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Interviewing Senior Level PHP Programmers

This post is intended to educate interviewers and interviewees on what I ask with my programming team to qualify candidates for hiring high level PHP developers.

PHP SECTION

Question #1:

We draw the following URL on a while board and have the candidate identify each part of the URL.  Keep in mind, we start very BASIC to get them comfortable white boarding and then slowly get more difficult.

https://www.example.com/jams/jellies/13

We ask them to identify the SSL piece of the URL, the domain name, the model, view, controller and action.  For any senior level developer, if you ask them what MVC stands for and they say anything other than model, view, controller….you should be wary.

 Question #2:

We ask the candidate to write a function that passes two variables and returns a string.  Again, this is very basic and if they are unable to do this, or take more than 5 minutes to do so you may not be dealing with a senior level developer.

Question #3:

Setup a class called Jams that inherits Jellies.

Question #4:

Please define in your terms what refactoring means?

Question #5:

Write a getter and a setter method that takes in a number with a  decimal and outputs a number without a decimal.

Question #6 (fizz buzz test):

Using php code (not looking for exact syntax) please do the following:

Write a script that echo’s the #’s 1 – 100.

For #’s that are a multiple of 3, print fizz instead of the number

For #’s that are a multiple of 5, print buzz instead of the number

For #’s that are a multiple of 3 and 5, print fizzbuzz instead of the number

This question will give you an in depth look into there problem solving skills, reasoning and there approach to coding while not in front of there computer.

HTML/CSS SECTION:

Question #1:

We draw a basic layout of a website that has a container div centered on a page, a header, navigation, content and footer div inside the container and have the candidate code the layout in html and css on the whiteboard.  We realize there is lots of ways to code layouts, we are just looking to make sure they understand cross browser compliance, standards and aren’t using tables.

Question #2:

What is the proper way to write a break tag that will validate in transitional doc type.

JQUERY/AJAX

Question #1:

Write a basic jquery selector.  Also write a small block of jquery that adds two numbers together and appends the result to a div called total.

Question #2:

Define AJAX and how you have used it in a web application.

GENERAL QUESTIONS:

We then ask them what their strengths are and what their weaknesses are.  Depending on how they answer this question we have the white board something tailored to there strength and white board something tailored to there weakness….to see how weak they are and how strong they are according to us.

This all generally takes about an hour with limited amounts of wasted time.  We are looking for programmers that can program from scratch (not looking for exact syntax but more for deficient/clean decision making.

 

 

 

by Christine Owens
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Web Design
Our Efficient & Effective Website Design Process

Website design is a constantly evolving term.  Five years ago I would tell you that a web designer is someone who can create a layout for a website and utilize brand guidelines to create the look and feel for a website.

Today, a website designer has to truly understand the functionality of the website that they are designing.  Website designers have to develop the interactivity and user experience of the site.  No longer does a website designer just design a layout, they are the brainchild of the overall functionality, user experience and have to understand how to direct the user through the website in an easy to use way that seems intuitive.
Website Design Scottsdale

At Epic Web Solutions, our design process takes a simple and effective approach to website design.  Although we encourage our clients to be in the driver seat, our experience and expertise is what guide the process along by setting priorities and the overall goal and purpose of the website.

It may sound simple, but the early discussions prior to the website design set the foundation for the entire design process.  We have to truly understand our clients’ products and/or services before we can begin the design.

We break out our design process into seven simple phases, they are below (see slideshare for more detail):

Phase 1: Initiate

Initiate the design process by sending our client a design questionnaire that will not only help our designer from a creative standpoint, but help our client to really think about all the elements that go along with a website.  This tool has been effective of the last several years because it encourages our clients to get involved and think of creative ways to use the website to send their message and promote their products and/or services.

Phase 2: Wireframe

Once our clients have completed the design questionnaire and have developed thoughts about what the purpose of the website is, we conduct a meeting that goes over the design questionnaire and begin to wireframe.  Each website we develop has a different purpose, and needs to be treated accordingly.  Wire framing helps the client and designer visualize the bones of the website.  This phase gets our client and the lead designer on the same page and develops a good starting point for design.

Phase 3: Initial Home Page Designs

Our designers will provide several home page concepts that are based on the business requirements, goal, purpose and other elements that the client has provided.  During this process our project manager will review the concepts at certain milestones to make sure that the requirements and overall functionality is on track with the company.

Phase 4: Revision Process

Once the home page design concepts are presented to our client, we set aside a time to meet and go over the elements of the website design and our designers explain the process and why they chose that direction.  During this review, our clients are able to interject and elaborate on concepts to help the designer with direction.  In many cases our clients like concepts from multiple designs.  At this point, the project manager and design team go over the request changes and determine the best way to incorporate the new information and feedback into the design, while maintaining the overall goal and purpose.

