mobcode

Give direct feedback

Here is good advice on giving feedback. We all need to do this at some point. It is hard advice to follow. We try to make the process easier with many words, but we just make it worse.

It is like removing a band-aid. Just get to the point.

Ways to not get a job on oDesk

Here are a few more ways to not get a job on oDesk:

1. Say nothing when you apply for a position. A typical flow in oDesk is that project sponsor posts a project. Developers see the project and submit their names for consideration. When applying for a position the developer has a chance to say something. It could be “please hire me”. Or it could be: “I have reviewed your position and I am qualified to fill it for these reasons…”. But you have to say something. If you just submit your name and say nothing then you will find it very hard to get the sponsor’s attention. This is your first chance to make an impression and you choose to just sit there and say nothing.
2. Provide a canned response. Some people will say something when they apply for a job. But it’s the same something they always say. And it is so obvious: “Our firm has 35 great developers we do web, J2EE, C++, yada yada”. This is no good. It doesn’t show at all that you have understood what the position is about. It is basically spam.
3. Don’t respond to requests for an interview. After a developer submits their name for a position, then if the developer looks appealing to the sponsor then they will be selected for an interview. The expected next step is for the developer to contact the sponsor to conduct the interview. It amazes me how many developers never respond to the request for an interview. Maybe they are expecting the sponsor to keep sending them emails asking them to please come interview? I don’t know. But it is sure hard to get a job that way.
4. Close the door during the interview. So maybe you are able to respond to the interveiw request. You goal at this point is to lead everything towards having the sponsor decide to hire you. As much as it is in your power you want to do things that make it easy for the sponsor to hire you. That means you don’t say things like: “well, I need to go please let me know if you decide to hire me”. The sponsor doesn’t want to be on the hook to track you down again. If you need to leave during the interview, then tell the sponsor you will contact them again. And even better than not leaving: stay. Stay and say something like “I am ready to get started, can we start working together now”. This leads the sponsor down a path of hiring you. The sponsor wants to see that you will move forward to take the position.
Comments (2)

Make goodness flow upstream, towards the money

People have a tendency to optimize their own world. Developers will make decisions that simplify their life and make life difficult for others. A feature is implemented in the way that is easiest to code without regard for usability. Code is slopped together to declare some work done without regard to the long-term maintenance problems it will cause for the rest of the team.

Here is a principle to follow: create goodness and make goodness flow in the direction that the money is coming from. If the money is flowing from customers then work to optimize the customers life even if it means making sacrifices in yours. If the money flows from the project sponsors then make decisions that lead to the most goodness for the sponsors.

You have access to production

At some point there will be system problems that you need to fix in production. Perhaps the problems only occur in production. You don’t have direct access to production. Therefore… you decide not to address the issue (?!).

Wrong! The answer is that: you have access to production.

Track down someone who does have access. Work with them to get into the production system and either diagnose or fix the problem. Trust me they will be happy to hear from you and happy to give you what you need. You must own the issue even if it requires access to systems beyond your direct control.

More than talent

This is written for graphics designers, but it translates directly to software development. Read it, translate it to your work, and do it. It’s good advice.

On the value of hard work

So you have been raised with a strong work ethic? You think there is something morally good about working hard. And of course the opposite. This guy has built his identity around debunking that idea. I suspect his message will strike many of us as wrong, deceptive, or dangerous. However, it seems to demand a place in our thinking.

Even now I find myself scared to endorse his philosphy. But, if I objectively consider my greatest sucessess it is hard to claim they came from brute force labor. Sure there was an element of dilligent hard work, but they were focused on a bit of hard work that could be leveraged to deliver much more value.

Reality distortion field

Most developers have a heavy-duty reality distortion field in place.

How long will this project take? “Oh, just a couple of days.”

When will you be done? “Tomorrow”

Can you put together a plan for implementing this feature? “Sure”

The real answers to these questions are “I have no idea”, “Probably never”, and “Yeah right”.

I don’t think it is born out of maliciousness. It is just wishful thinking. A desire to please. An overwhelming knowledge of what the “right” answer is.

But, we need to grow up. We need to have the discipline to understand the difference between what we would like to be true and what is true. We need to get in touch with reality.

What is popular on RentACoder?

Here is a web page that shows what kind of jobs are being posted on RentACoder: http://www.ploud.com/.

So I was dying to know what are “Graphics Art Music” projects? I don’t even know what that means. Turns out there is a category of “Graphics / Art / Music” on RentACoder. Which of course, makes much more sense.

“Iron law of wages”

Here is a thought provoking post concerning wages. I will have to think about it some more to understand it. It seems both counter-intuitive and obvious at the same time. The point: people’s wages will adjust to match how much money they need.

Marketing jobs

Here is an explanation of what has happened to US jobs over the last 50 years. He also describes the current shift as the US moves to marketing jobs. This ties in with my thought that we are awash in products and so the game is all about making beautiful products that are a delight to use.

The author observes that China “will never be able to figure out how to get Americans to pay 88 times what it costs to manufacture”. Sounds like what people would have said about manufacturing and IT jobs in the past.