[CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
I am in a situation in which a university has a set salary guideline for programmer position classifications and if I want to hire an entry-lever dev, the salary is too low to be competitive and if I want to hire a more experienced dev in a higher classification, the competitive salary amount exceeds what my library cannot afford. So as a compromise I am thinking about going the route of posting a half-time position in a higher classification so that the salary would be at least competitive. It will get full-time benefits on a pro-rated basis. But I am wondering if this strategy would be viable or not. Also anyone has a experience in hiring a developer to telework completely from another state when you do not have previous experience working with her/him? This seems a bit risky strategy to me but I am wondering if it may attract more candidates particularly when the position is half time. As a current/past/future library programmer or hiring manager in IT or both, if you have any thoughts, experience, or ideas, I would really appreciate it. Thanks, Bohyun
Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
Would it be possible to re-write this position as a project-based contract? Such a position is more appealing for short-term (part-time) gig-type work and telework types. Also, it helps you out in that if the telework thing doesn¹t work for various reasons, you¹re done with it at the end of the contract. You could always offer an opportunity to renew the contract for a new projects if it does seem to work for the both of you. -Sean On 8/15/14, 12:44 PM, Kim, Bohyun b...@hshsl.umaryland.edu wrote: I am in a situation in which a university has a set salary guideline for programmer position classifications and if I want to hire an entry-lever dev, the salary is too low to be competitive and if I want to hire a more experienced dev in a higher classification, the competitive salary amount exceeds what my library cannot afford. So as a compromise I am thinking about going the route of posting a half-time position in a higher classification so that the salary would be at least competitive. It will get full-time benefits on a pro-rated basis. But I am wondering if this strategy would be viable or not. Also anyone has a experience in hiring a developer to telework completely from another state when you do not have previous experience working with her/him? This seems a bit risky strategy to me but I am wondering if it may attract more candidates particularly when the position is half time. As a current/past/future library programmer or hiring manager in IT or both, if you have any thoughts, experience, or ideas, I would really appreciate it. Thanks, Bohyun
Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
On Aug 15, 2014, at 12:44 PM, Kim, Bohyun wrote: I am in a situation in which a university has a set salary guideline for programmer position classifications and if I want to hire an entry-lever dev, the salary is too low to be competitive and if I want to hire a more experienced dev in a higher classification, the competitive salary amount exceeds what my library cannot afford. So as a compromise I am thinking about going the route of posting a half-time position in a higher classification so that the salary would be at least competitive. It will get full-time benefits on a pro-rated basis. But I am wondering if this strategy would be viable or not. Also anyone has a experience in hiring a developer to telework completely from another state when you do not have previous experience working with her/him? This seems a bit risky strategy to me but I am wondering if it may attract more candidates particularly when the position is half time. As a current/past/future library programmer or hiring manager in IT or both, if you have any thoughts, experience, or ideas, I would really appreciate it. Salary's not the only factor when it comes to hiring ... convenience and work environment are a factor, too. If I were you, I'd look to hire a half-time employee, and let them have flexible hours, so you could pick up a current student. If you can offer them reduced tuition or parking (matters at some campuses ... for College Park, just getting 'em in a lot that's closer to their classes) might make up for a less-competitive salary. You should also check with the university's legal department, as you have a class of students who specifically *can't* work full time (foreigners on student visas), so you might be able to hire a grad student that would've other problems getting hired. Especially in the D.C. area, they have a hard time finding jobs (as so many companies are tied to the federal government, they don't want to hire non-US citizens). ... As for the telework aspect -- it's a pain to get set up from nothing. If you have someone that you're comfortable with and they move away, that's completely different from bringing in someone who doesn't have a vested relationship in the group. At the very least, I'd recommend bring them in for an orientation period (2-8 weeks), where you can get a feel for their work ethic such. Most of the people on the project I'm on are remote ... but we keep an IM group chat window up all the time, and we have meetings 1-3 times per year where we all get together for a week to hash out various issues and keep the relationships strong. -Joe
Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
My first thought was a project-based contract, too. But there are few programmer projects that would require zero maintenance once finished. As someone who has had to pick up projects completed by others, there are always bugs, gaps in documentation, and difficult upgrade paths. So I have no solutions to offer. Enticing people with telework is a good idea. It's disappointing to see libraries (and higher ed more generally) continuing to not invest in software development. We need developers. If we cannot find the money for them, perhaps we should re-evaluate our (budgetary?) priorities. Best, Eric On Fri, Aug 15, 2014 at 10:12 AM, Sean Hannan shan...@jhu.edu wrote: Would it be possible to re-write this position as a project-based contract? Such a position is more appealing for short-term (part-time) gig-type work and telework types. Also, it helps you out in that if the telework thing doesnıt work for various reasons, youıre done with it at the end of the contract. You could always offer an opportunity to renew the contract for a new projects if it does seem to work for the both of you. -Sean On 8/15/14, 12:44 PM, Kim, Bohyun b...@hshsl.umaryland.edu wrote: I am in a situation in which a university has a set salary guideline for programmer position classifications and if I want to hire an entry-lever dev, the salary is too low to be competitive and if I want to hire a more experienced dev in a higher classification, the competitive salary amount exceeds what my library cannot afford. So as a compromise I am thinking about going the route of posting a half-time position in a higher classification so that the salary would be at least competitive. It will get full-time benefits on a pro-rated basis. But I am wondering if this strategy would be viable or not. Also anyone has a experience in hiring a developer to telework completely from another state when you do not have previous experience working with her/him? This seems a bit risky strategy to me but I am wondering if it may attract more candidates particularly when the position is half time. As a current/past/future library programmer or hiring manager in IT or both, if you have any thoughts, experience, or ideas, I would really appreciate it. Thanks, Bohyun
Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
Also keep in mind benefits are increasingly important. If you offer a good job at a decent salary that is not as stressful as some of the higher paying jobs that is a big deal. I have a colleague who just took a $15,000 pay cut to go to work for an ivy that she loves. Edward Iglesias On Fri, Aug 15, 2014 at 1:19 PM, Eric Phetteplace phett...@gmail.com wrote: My first thought was a project-based contract, too. But there are few programmer projects that would require zero maintenance once finished. As someone who has had to pick up projects completed by others, there are always bugs, gaps in documentation, and difficult upgrade paths. So I have no solutions to offer. Enticing people with telework is a good idea. It's disappointing to see libraries (and higher ed more generally) continuing to not invest in software development. We need developers. If we cannot find the money for them, perhaps we should re-evaluate our (budgetary?) priorities. Best, Eric On Fri, Aug 15, 2014 at 10:12 AM, Sean Hannan shan...@jhu.edu wrote: Would it be possible to re-write this position as a project-based contract? Such a position is more appealing for short-term (part-time) gig-type work and telework types. Also, it helps you out in that if the telework thing doesnıt work for various reasons, youıre done with it at the end of the contract. You could always offer an opportunity to renew the contract for a new projects if it does seem to work for the both of you. -Sean On 8/15/14, 12:44 PM, Kim, Bohyun b...@hshsl.umaryland.edu wrote: I am in a situation in which a university has a set salary guideline for programmer position classifications and if I want to hire an entry-lever dev, the salary is too low to be competitive and if I want to hire a more experienced dev in a higher classification, the competitive salary amount exceeds what my library cannot afford. So as a compromise I am thinking about going the route of posting a half-time position in a higher classification so that the salary would be at least competitive. It will get full-time benefits on a pro-rated basis. But I am wondering if this strategy would be viable or not. Also anyone has a experience in hiring a developer to telework completely from another state when you do not have previous experience working with her/him? This seems a bit risky strategy to me but I am wondering if it may attract more candidates particularly when the position is half time. As a current/past/future library programmer or hiring manager in IT or both, if you have any thoughts, experience, or ideas, I would really appreciate it. Thanks, Bohyun
Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts? [out of context]
