Based on a series of articles originally published at Joel on Software, "Joel on Hiring" provides a complete guide to the process of attracting, screening, recruiting, interviewing, selecting, and hiring top programmers. It provides a complete system for hiring programmers, yet is concise. And it features a humorous approach that won't be boring.

A "good" programmer can outproduce five, ten, and sometimes more run-of-the-mill programmers. The secret to success for any software company then is to hire the good programmers. But how to do that? In Joel on Hiring, Joel Spolsky draws from his experience both at Microsoft and running his own successful software company based in New York City. He writes humorously, but seriously about his methods for sorting resumes, for finding great candidates, and for interviewing, in person and by phone. Joel's methods are not complex, but they do get to the heart of the matter: how to recognize a great developer when you see one.