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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. |
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SKILLS |
Basic:
- 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
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Advanced:
- 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
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EXPERIENCE |
Senior developers manage the overall building
of the site and assign junior developers specific
areas to build. |
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Junior:
- Has
created at least one website
- Has
updated content on an existing website
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Mid-level:
- At
least one year of experience developing and
maintaining a commercial website
- Experience
with naming conventions and setting up file
structures (important for large sites)
- Can
look at a visual design and tell what it will
take to implement it
- Can
tell at a glance how a page was put together
or an entire site assembled
- Knows
what functions a given line of code performs
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Senior:
- At
least two years of experience developing and
maintaining a large-scale commercial website
- Experience
as lead developer or project manager
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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?
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TIPS |
- 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?
- 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.
- A
degree in one of the following is helpful:
computer science or engineering, human-computer
interaction (HCI), or architecture.
- Continued
education in Web programming, interface design,
information design, or multimedia production
is also helpful.
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KEYWORDS |
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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