Planificación

Listado de proyectos

Se hace una lista de proyectos/tareas a realizar en total y la prioridad basada en las ventajas de tenerlos terminados al final del día. Cada proyecto de la lista se desgrana en todas las pequeñas tareas y éstas se traducen en horas. La traducción en horas debe ser contando todo el tiempo que requiriera, no sólo el trabajo en sí, si no también si hay que leerse algún texto, etc. Los descansos se calculan después.

Distribución de horas

Ahora hacemos una lista de los participantes y cuantas horas puede aportar cada uno (si uno de ellos cocina o lo que sea se descontará ese tiempo). Se decide quien será el participante más idóneo para hacer de Master y se le calcula que tiene un 30% menos de tiempo para hacer otras tareas. De entre estas dos listas se piensa la combinación de proyectos a hacer para que al final se salga con el mas provecho posible, la idea es enfocarlo a resultados instantáneos y no tanto a largo plazo. Los proyectos que no han sido elegidos se dejan al “congelador”.

El papel del Master

Su objetivo es garantizar que no se pierda tiempo con obstáculos que puedan surgir.

1. Punto de contacto. Sabe como esta todo en todo momento y todos los participantes acuden al Master por cualquier cosa, preguntas, comentarios o lo que sea. Los participantes entre sí no se deben “robar” tiempo entre ellos por ayuda o comentarios, el Master verá cuando es el mejor momento ya que sacar tiempo.
2. Filtro. Actúa como filtro para evitar las distracciones entre participantes u otras personas (atiende las llamadas, contesta emails de terceros), así se consigue que éstos no se distraigan ni tengan que parar perdiendo la concentración y la embrenzida.
3. Solución. Escucha cualquier problema, duda o pregunta y si puede, lo resuelve él o se encarga de buscar la manera de resolverlo. Si no lo sabe él o necesita ayuda de algún otro participante entonces calcula cuando es el mejor momento y de donde sacar tiempo de otro participante.
4. Dirección. Tiene que ver como está yendo el Sprint y enderezarlo si se está torciendo o mejorarlo si cree que se puede organizar mejor el tiempo.

El Burn-Out

Es una gráfica muy sencilla de tiempo por cantidad de trabajo y su evolución. A medida que se va trabajando la cantidad de trabajo va bajando. Tiene forma de triángulo rectángulo con pendiente hacia la derecha. Es muy útil para ver si se está yendo bien de tiempo, sobra, en falta …

En esta gráfica se ve un proyecto de 60 horas que se hace en 30 días. El estimacion (en azul) es trabajar dos horas al día, la realidad (en rojo) dependerá de los obstáculos con los que nos vamos encontrando y se intentara seguir la linea azul. Como se ve, el proyecto empieza bien pero hacia el día 10 comienzan a haber problemas y nos salimos de la línea de estimacion. Entonces nos ponemos las pilas y volvemos a enderezar.

Sprint

La mejor administracion de tiempo durante el Sprint se utilizando la Técnica Pomodoro que básicamente viene a ser esto:

• Se hacen etapas de 25 minutos
• Se descansa 5 minutos
• Cada 4 rondas informa al Master y este actualiza la lista de mini-tareas desde la que se ve la línea de burn-out, después se descansan 15-20 minutos
• Cada 4 horas se hace un descanso más largo de 1 hora (para comer o lo que sea)

Filosofia

La idea del Sprint es aprovechar el tiempo para poder trabajar mejor, no hay que estresarse, simplemente no malgastar tiempo.

Conclusion de resultados

Una vez se termina el Sprint evalúa lo que se ha conseguido y se comentan los próximos proyectos o tareas teniendo en cuenta lo bien que han hecho las estimaciones de tiempo y como acertar las mejor la proxima vez.

