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Smart and Gets Things Done: Joel Spolsky's Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent
 
 
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Smart and Gets Things Done: Joel Spolsky's Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent [Hardcover]

Joel Spolsky (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

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Frequently Bought Together

Smart and Gets Things Done: Joel Spolsky's Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent + Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity + More Joel on Software: Further Thoughts on  Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and ... or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity
Price For All Three: $49.40

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Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews:

"Programming-employment decisions are a critical managerial process. … Spolsky asserts that ‘the real trick to management is to make people identify with the goals you’re trying to achieve.’ … Spolsky concludes with the self-designed ‘Joel Test,’ which rates the quality of a software team. … Managers, recruiters, and programmers will enjoy this easy read." (Brad Reid, ACM Computing Reviews, September, 2008)

Product Description

A guide to attracting, recruiting, interviewing, and hiring the best technical talent.

  • A comprehensive system for hiring top-notch technical employees
  • Packed with useful information and specific advice written in a breezy, humorous style
  • Learn how to find great people--and get them to work for you--in an afternoon!

The top software developers are ten times as productive as average developers. Ten times. You can't afford not to hire them. But if you haven't been reading Joel Spolsky's books or blog, you probably don't know how to find them and make them want to work for you.

In this brief book, Joel reveals all his secrets--from his years at Microsoft, and as the co-founder of Fog Creek Software--for recruiting the best developers in the world. You'll learn:

  • How to create a pipeline of excellent developers using internships--and why this is not optional
  • How to build a workplace where the best programmers want to work
  • The secrets to reading resumes, interviewing technical people, and deciding when to make an offer

If you've ever wondered what you should be looking for in a resume, if you've ever struggled to decide whether to hire someone at the end of an interview, or if you're wondering why you can't find great programmers, stop everything and read this book.


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 182 pages
  • Publisher: Apress; 1 edition (May 31, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1590598385
  • ISBN-13: 978-1590598382
  • Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #80,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #19 in  Books > Business & Investing > Job Hunting & Careers > Interviewing

More About the Author

Joel Spolsky
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Smart and Gets Things Done: Joel Spolsky's Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent
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Smart and Gets Things Done: Joel Spolsky's Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent 3.8 out of 5 stars (25)
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Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity 4.8 out of 5 stars (57)
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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars This should cause you to reexamine your hiring processes..., June 20, 2007
By Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Smart and Gets Things Done: Joel Spolsky's Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent (Hardcover)
After driving cross-country in 49 hours, I returned home to find this book waiting for me... Smart and Gets Things Done: Joel Spolsky's Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent by (of course) Joel Spolsky. Since I wasn't in the mood to start a large 300+ page novel, I figured this book would bridge the gap between naps quite nicely. It's a no-nonsense look at how Spolsky thinks hiring in the software industry should be done. While I may quibble on a few things, I think he's pretty accurate.

Content: Hitting the High Notes; Finding Great Developers; A Field Guide to Developers; Sorting Resumes; The Phone Screen; The Guerrilla Guide to Interviewing; Fixing Suboptimal Teams; The Joel Test; Index

Spolsky takes the hard line that you should only be hiring *great* developers. In his terms, these are the people who are "smart & gets things done." Using the observation that a great programmer can be 10x as productive as an average programmer, he feels that the additional cost in salary and recruiting to find the gem is more than paid back in the work product produced. In fact, hiring average programmers (or clueless ones) actually lose you money in the long run due to rework and inferior quality. Spolsky uses a number of techniques outlined in the book to filter out average developers in order to concentrate on the few that show real potential. In fact, he maintains that you should be working at getting interns and contacts before you need staff, so that you can have a good idea as to what potential hires can accomplish in the real world. If an intern shows real talent and is happy with their internship, the hiring process is streamlined and little risk remains.

In some ways, I tend to disagree with a few of his attitudes. For instance, he feels all developers should have a thorough understanding of how pointers work. He'll ask those types of questions during interviews. He believes that having that sort of knowledge shows that a developer has more than just a basic understanding of how a language works. I would contend that depending on what your software base is, you may pass by excellent developers who have never had to use pointers. Also, the book is slanted heavily towards companies that create software products, not companies that have an IT department. While an IT department made up of people who pass Spolsky's tests would be great, the company would also likely be understaffed at all times. It's hard to find those types of people, and companies have far too many projects going at once to be that selective.