Phase 5: Final Home Page Revisions

After some back and forth with the home page concepts, we determine a final list of changes and wrap up the home page concept.  During this time, we go over functionality and how the user will interact with the website.  Once our client signs off on the design, we being to build out the sub page layouts.

Phase 6: Sub page Design

We have discovered that the most efficient way to complete the design process is to design the subpage after the home page has been approved.  This way we can carry the home page design and concept throughout the entire website in the appropriate way.  During this phase, we go through the same revision process.

Phase 7: Final Review

Once the home page and sub page have been finalized by our design team, we provide a final design review.  This meeting is to tighten and loose ends and ensure that the design meets all the brand and business requirements as well as conveys the message that our client is trying convey through their website.

by Christine Owens
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SEO
The SEO game has changed

Google has sent a message thus far in 2012 in regards to web spam and over optimization.  We knew the old strategies of buying links and posting on directories was a dying strategy, but the one thing that has now come as a surprise is anchor text.Scottsdale SEO

In our previous link building campaigns and link bait strategies, we used to encourage heavy keyword dense anchor text.  Since April, the more keyword dense links that show up in our link profile, the ranking for that keyword phrase goes down, not up.

We did a lot of research and trials on some of our testing sites and found that links with non-keyword dense anchor text were increasing rankings of those sites, while keyword dense anchor text was not increasing, and in some cases decreasing in rankings.

We soon realized that this makes perfect sense.  SEOs were used to getting keyword dense anchor text links, because it worked.  When we put our feet in Google’s shoes it just started to make sense.  We asked ourselves “What is Google trying to accomplish with these updates?” and “What are they going to do in the future?”

The answers were so clear; Google is trying to stop over optimization and old tactics of acquiring low value links with non-natural anchor text.  The most natural links are the ones that are either talking about the brand or informing the read to click here, because of the action of going to that company’s website.

Needless to say, we have learned a lot so far in 2012 and have changed our strategies from what is working and how do we see continual growth for our clients right now, to understanding Google and how they are trying to show good natural results and truly understand the direction of future algorithm changes so that we can provide a long-term well established brand on the web for our clients with strong, well-balanced organic rankings.

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Arizona Scottsdale Search Engine Optimization Web Hosting Website Design
Why Hire An Arizona SEO Writing Company?

If you manage a website and a business to go with it, chances are that you will be or perhaps already have been looking for a way to boost the traffic to your website. In order for you to get more business, you will need to have a greater online presence. There are many ways that you can boost the traffic to your website so that you will hopefully have a boost in business. There are many different online marketing techniques that will help your business come out on top and ahead of the competition. If you are looking for some good online marketing strategies, you may want to consider hiring an Arizona SEO writing company. There are many benefits that you might just experience when you have someone do the writing for you.

One of the benefits of hiring an Arizona SEO writing company is that you will not have to worry about writing the articles yourself. If you are the owner of the company and have to run everything, you probably do not want one more thing to do and one more thing to stress you out. A professional Arizona SEO writing company might be just what you need. As long as you find a really great writing company, you can just hire them to write your articles and will know that they are perfect and ready for your use when you get them back. Professional writers are trained on how to write a good SEO article that will get results. You will not have to stress over whether or not you have written the article correctly or if you have good enough content in it. You can just leave it to someone who does it for a living and can do what you do best with your business!

Another benefit of hiring an Arizona SEO writing company is that the traffic to your website should increase in a matter of months, with the increased chance that your success will also rise. When someone does an online search, the search engine will look for content that has the searched-for word (or words) in it and will put those at the head of the search. The more relevant the articles, the more they will be pulled up at the top of the search. When your website is at the head of the search, people will be more likely to click on your link. Most people think that the first or second references are the best, even if they aren’t in reality. Also, many people will not look past the first, sometimes second page of results. If you are in the beginning selections of search results your website will get more hits. As your website gets more hits, the search engines will pull it up more during similar searches. The process will continue until you are at the top of your business!

If you are looking for a great way to increase your online presence, SEO writing might be the key. There are many benefits that come when you hire Arizona SEO writers to help you out with marketing your website correctly. As you market your site, it will gain in popularity and your business should begin to do better than before.

by Christine Owens
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Arizona Phoenix Search Engine Optimization SEO Web Design Web Hosting Website Design Website Development
Improving Your Website Accessibility

When designing a web site, the desire for accessibility is inherent. Despite this, most Arizona Web Design developers inadvertently overlook the need to make website accessible to the disabled. Web Design that is decidedly conscious of such needs can be extended to meet the needs of such users. The push for greater web site accessibility is becoming more and more main stream. Already, many major websites have improved their accessibility to those with disabilities, and are striving to do even more.