...But there are few programmer projects that would require zero maintenance once finished… This is a bit out of context, but a Buddhist monk once said, “Software is never done. If it were, then it would be called hardware.” —Eric Morgan
[CODE4LIB] Parking, was: Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
On 8/15/14, 10:18 AM, Joe Hourcle wrote: If you can offer them reduced tuition or parking (matters at some campuses) Have you heard what it takes to get your own parking space on Berkeley campus? A Nobel prize. Yep, you get a parking space with a Nobel, and every time there's a new Nobel winner on campus, he (so far) always gets interviewed by the school paper about how it feels to have a guaranteed parking place. [1] BTW, they are marked on campus with the letters NL ONLY - Nobel Laureate only.[2] kc [1] http://www.dailycal.org/2013/12/12/uc-berkeley-professor-nobel-laureate-winner-randy-schekman-answers-reddit-questions/ [2] http://makezine.com/2010/02/08/uc-berkeley-has-nobel-laureate-only/ -- Karen Coyle kco...@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net m: +1-510-435-8234 skype: kcoylenet/+1-510-984-3600
Re: [CODE4LIB] Parking, was: Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
Please tell me there is a policy about how the arrival of two NL's at the same spatial and temporal coordinates occupied by a NL-spot shall be handled!! :-D James Gilbert, BS, MLIS Systems Librarian Whitehall Township Public Library 3700 Mechanicsville Road Whitehall, PA 18052 610-432-4339 ext: 203 -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Karen Coyle Sent: Friday, August 15, 2014 1:40 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] Parking, was: Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts? On 8/15/14, 10:18 AM, Joe Hourcle wrote: If you can offer them reduced tuition or parking (matters at some campuses) Have you heard what it takes to get your own parking space on Berkeley campus? A Nobel prize. Yep, you get a parking space with a Nobel, and every time there's a new Nobel winner on campus, he (so far) always gets interviewed by the school paper about how it feels to have a guaranteed parking place. [1] BTW, they are marked on campus with the letters NL ONLY - Nobel Laureate only.[2] kc [1] http://www.dailycal.org/2013/12/12/uc-berkeley-professor-nobel-laureate-winner-randy-schekman-answers-reddit-questions/ [2] http://makezine.com/2010/02/08/uc-berkeley-has-nobel-laureate-only/ -- Karen Coyle kco...@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net m: +1-510-435-8234 skype: kcoylenet/+1-510-984-3600
Re: [CODE4LIB] Parking, was: Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
Oh, they each have their own spot nearest their building, and they know what it is. However, I'd pay $$ to watch two NL's duke it out over a parking space. Seriously. Physics vs. chemistry? Biology vs. mathematics? Mathematics vs. economics (!)? Wow. kc On 8/15/14, 10:47 AM, Jim Gilbert(WTPL) wrote: Please tell me there is a policy about how the arrival of two NL's at the same spatial and temporal coordinates occupied by a NL-spot shall be handled!! :-D James Gilbert, BS, MLIS Systems Librarian Whitehall Township Public Library 3700 Mechanicsville Road Whitehall, PA 18052 610-432-4339 ext: 203 -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Karen Coyle Sent: Friday, August 15, 2014 1:40 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] Parking, was: Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts? On 8/15/14, 10:18 AM, Joe Hourcle wrote: If you can offer them reduced tuition or parking (matters at some campuses) Have you heard what it takes to get your own parking space on Berkeley campus? A Nobel prize. Yep, you get a parking space with a Nobel, and every time there's a new Nobel winner on campus, he (so far) always gets interviewed by the school paper about how it feels to have a guaranteed parking place. [1] BTW, they are marked on campus with the letters NL ONLY - Nobel Laureate only.[2] kc [1] http://www.dailycal.org/2013/12/12/uc-berkeley-professor-nobel-laureate-winner-randy-schekman-answers-reddit-questions/ [2] http://makezine.com/2010/02/08/uc-berkeley-has-nobel-laureate-only/ -- Karen Coyle kco...@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net m: +1-510-435-8234 skype: kcoylenet/+1-510-984-3600 -- Karen Coyle kco...@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net m: +1-510-435-8234 skype: kcoylenet/+1-510-984-3600
Re: [CODE4LIB] Parking, was: Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
