[consulting] Contracted Help (As Needed Basis)

[Jeff Greenberg]

I used to manage over 100 developers, a mix of engineers, cowboys, 
employee and contract, before I came to my senses and went back to a 
cave and coding. I agree that screening is the most effective 
method...if you have the time. We'd interview 1 person for every 10 
resumes received, and hire 1 of every 5 or so interviews. The things 
that helped select a good fit most of the time are hard to quantify and 
are in addition to measurable coding and platform knowledge:
1. Coding intuition
2. General business knowledge (unless you're going to micro-spec, the 
person needs to have an understanding of typical business rules)
3. Debugging intuition
4. Soft skills - communications, a proactive approach, etc

Jeff.