Clearly no one would intentionally exclude any person or group from accessing their public website. No one would consciously design exclusion into their website, but on many occasions this happens inadvertently. The goal of a website is to reach as many users as possible and provide them with information pertinent to your business or organization. Making your website highly accessible only heightens the reality of this goal. Highly accessible Arizona Web Design is not only beneficial to a greater number of users; it is beneficial to your interests as well.

Awareness of the need and opportunity for increased website accessibility is just the first step. Once you start considering this possibility more deeply, you may be concerned about the ability to make a highly accessible website that is also attractive and technologically savvy. Such concerns are unfounded. Expert Arizona Web Design specialists are masters of ingenuity and artistry on the web. Their jobs revolve around the need to approach tasks creativity. The challenge of heightened accessibility will simply be another feature of design for them to creatively overcome. Nearly all aspects of web design can be altered and improved to be highly accessible while also remaining cutting edge.

You may be surprised to find that Arizona Web Design that is accessible to those with disabilities is also more highly compatible with a number of hand-held devices. When highly accessible, your website will typically be more navigable and visible on these devices. The concessions necessary for improved accessibility tend to make web design more user-friendly for those accessing the web on smart phones, tablets, and the like. What’s more, highly accessible websites tend to attract more attention from major search engines as well. The features that make them more accessible also allow them to be more favorably indexed by these entities.

While you may be sufficiently motivate by the positively implications of creating a more highly accessible web design, you can be further induced by the possibility of unfavorable ramifications. To date, claims have been successfully filed against entities with a large web presence whose design was not accessible to the blind. Courts ruled in favor of the prosecutors, stating that this inaccessibility was in direct violation of law, specifically the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Increasing the accessibility of your website through thoughtful Arizona Web Design is not only considerate, it is beneficial to you as well. A minor investment in greater accessibility will improve your visibility on the web, allowing even more users to come in contact with your products and services. As this is directly in line with your goals and best interests, designing increased accessibility into your website is a true win-win situation.

by Christine Owens
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Arizona Phoenix Scottsdale Search Engine Optimization SEO Web Design Web Hosting Website Design
Making Your Website Accessible To Those With Disabilities

In this day and age of political correctness, no one would think of excluding any group from accessing their website. Unfortunately, if you are not aware and conscious in your Pheonix Web Design, it may be inaccessible to persons with certain disabilities. Many of the world’s most prominent websites have made great strides in ensuring website accessibility to everyone, including those with disabilities. Thoughtful Pheonix Web Design can overcome inaccessibility issues.

Of course no one intends to be exclusive in their Pheonix Web Design. When it happens, it is far more a matter of innocent oversight. That said, the benefit in creating a website that is accessible to all is not just a matter of thoughtfulness. It is also in your best interest. You have a website because you want to put your business or non-profit on the map. You can access even more users by making your website truly accessible.

Once you become aware of the need for broadened website accessibility, you may worry about having to give in to unattractive Pheonix Web Design in order to meet the needs of all users. No need to worry. There is no reason accessible websites have to be unattractive. Talented Pheonix Web Design developers can use all their artistic talent and all the latest technology. While some of these aspects are not inherently accessible, they can be made to be. Good web designers are all about flexibility and possibility. They have to be to do their jobs well. Tweaking a website to make it accessible will just be an extension of the work they already do. Accessibility and attractiveness are not mutually exclusive.

One of the many benefits of a truly accessible site design is its compatibility with various hand-held devices. Navigation and appearance will both be improved on smart phones and tablets when your website is highly accessible. Even better, websites with higher accessibility are generally better indexed by the major search engines. This means improved accessibility will improve your visibility as well.

If you are not motivated enough to make necessary changes, it may inspire you to learn that there are potential negative consequences of not designing your website to be highly accessible. For instance, there have been class-action lawsuits filed against websites who are not accessible to the blind. Courts have ruled that having a website that is inaccessible to this group is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Beyond the possibly negative ramifications of having a less than perfectly accessible website, it is simply the right thing to do. It will pay off for your and for users. All you need is a talented web designer with a little creativity. A web designer with a passion for originality will be able to make needed changes without much headache. Highly accessible sites are more effective and reach the highest number of users.
By including accessibility to your list of web design goals, you can achieve the best web design outcomes. The effort, and possibly minor investment, will be in everyone’s best interest. Exposure to your business, products, or services will be increased, making it easier for you to achieve your goals. What’s more, you will enjoy the moral satisfaction of having considered the needs of all users.

by Christine Owens
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