A section of the Concrete CMS forums is dedicated to Gigs & Jobs, where individuals and agencies can post a requirement, big or small, and find a developer to help them.

Avoid the generic job application

Every time an opportunity is posted I cringe at the stupidity of some of the developers responding. 

• Responding months after a gig was posted and long after it’s likely been filled.
• Posting even after someone has clearly said the opportunity is closed.
• Copy-pasting generic messages like "I have expertise in what you require" that could apply to any listing.
• Asking the originator to initiate contact, instead of reaching out themselves.

All of these show the developer is shotgunning any opportunity without actually thinking about it or doing any research. They make the developer look dumb for the current opportunity, and even dumber when they use exactly the same generic response for further Gigs & Jobs opportunities.

Beware the agent

Sometimes the "developer" responding to an opportunity is not actually a developer but an agent who acts as a intermediary. They will in turn have a stable of developers, who perhaps do not speak the same language as the originator of the requirement.

The agent purports to be a developer to get the gig, then fronts the job while translating all communication to and from the actual developer's and taking their cut. Its a particularly prevalent pattern in 3rd world countries.

So what is the problem with agents? In principle, as long as the agent is honest and makes it clear they are an intermediary, maybe the client is OK with that. However, an agent purporting to be the actual developer shows dishonesty from the outset. In both cases, any communication between client and developer will be filtered through another layer with consequent delay and risk of miscommunication. If the agent is honest, at least allowances can be made for that risk. If a relationship begins dishonestly, can the client ever trust such an agent?

Read, Research, Respond

For developers responding to a Gigs & Jobs opportunity, more important than anything else is to demonstrate they have actually read the requirement, researched the person or business hiring, and have thought about what needs to be done. Don't just claim expertise, actually demonstrate expertise, even if it gives away part of the solution. Clients will respect this and such posts enhance a developer's credibility even if they don't get the gig.

Anyone posting an opportunity will be directly contactable. Unless the original post explicitly warns against it, developers should contact them directly and conclude their forum post along the lines of: "I have contacted you by ... with more thoughts on this".