For the successful non coders | Hacker News Reader

For the successful non coders

2 pointsJweimusic8 comments

Ive been trying to hire a developer to help me code a project software and most people have recommended that i use odesk/elance. The problem that i have been having is that those sites are polluted with people that randomly bid or say they can do the work but it comes out to be a crappy job or they end up not being able to do it. What other resources have you guys used for finding a developer?

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Full disclosure: I'm both a programmer and I'm also on oDesk.

My tip is to post your listing on a Friday evening / early Saturday morning. Since most 9-5 programmers aren't bothered to respond during their free time (aka the weekends), your chances of finding a passionate / committed programmer will be much higher then. Also, make sure you put in ample details about your job on the listing.

Just my observation.

Thanks! Would you reccomend that I post a very detail page about what I need or just a basic outline of it and then discuss further after I see their qualifications. Each time I make a posting, im always receiving bids from people from India with nothing on their cover letter but a list of previous projects they have worked on.

If I were hiring, I'd skip the qualifications and ask for a prototype with every bid. The prototype in itself could be something very simple (I'd give examples but you haven't mentioned about what it is you want made).

Also, if you want good hackers, you must be willing to pay good money as well (and be sure to talk about that in your listing as well).

Edit: forgot to answer your question: yes, a decent outline should suffice most of the time.

Thanks again. For example my friend runs a construction company and he is looking for a web based crm type of system that will help him keep track of leads and task. What would I ask for in a prototype?

Something like a mockup of the main user interface you have in mind, but in code.

I've heard this suggestion before, but most of the professional freelancers I know do not spend a large amount of time working on nights or weekends. Why would they? It's fairly straightforward for a freelance developer to earn 6 figures a year, which is enough for most people. At that point, more personal time is more appealing than more spending money.

This is important, since professionalism is a huge factor in how well freelancers perform. You almost certainly want to work with freelancers that work predictable daytime hours and can thus respond quickly when you have questions.

I certainly don't mean to suggest that someone working on a weekend can't be professional (I'm on HN myself right now). But I don't think it's wise to intentionally avoid the 9-5 crowd.

Shameless self-promotion: I run Lambda (http://getlambda.com), which is a talent agency for freelance developers. We're essentially like odesk/elance, but we screen every developer on the network and we curate a short list of potential developers for every project.

Instead of posting a description that anyone can respond to, we'd setup a brief phone call where you and I can discuss your project. I'm a developer myself, so I help you figure exactly what sort of experience would be best for your project.

hi jweimusic I understand your predicament. am, or was a non coder. I would advise you to join codeacademy learn a few basics to simplify what you need, go to github and SourceForge to see whether there is enough source code/ projects that are similar or can help. then hopefully you can go to oDesk with a clear plan and clarity on your needs.

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