I would not want to be the Provost or Faculty Senate committee to put a hierarchy to that one! James Gilbert, BS, MLIS Systems Librarian Whitehall Township Public Library 3700 Mechanicsville Road Whitehall, PA 18052 610-432-4339 ext: 203 -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Karen Coyle Sent: Friday, August 15, 2014 1:55 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Parking, was: Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts? Oh, they each have their own spot nearest their building, and they know what it is. However, I'd pay $$ to watch two NL's duke it out over a parking space. Seriously. Physics vs. chemistry? Biology vs. mathematics? Mathematics vs. economics (!)? Wow. kc On 8/15/14, 10:47 AM, Jim Gilbert(WTPL) wrote: Please tell me there is a policy about how the arrival of two NL's at the same spatial and temporal coordinates occupied by a NL-spot shall be handled!! :-D James Gilbert, BS, MLIS Systems Librarian Whitehall Township Public Library 3700 Mechanicsville Road Whitehall, PA 18052 610-432-4339 ext: 203 -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Karen Coyle Sent: Friday, August 15, 2014 1:40 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] Parking, was: Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts? On 8/15/14, 10:18 AM, Joe Hourcle wrote: If you can offer them reduced tuition or parking (matters at some campuses) Have you heard what it takes to get your own parking space on Berkeley campus? A Nobel prize. Yep, you get a parking space with a Nobel, and every time there's a new Nobel winner on campus, he (so far) always gets interviewed by the school paper about how it feels to have a guaranteed parking place. [1] BTW, they are marked on campus with the letters NL ONLY - Nobel Laureate only.[2] kc [1] http://www.dailycal.org/2013/12/12/uc-berkeley-professor-nobel-laureat e-winner-randy-schekman-answers-reddit-questions/ [2] http://makezine.com/2010/02/08/uc-berkeley-has-nobel-laureate-only/ -- Karen Coyle kco...@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net m: +1-510-435-8234 skype: kcoylenet/+1-510-984-3600 -- Karen Coyle kco...@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net m: +1-510-435-8234 skype: kcoylenet/+1-510-984-3600
Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
I am in a situation in which a university has a set salary guideline for programmer position classifications and if I want to hire an entry-lever dev, the salary is too low to be competitive and if I want to hire a more experienced dev in a higher classification, the competitive salary amount exceeds what my library cannot afford. So as a compromise I am thinking about going the route of posting a half-time position in a higher classification so that the salary would be at least competitive. It will get full-time benefits on a pro-rated basis. But I am wondering if this strategy would be viable or not. Also anyone has a experience in hiring a developer to telework completely from another state when you do not have previous experience working with her/him? This seems a bit risky strategy to me but I am wondering if it may attract more candidates particularly when the position is half time. I think your idea of trying to be more competitive in a higher classification is a solid one. The way natural selection works when you don't pay competitively is that the good people move along relatively soon while those who are less employable tend to stick around. This causes trouble in the long term. Hiring from another state can work great, and you'll probably need to do this if you can only offer half time. As a practical matter, it works just as well as a short distance telecommute since you interact the same way . Going the contract route can also work, but keep in mind that might have a huge impact on your range of motion as policies governing outside contractors can make simple things complicated. I would avoid contract labor for anything you intend to maintain over the long term. Even if someone can build something that somehow requires no troubleshooting or maintenance, there will be heck to pay when technology cycles force migrations. kyle
Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
On 8/15/14 12:44 PM, Kim, Bohyun wrote: I am in a situation in which a university has a set salary guideline for programmer position classifications and if I want to hire an entry-lever dev, the salary is too low to be competitive and if I want to hire a more experienced dev in a higher classification, the competitive salary amount exceeds what my library cannot afford. So as a compromise I am thinking about going the route of posting a half-time position in a higher classification so that the salary would be at least competitive. It will get full-time benefits on a pro-rated basis. But I am wondering if this strategy would be viable or not. Also anyone has a experience in hiring a developer to telework completely from another state when you do not have previous experience working with her/him? This seems a bit risky strategy to me but I am wondering if it may attract more candidates particularly when the position is half time. As a current/past/future library programmer or hiring manager in IT or both, if you have any thoughts, experience, or ideas, I would really appreciate it. I definitely think it could work. But then, I just sent you my resume off-list, so I might be biased. :) -- Gary McGath, Professional Software Developer http://www.garymcgath.com
Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
