Thanks to Eli M for pointing out oDesk as a place to find Delphi freelance work. Not only can you find jobs there - if you need temporary manpower, you can post jobs there as well.
Thanks to Eli M for pointing out oDesk as a place to find Delphi freelance work. Not only can you find jobs there - if you need temporary manpower, you can post jobs there as well.
#freelance
https://www.odesk.com/o/jobs/browse/?q=Delphi
#freelance
https://www.odesk.com/o/jobs/browse/?q=Delphi
Prices are a joke, most of the time.
ReplyDeleteA. Bouchez in what sense?
ReplyDeleteJust signed up ...as could do some odd jobs and also will sign up as needing some freelance work too
ReplyDeleteValid points. Let the buyer beware.
ReplyDeleteFirst time taking a look there, was curious....my personal favorites on the list are $200 to and this is the full job description "Know delphi and pascal", I think that's an ample budget to achieve that. Also help Hamdani's sister graduate from University who "The problem is, although she is in a Computer major, she can't really code but (she's learning)..." Now that's the type of graduate I'd like to employ.....sorry don't mean to be sarcastic but those two made my morning coffee more enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteDorin Duminica As a joke as the job descriptions themselves. They would not pass the StackOverflow criteria! :-)
ReplyDeleteI use oDesk a lot. However I have never outsource Delphi development and would think carefully before doing so. oDesk is great for out-tasking i.e. giving someone a well defined task to do.
ReplyDeleteIf I have a longer term need (e.g. someone to help me prepare my expense reports), I will hire three people for a test project. I make it clear that it's a test project and I how the best one for the long term rolls. I also only hire people with a rating of 4+. They must have worked at least one hour on oDesk (i.e. No newbies), and have a good command of English. I also normally "seed" my job ads with a random question to see if they have actually read the ad e.g. Tell me your favorite movie so I know you've read the ad (this weeds out the cut and paste applicants)
Hope this helps!
I've not used desk but have used GetACoder.com to get some stuff written. Experience has been a bit mixed, from complete nonsense to bloody brilliant. One good thing is that they review all job descriptions so from a freelancer's point if view you know what is needed. From the employer's it means that if they don't deliver you don't pay ( had to use their arbitration service once and that was excellent). Also everyone reviews everyone.
ReplyDeleteBiggest bugbear? People just going for any job and then trying to persuade you to do it in a different development language.
I completed 11 mostly Delphi projects in 2014 using oDesk (I had 1 project that I hired 12+ people to complete). One spectacular failure (though a second freelancer completed it). My tips for success: Don't hire agency contractors. Use the hourly project type and make the freelancer use the oDesk time tracker (payment is frictionless and work is audit-able). Know when to put an end to a failing project. Ask how many hours they think it will take. Hire 2 people for the same task. Be aware of the cultural nuances for the country (like India, Russia, Ukraine) you are hiring the person from. Use the oDesk messaging tool (I use it exclusively). Part out the project if necessary so just post a piece of the project and then plug that piece in yourself or offload difficult problems to save your own higher cost time. Trickle the project pieces (or just be a good project manager) so you don't overwhelm the freelancer with a giant project. Get the current state of the project as often as possible (like via source control or Dropbox shared folder or just attachments) so if the freelancer disappears you aren't left high and dry. If you are the freelancer you can help your project by using the above ideas in reverse as well for a happier client.
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice, Eli M!
ReplyDeleteEli M I'm curious, after so many projects, do you still hire 2 people for the same task?
ReplyDeleteBecause, in my mind, if you keep and improve upon a relationship with your contractor(s), I think you can rely on them pretty well, in addition, you can reward your resources better and worry less.
I've been doing work on oDesk for over 5 years now, and my relationship with most of my clients is constantly growing and improving(both on oDesk and other sources).
It depends on the project. If I'm using someone I used before who I know is reliable, maybe not. If the person is less than $10/h and I have a deadline, yes. If the project is splittable so one person can start at the top and one at the bottom then yes. If the project is failing I might spin up a second person on the side to see if they can do it. Sometimes you hire someone and never hear from them again. When you do hourly based (vs. by the project) you can start and stop someone at any time. I know of multiple active Delphi freelancers who I would recommend from past projects right now.
ReplyDeleteEli M alright, one more thing that is intriguing, why would you hire 2(or more resources) for <= $10/h if you have a deadline? wouldn't it make sense to look at someone around $20/h with good reputation and a much higher chance of success? I'm trying to understand the logic...
ReplyDeleteThe chance of a freelancer's success isn't based on their hourly rate. Different countries have different economics. I have an hourly blogger at $4/h that is absolutely amazing and in his home country that rate is the same as what an airline pilot makes. What if the higher paid freelancer doesn't work on weekends but one of the $10/h guys does because this is a side job? Now you're two days ahead. I've had good success with $44/h people. And I've also had high dollar people be slow (and therefor cost way more than I wanted). And I've had lower hourly rate people do 2-3 hours of work and then disappear. My projects are all mobile devices plus blogging and web development. Not all tips may work with every type of project.
ReplyDeletewow, wonder how they can afford to buy Delphi at those hourly rates!
ReplyDeleteEli M thank you for your replies, I appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteI've used oDesk for Delphi work, specific assigned tasks anyway. As the working relationship grew we reached a comfort level about how specific a task needed to be in order for me to see a positive result. As opposed for me (time constrained) to me doing all of the work myself, the oDesk solution was must more timely and ended up being less expensive for my company's client. I will definitely use oDesk for coding tasks in the future. Those tasks will tend to be well defined .
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Eli M about using the hourly approach. Some people demand and get a tremendous amount of work on fixed-price contracts but I would expect more fixed-price contracts to fizzle and with the ability to monitor the hourly work, I can make sure my company is fairly compensating the contractor.
There is also Elance wjhere i do Delphi works for the past 2 years after Greece came into recession.
ReplyDelete