DEFINITION
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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.
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SKILLS
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Basic:
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Advanced:
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Familiarity with JavaScript
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Photoshop
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Dynamic HTML (DHTML)
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XML
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Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
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Familiarity with CGI forms
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Can deploy dynamic Web technologies such as XSSI,
JSP, ASP, Dynamo, and Cold Fusion
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Familiarity with SSI (server-side includes)
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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
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EXPERIENCE
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Senior developers manage the overall building of
the site and assign junior developers specific areas
to build.
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Junior:
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Mid-level:
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At least one year of experience developing and
maintaining a commercial website
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Experience with naming conventions and setting
up file structures (important for large sites)
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Can look at a visual design and tell what it
will take to implement it
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Can tell at a glance how a page was put together
or an entire site assembled
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Knows what functions a given line of code performs
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Senior:
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HOW TO SCREEN FOR QUALITY
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Candidates should be able to provide URLs of
previous work. This is the equivalent of a portfolio.
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HTML code should be clean and well organized.
You can check this by looking at the HTML source
code of sample URLs.
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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.
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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?
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TIPS
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Looking at websites done for other clients is
not always a good indicator of a web developer's
skills, since it's hard to tell exactly what they
contributed to the site and how much it's changed
since they worked on it. If possible, you want
to see exactly what they contributed. Ask what
role they played in the project. Did they build
the entire site or just optimize webpages?
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Be wary of self-taught folks who haven't worked
in an agency or corporate setting. They might
not have the training or discipline to complete
jobs on deadline.
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A degree in one of the following is helpful:
computer science or engineering, human-computer
interaction (HCI), or architecture.
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Continued education in Web programming, interface
design, information design, or multimedia production
is also helpful.
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KEYWORDS
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Use relevant keywords to search Guru's database
and find the talent you need. These words commonly
appear in the Guru Profiles of Web developers:
HTML, Web design, Web development, Web production,
HTML, XML, DHTML, CSS, dynamic Web technologies
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