Salvete! My first thought was a project-based contract, too. But there are few programmer projects that would require zero maintenance once finished. As someone who has had to pick up projects completed by others, there are always bugs, gaps in documentation, and difficult upgrade paths. There could be follow up contracts for those problems, or they might be less of a hassle for in house staff to handle than trying to do absolutely errything from scratch. So I have no solutions to offer. Enticing people with telework is a good idea. It's disappointing to see libraries (and higher ed more generally) continuing to not invest in software development. We need developers. If we cannot find the money for them, perhaps we should re-evaluate our (budgetary?) priorities. Anytime I see things which I think more than one Library would like to have I think Caw, innit that what a Consortium is for? One member alone might not be able to afford a swank techie, but perhaps pooling resources across Libraries would let you hire someone at an attractive salary for the long haul while getting all of the members' projects knocked out. It would also mean that you don't have to do any of those nasty follow up contracts since the person that made it would still be about. Cheers, Brooke
Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
Just two cents, maybe even a single cent: at the point where you're writing follow-up contracts to maintain or extend software written for contract, you should probably look into hiring someone. This is a symptom of a lack of investment in things you need. Best, Eric On Fri, Aug 15, 2014 at 11:49 AM, BWS Johnson abesottedphoe...@yahoo.com wrote: Salvete! My first thought was a project-based contract, too. But there are few programmer projects that would require zero maintenance once finished. As someone who has had to pick up projects completed by others, there are always bugs, gaps in documentation, and difficult upgrade paths. There could be follow up contracts for those problems, or they might be less of a hassle for in house staff to handle than trying to do absolutely errything from scratch. So I have no solutions to offer. Enticing people with telework is a good idea. It's disappointing to see libraries (and higher ed more generally) continuing to not invest in software development. We need developers. If we cannot find the money for them, perhaps we should re-evaluate our (budgetary?) priorities. Anytime I see things which I think more than one Library would like to have I think Caw, innit that what a Consortium is for? One member alone might not be able to afford a swank techie, but perhaps pooling resources across Libraries would let you hire someone at an attractive salary for the long haul while getting all of the members' projects knocked out. It would also mean that you don't have to do any of those nasty follow up contracts since the person that made it would still be about. Cheers, Brooke
Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
On Aug 15, 2014, at 2:49 PM, BWS Johnson wrote: Salvete! My first thought was a project-based contract, too. But there are few programmer projects that would require zero maintenance once finished. As someone who has had to pick up projects completed by others, there are always bugs, gaps in documentation, and difficult upgrade paths. There could be follow up contracts for those problems, or they might be less of a hassle for in house staff to handle than trying to do absolutely errything from scratch. That actually made me think of something -- I've worked in places where we've had issues with people brought in as short-term contract developers. The problem is ... the code was crap. As they didn't have to maintain it for the long run, they wrote some really sloppy code. I know of one group who brought someone in, they poo-pooed all of the code, and insisted it had to be re-written (so they did ... in ksh ... without quoting anything ... and loading config files by sourcing them) ... but of course, he was on an hourly contract, so he had a vested interest in making more work for himself. (and for me, as I was then responsible for integrating their system w/ one that I maintain). You also get cases where every change in the specs requires new negotiation of payment. (like the whole healthcare.gov thing) ... so to sum up ... if you don't already have an established relationship with the person, I'd avoid bringing in someone to telework. -Joe So I have no solutions to offer. Enticing people with telework is a good idea. It's disappointing to see libraries (and higher ed more generally) continuing to not invest in software development. We need developers. If we cannot find the money for them, perhaps we should re-evaluate our (budgetary?) priorities. Anytime I see things which I think more than one Library would like to have I think Caw, innit that what a Consortium is for? One member alone might not be able to afford a swank techie, but perhaps pooling resources across Libraries would let you hire someone at an attractive salary for the long haul while getting all of the members' projects knocked out. It would also mean that you don't have to do any of those nasty follow up contracts since the person that made it would still be about. I'm pretty sure that there was someone on this list a few years back who made a comment if every library contributed 10% of an FTE of funding, we could fund a lot of developers.
Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
On Fri, Aug 15, 2014 at 3:20 PM, Joe Hourcle onei...@grace.nascom.nasa.gov wrote: I've worked in places where we've had issues with people brought in as short-term contract developers. ... so to sum up ... if you don't already have an established relationship with the person, I'd avoid bringing in someone to telework. I think what you're describing is short-term contractors not teleworkers. You can be a full-time, permanent employee and be a teleworker. I agree people who will be maintaining something beyond its release sometimes have a different perspective from those who fulfill a short-term contract. I also think it's possible, though, to find someone with a good work ethic for short term work. Granted, if you don't have prior experience with them (or know someone who has prior experience with them), it is a little harder. Fwiw, Kevin
Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
I work remotely as a manager and my staff are all around the country. I think the advantage to being able to work from home is enormous. You may very well find a good person who will work full-time for a non-competitive salary in order to not have to move from where a spouse has a good job and the kids are settled, especially if the work is interesting. Some of my staff are developers, and I find no disadvantage to the fact that we are all telecommuting. We are in touch constantly via skype and other channels, have video calls regularly, and feel very much a team. A shared project management system like Asana can help too. Of course, it may not work with all developers -- you need to be sure you are hiring someone who is a good communicator, self-motivated, and knows what s/he is doing. Another caveat is that it can be harder if you have only one telecommuting employee and the rest of the team is together. When several people are meeting in a room and one is on a speakerphone or something, that doesn't work too well. But you can do things to ameliorate that. Bottom line is if you have good people, it doesn't matter where they work. Priscilla -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Kim, Bohyun Sent: Friday, August 15, 2014 12:44 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts? I am in a situation in which a university has a set salary guideline for programmer position classifications and if I want to hire an entry-lever dev, the salary is too low to be competitive and if I want to hire a more experienced dev in a higher classification, the competitive salary amount exceeds what my library cannot afford. So as a compromise I am thinking about going the route of posting a half-time position in a higher classification so that the salary would be at least competitive. It will get full-time benefits on a pro-rated basis. But I am wondering if this strategy would be viable or not. Also anyone has a experience in hiring a developer to telework completely from another state when you do not have previous experience working with her/him? This seems a bit risky strategy to me but I am wondering if it may attract more candidates particularly when the position is half time. As a current/past/future library programmer or hiring manager in IT or both, if you have any thoughts, experience, or ideas, I would really appreciate it. Thanks, Bohyun
Re: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts?
Hi all, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who shared great thoughts and ideas about this either privately or on the list . I got so much out of the whole discussion and will be rewriting the job posting now. And learning about what it takes to get a campus parking spot on Berkeley never hurts. :) (When I said 'competitive' it's competitive by the library/higher ed standard. So it is a very real limiting factor to support and enhance library applications/services that we have to work around.) Thanks again! Bohyun On Aug 15, 2014, at 3:48 PM, Priscilla Caplan priscilla.cap...@lyrasis.org wrote: I work remotely as a manager and my staff are all around the country. I think the advantage to being able to work from home is enormous. You may very well find a good person who will work full-time for a non-competitive salary in order to not have to move from where a spouse has a good job and the kids are settled, especially if the work is interesting. Some of my staff are developers, and I find no disadvantage to the fact that we are all telecommuting. We are in touch constantly via skype and other channels, have video calls regularly, and feel very much a team. A shared project management system like Asana can help too. Of course, it may not work with all developers -- you need to be sure you are hiring someone who is a good communicator, self-motivated, and knows what s/he is doing. Another caveat is that it can be harder if you have only one telecommuting employee and the rest of the team is together. When several people are meeting in a room and one is on a speakerphone or something, that doesn't work too well. But you can do things to ameliorate that. Bottom line is if you have good people, it doesn't matter where they work. Priscilla -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Kim, Bohyun Sent: Friday, August 15, 2014 12:44 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] Hiring strategy for a library programmer with tight budget - thoughts? I am in a situation in which a university has a set salary guideline for programmer position classifications and if I want to hire an entry-lever dev, the salary is too low to be competitive and if I want to hire a more experienced dev in a higher classification, the competitive salary amount exceeds what my library cannot afford. So as a compromise I am thinking about going the route of posting a half-time position in a higher classification so that the salary would be at least competitive. It will get full-time benefits on a pro-rated basis. But I am wondering if this strategy would be viable or not. Also anyone has a experience in hiring a developer to telework completely from another state when you do not have previous experience working with her/him? This seems a bit risky strategy to me but I am wondering if it may attract more candidates particularly when the position is half time. As a current/past/future library programmer or hiring manager in IT or both, if you have any thoughts, experience, or ideas, I would really appreciate it. Thanks, Bohyun
