo
  • fetch_foruminfo
  • style_fetch
  • cache_templates
  • global_start
  • parse_templates
  • global_setup_complete
  • showthread_start
  • showthread_getinfo
  • forumjump
  • showthread_post_start
  • showthread_query_postids
  • showthread_query
  • bbcode_fetch_tags
  • bbcode_create
  • showthread_postbit_create
  • postbit_factory
  • postbit_display_start
  • post_thanks_function_post_thanks_off_start
  • post_thanks_function_post_thanks_off_end
  • post_thanks_function_fetch_thanks_start
  • fetch_musername
  • post_thanks_function_fetch_thanks_end
  • post_thanks_function_thanked_already_start
  • post_thanks_function_thanked_already_end
  • post_thanks_function_fetch_thanks_bit_start
  • post_thanks_function_show_thanks_date_start
  • post_thanks_function_show_thanks_date_end
  • post_thanks_function_fetch_thanks_bit_end
  • post_thanks_function_fetch_post_thanks_template_start
  • post_thanks_function_fetch_post_thanks_template_end
  • postbit_imicons
  • bbcode_parse_start
  • bbcode_parse_complete_precache
  • bbcode_parse_complete
  • postbit_display_complete
  • post_thanks_function_can_thank_this_post_start
  • pagenav_page
  • pagenav_complete
  • tag_fetchbit_complete
  • forumrules
  • navbits
  • navbits_complete
  • showthread_complete