Modern browsers are now the vast percentage of website users and it is quite safe to use advanced features from CSS3 to some HTML5 as well as one of the most needed features which is using fonts the user didn’t have in its computer. Google is making a great effort on enabling and easing this feature to all web developers by releasing a huge collection of open source fonts created by great typographers that generously have shared them.
You can either download all of them as a pack or have a look at the font screenshots here, once you download them go to the Font Preview to try some sample text and grab the CSS code which is auto-generated.

In the Google Fonts Pack (February 2011) you will find: Allan, Allerta, Allerta Stencil, Anonymous Pro, Arimo, Arvo, Bentham, Buda, Cabin, Calligraffitti, Cantarell, Cardo, Cherry Cream Soda, Chewy, Coda, Coming Soon, Copse, Corben, Cousine, Covered By Your Grace, Crafty Girls, Crimson Text, Crushed, Cuprum, Droid Sans, Droid Sans Mono, Droid Serif, Fontdiner Swanky, GFS Didot, GFS Neohellenic, Geo, Gruppo, Hanuman, Homemade Apple, IM Fell DW Pica, IM Fell DW Pica SC, IM Fell Double Pica, IM Fell Double Pica SC, IM Fell English, IM Fell English SC, IM Fell French Canon, IM Fell French Canon SC, IM Fell Great Primer, IM Fell Great Primer SC, Inconsolata, Irish Growler, Josefin Sans, Josefin Slab, Just Another Hand, Just Me Again Down Here, Kenia, Kranky, Kristi, Lato, Lekton, Lobster, Luckiest Guy, Merriweather, Molengo, Mountains of Christmas, Neucha, Neuton, Nobile, OFL Sorts Mill Goudy TT, Old Standard TT, Orbitron, PT Sans, PT Sans Caption, PT Sans Narrow, Permanent Marker, Philosopher, Puritan, Raleway, Reenie Beanie, Rock Salt, Schoolbell, Slackey, Sniglet, Sunshiney, Syncopate, Tangerine, Tinos, Ubuntu, UnifrakturCook, UnifrakturMaguntia, Unkempt, Vibur, Vollkorn, Walter Turncoat, Yanone Kaffeesatz

Download the full pack here:
Google Fonts Pack (February 2011) (9.89MB)

The list is constantly updated by the Google Fonts team and they give you the option to donate to the font authors so you can buy them a nice dinner to thank them.

A quick comparison on different code editors. I stick with Dreamweaver although it has so many bugs that make me consider other options. jEdit has a lot of functionalities but relies on Java. PSPad is small, flexible and portable. Notepad++ has tons of features and it’s lightweight too.

Here are some useful tips I would like to share about my experience in the jobseeking world and what I have learned to create an online reputation as a front-end web developer and designer and to place myself in this huge, ever-changing and thrilling market. I have been working closely with recruiters from around the world for more than 2 years, freelancing for several more and lived some time with an IT recruiter who gave me great advice.

Personal Website

Your website should be simple, fast and intuitive. Page should load in 5-10 seconds as maximum, make no more than 10 requests (at least until the DOM is loaded) and weight less than 500KB. As an example, my main page takes 2,5 seconds to load, makes 10 requests (including Google Analytics and Clickheat JS files) and weights 320KB.

Although these requirements, you should have a strong and unique design so experiment with several designs and the best way to code it.

Domain name

If you are looking for a job as an individual, go for yourrealnameandsurname.com. No discussion on this. Having your name in the URL will increase your professional reputation while making you more visible and easier to find. If you have a common name (search your name in Google) then get your domain and variants ASAP.

People looking at your personal website are usually recruiters, managers or professionals that don’t want to read extensive essays or learn something complicated. They just want to know more about you and they may just need one thing. Some may have read your CV and are interested in viewing your portfolio or download the most recent version of it, some may have just visited a website you have created and want to find a way to contact its creator.

As per the KISS principle and usability standards, users should be available to reach your portfolio, contact information and CV in no more than one click from the start page.

Online portfolio

Should contain between 4 and 12 recent websites/projects/templates each of them containing:

1. a brief description
2. some pictures focusing on parts of the website you want to show
3. a link to the website or to a full screenshot if it is not online

Try to keep it up to date with the best projects you’ve ever participated in and describe the different areas of expertise of each being as varied as possible.

