I\u2019m not a guy who does hype, so I\u2019m going to lay it out straight: You\u2019ve got a job right now as a PHP guy? Leave it and come work for me at Parchment.
\nIt has better pay than you\u2019re getting now.
\nIt has better hours than you\u2019re working now.
\nIt has better management than the place you\u2019re at now.
\nIt has a better mission than the one you have now.
\nWhere you are now, a lot of stuff is solidified in place, and your attempts to improve it are not valued. Here, you\u2019ve got a chance to get in and do stuff right. Where it\u2019s not right, you\u2019ve got a chance to change it and make it right. (But this is not a chance to evangelize your preferred framework.)
\nYou\u2019ll have me as Architect on the PHP side. For some folks that\u2019s a deal-breaker. For most people who actually have had me as a boss before, that\u2019s a bonus. (I can provide references from previous employees on request. ;-)
\nThe boring \u201chelp wanted\u201d ad only says so much. Here\u2019s the skinny:
\nThe codebase is a typical PHP codebase. Some of you know what that means. I have already stripped out all the uses of globals. The job is to update it to PHP 5.4, design patterns, and a modern architecture, and add features as we go, while keeping the whole thing running. There are no tests; you will be refactoring to testable units. There is no standard development environment; you might be able to help us create one.
\nIf you live in or near Scottsdale AZ and can be in the office on a daily basis, that gets a preference; otherwise, a telecommute for the right fit is perfectly acceptable. (If you live in Nashville TN we can telecommute together once in a while.)
\nYou need to actually know PHP itself for the simple things. I don\u2019t care if \u201cthe framework does that for you\u201d \u2014 at the very least, you should know what the framework is actually doing under the hood.
\nIf you blog about PHP, speak at PHP conferences, attend PHP conferences, help others in IRC or on mailing lists with PHP, work on an open-source project where there is at least one other significant contributor, and/or have a Github account where I can see your PHP code, so much the better.
\nThe initial phone interview will consist of a very short programming exercise, not to solve a stupid \u201cgotcha\u201d problem, but to make sure you can actually write a program. (You\u2019d be surprised how many self-proclaimed senior developers can\u2019t write a decent program.) There will be 5-6 technical questions that a mid-to-senior level developer should be able to answer with ease. If you are a Zend Certified Engineer these questions will be no-brainers.
\nAfter you pass that we\u2019ll fly you out to to Scottsdale AZ to interview for personality fit. Once you pass that we hire you and you get a better job than you have now.
\nSend me two copies of your resume: one in plain text in the body of the email so I can read it directly, and attach a Word or PDF copy for my HR guy.
\nThat is all.
\nUPDATE: Fixed the email address.
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