Even with those caveats, I think this is a very good read. Hiring good development staff is important to a company, and it's not the same as hiring a file clerk. After reading this book, you'll likely rethink your attitude and process of hiring.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A somewhat different view of hiring developers, July 22, 2007
By G. Wade Johnson (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Smart and Gets Things Done: Joel Spolsky's Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent (Hardcover)
This book represents Joel Spolsky's approach to hiring programmers. Smart and Gets Things Done is based on Spolsky's weblog, like his previous book, Joel on Software.

The main thrust of the book is to state that you should only hire the best. While many people would think this is reasonable and obvious, Joel takes the advice much farther than most. He describes in detail his methods for recognizing top talent, convincing them to join your company, and keeping them once you've got them. Joel is not talking about some useless slogan ("We hire only the best"), he is really talking about identifying the best and doing whatever is necessary to hire them.

His advice will probably annoy many managers and some people in human resources. Most programmers will probably love his advice. Whether the approach will work for a company different than Joel's is another question altogether.

One surprise to me was the fact that this book contained new material that was not on Joel's weblog. The book is extremely readable. Whether you agree with Joel or not on the specifics of his approach, the book is definitely worth reading if you are involved in any way with hiring software developers. It will give you insight into the people that you are innovating and show glimpses of what you may be competing with.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, October 26, 2007
By J. MCADAMS (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Smart and Gets Things Done: Joel Spolsky's Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent (Hardcover)
Though I don't always see eye-to-eye with the writings of Joel, I always do enjoy reading his material. This collection of his articles is no exception. Some of the claims and lines of reasoning are a tough sell, but they do call out important things to consider in your organization's hiring strategy.

Just realize before you buy this book, there is a chance somewhere between slim and none that you'll actually be able to implement all of Joel's recommendations. Still, you're sure to find a few areas where you can take action and improve the quality of your new hires.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Short, to the point, practical, smart, useful, fun to read.
This is a great book both for people who are interviewing programmers and for programmers who are looking for a job. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mykola Dzyuba

4.0 out of 5 stars An insightful and relevant book for staffing and hiring managers!
A classic in the recruiting world, especially for those focused on software developers. Joel presents an insider's perspective on how to find and hire the best developer talent-... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Dan Burleigh

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, Humorous, and Thought Provoking
I heard about this book on a .NET Rocks podcast, and it was as good as they indicated. There are some general software development project DOs and DON'Ts mainly from the point of... Read more
Published 10 months ago by SF Dreamer

3.0 out of 5 stars If only the world was like that
I enjoyed the read, and one side of my brain (not sure which Side) cheered and said I want to work for a company that hires like that. Read more
Published 14 months ago by D. R. Pitts

2.0 out of 5 stars How to identify the smart hiring manager
One problem remains for those who in fact are smart and get things done:
More often than none the hiring manager is not smart at all :)
I experienced that... Read more
Published 22 months ago by A. Falkenberg

3.0 out of 5 stars Good repackaging of old content
This is a nice little package that hits a lot good notes in a short, nifty, easy to read package.

However if you are a Joel fan then there's nothing in here you... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Duncan

3.0 out of 5 stars Full of tidbits
Reviewed by XPSD Member Jane Prusakova

This book is full of tidbits on how to go about the business of
software development: find and attract smart people,... Read more
Published on September 3, 2008 by XPSD

3.0 out of 5 stars Not much new here
I've been developing software for fifteen years but picked up this book to gain insights into hiring practises of a solid software company in Fog Creek software. Read more
Published on August 10, 2008 by Maureen Brennan

4.0 out of 5 stars A perfect reference
Confession: I'm a long time fan of Joel Spolsky and his writing, and this book is no exception.

In usual Joel style, it's a very easy, witty and insightful read. Read more
Published on June 7, 2008 by Carl Joseph

5.0 out of 5 stars Big ideas in a small shell
When I got this book, I was quite surprised how small it is. But there is a lot of useful information in it and it's fun to read (as You can expect from Joel). Read more
Published on May 7, 2008 by Romet Aidla

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