Contact information

Provide at least two different ways to contact you: e-mail, phone and/or online form. Let the user decide which one they prefer.

Curriculum Vitae

Provide a direct link to a Word Document (.doc) file. Most recruiters prefer reading Word documents rather than PDFs. Extra point in providing a PDF version of it, your resume will be more visible to web spiders, PDF libraries and recruiter research tools.

You need to upload your CV to all the job boards you find available or useful. Although updating your CV in all these sites is a tedious task, you should always keep the CV as updated as possible, at least the one hosted in your website.

It is very helpful to add a note at the bottom of your CV stating something like “Please get the latest version of my CV from mywebsite.com/cv.doc“.

Here’s an example of an HTML/CSS CV format ready for you to use.

Brief description of you

Don’t extend it too much, two lines of text are enough. Describe yourself a bit, your hobbies or what are you up to at the moment. Try to be passionate and positive.

Optional features

There is no hurry on these, and they’re not strictly necessary. But they will help spread and create you a strong name around the Internet.

Professional Blog

If you like writing, linking to a professional blog of yours is a good way to let interested people know more about you. It also gives an idea of what you like/dislike, your communication skills and your passion in your job. Keep the blog restricted to work, do not talk about how much you hate chickpeas.

Extra point if your blog follows the same design patterns as your personal website since it creates correlation.

Networking sites

Links to professional networking sites are great ways to increase your professional network. Even if you just visit professional networks once a month or never, it is a great point in having them.

Whenever you receive an e-mail from an agent or relevant employer, check if they have their profile linked in their signature and send them a connection request.

The most important professional networking sites you should (at least) have a profile in, are:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Behance

A photo of you

This is a tricky one and needs to be chosen carefully. A picture of yourself increases confidence in your possible next client or recruiter. It also helps to customize your website and give a more personal feel.

Spend your time in deciding which photo you want to show. Should you be wearing a smart suit? Should you smile? Indoor or outdoor? Black and White or coloured photo? That depends on what impression you want to give. In my case, I choose to show a quite casual picture of myself by following these key points:

• Optimistic and passionate: Big smile
• Friendly and open-minded: looking straight at the camera without any lame pose
• Practical: informal clothing
• Modern and cosmopolitan: Times Square background full of contrast and colours
• Strong personality: Sunglasses

Remember to retouch your picture as much as you want (increase contrast, add some neat filters…). It is also a great way to demonstrate your Photoshop/design skills.

The design

Design is very very very important even if you are a back-end developer. There are basically two options:

1. The first one is to create an effective design without too much fancy details.
2. The second way is to create a trendy design which will be much more eye-catching and demonstrate that you are up-to-date with technology. The disadvantage is that you need to be careful and may need to redesign your website in a few months or a year.

Quick tips and common mistakes

Web design

• Use no more than 3 colours: one for the background, one for the text and one for the headers and links.
  In my site I use white as the background, black as the text and blue for the headers and links. I have a pattern textured background using black and blue variations outside the “canvas” to provide a modern look.
• Don’t mix squared and rounded corners if you are not sure. Same goes for solid and gradient backgrounds.
• Keep element spacing even: set a standard separation of 10px or 20px and apply it whenever possible. Same goes for font sizes and text leading.

The Front-End

• Your website is part of your portfolio, and a great way to show your coding and semantic SEO skills. Do it the best you can and keep it improving when you get the chance or come with new ideas.
• Attention to detail
  Try to keep everything as perfect as possible without cluttering the page with useless crap. Customize your own 404 and JS disabled messages and add some funny details to your page to give it a warm touch. Maybe have your last tweet printed there or a cool jQuery effect. In my case, when you put the mouse over my picture, it says “Hi, it’s me!“. It is completely useless but some people appreciate these little Easter eggs.

Simple usability testing

Once you have finished with the mockups or a quite decent wireframe, get some real people and have them do the test.

Although your target users may probably be agency recruiters and CTOs, you should test the usability of your site with people from different sex, age and profession. The easiest way is to get one of your parents/sons, your brother and another friend.

Some useful questions are:

1. Can you find my e-mail or phone?
2. Can you download my CV?
3. Tell me one of the recent projects I have been working on.
4. Go to my LinkedIn profile (advanced users).

All of these questions should be answered in less than 10 seconds. Expect unfamiliar users to take longer than what you would consider usual. This simple test should take no longer than 10 minutes.

Your Curriculum Vitae

The most important thing you need to know: the traditional resume structure does NOT work for web developers.

Now that you know that, get yourself a whole day, weekend or so and start creating it from scratch.

Structure the CV in order of relevance to the reader:

1. Programming languages, Software and Skills
2. Professional Experience
3. Professional Awards/Goals
4. Education
5. References

Do not add a picture of yourself in the CV.

Do not write your age, it is not relevant at all and some people (non experts) may disregard you just because of being too young or too old.

Keep it improving, correcting and adding things you learn from interviews.

Interviews

Won’t talk much about the typical things you need to do, but think this is necessary to highlight:

• Your first interviews are going to go wrong. Don’t doubt about it. You are used to design, program and document under strict stressful deadlines during non-stop 12 hours in front of a computer, not to explain your career randomly to a stranger that asks questions. With this in mind, go to the interview to practice your convincing skills. Once you get out of there, note down every time you struggled and why. Try to correct it and improve it next time while searching your CV for leaks.
• If you feel comfortable talking about something in special, write your CV in a way that you mention that but not everything of it, leaving the employer the possibility to ask questions on it.
• If you get the same question again and again, add that information to the CV. If that doesn’t work, check if your CV is too long, an understandable reason why people won’t read it completely.
• You do not need to wear a tie and a suit, but dress nice. In your future job you’ll be facing Mr. Keyboard, Ms. Mouse and the Screen twins so there is no need to be immaculately dressed. Although a minimum of decency is required. The most, the better.
• First thing you should do when meeting your interviewer is to reward him with a sincere smile.
• If you don’t know anything at all about something then just be extremely honest and say “No, I do not know anything about it”. Most of the employers expect and want you not to know everything but want you to have the willingness to be flexible and learn. Caution with this, you should just recur to this once in an interview, excess of doubt may get you disqualified.
• Abstract questions suck. There are two types:
  • The typical ones: “What are your strengths and weaknesses?“
  • The I-can-read-your-mind ones: “What would you take to a desert island: a fork, a tire or a guinea pig?” or “How do you put a giraffe in a fridge?“.

  Sadly, you will need to have an answer prepared for the typical ones. For the other ones, just try to be as abstract and unexpectable as possible. Focusing on being practical and not serious or dramatic.

• Sleep well the night before an interview and eat an amazing breakfast the interview’s day.
  Interviews are exhausting and you need the better out of you to multi-task your words, emotions, body language and take mental notes on the interviewer, the interview itself and company/business details. A good rest and meal will improve your mood and positiveness.
• You do not need to bring a printed portfolio if you have it online. Working for an Internet company that doesn’t have a laptop available for at least 10 minutes during your interview is not worth it in my honest opinion.
• Be flexible with the interviewers, but not in excess. Or you will start the never-ending interviewing loop in which they require you to be interviewed by 5 different people on different days.

Additional notes

If you are not familiar with any of the terms used above, check my English Web Design definitions post or Google them right now! The terms I have used above are in no way complicated and every interviewer will expect you to know them. If they ask you a question about the DOM and you don’t know what that means, you are doomed.

Once you get your site up and running, advertise it! Paste your URL in your e-mail signatures, put it as a status message in your favourite chat services and add it to your Facebook, LinkedIn, Delicious, Twitter and other networks.

Post dedicated to Ahmed and Yaser, hope you find it useful :-)