David Precious Online CV

July 2006 - Present
UK2 - Senior Perl Developer

Working on backend and front end code to control order processing, provisioning of web hosting, domain registration and associated services. Writing strong Perl code following Perl Best Practices and re-using code wherever possible.

August 1999 - Julu 2006
PIPEX Internet Ltd - Web Developer

As PIPEX's Web Developer, I was responsible for developing the PIPEX website, especially the back-end systems and online tools. I developed my PHP, Perl, MySQL and server administration skills greatly during this role, and wrote almost all the back-end scripts required for this website. My order processing system (including custom PHP-based form management system with non-cookie based sessions, powerful validation etc, and a system which sends orders from the server over an SSL-secured tunnel to a MySQL server to be handed off to our order processing systems) took well over 150,000 orders, bringing in sales worth several million pounds.

Since my work was customer-facing and used by many thousands of visitors each week, it had to be reliable and resilient. I had responsibility for the server administration and maintenance required for our Linux webserver, our standby webserver and our database machine, along with our development servers and the workstations within my department.

I worked as part of a small team, with a Junior Web Developer reporting to me. Since we had a small team, things did get hectic at times, and I had to be able to work effectively and productively under pressure. Occassionally, very important projects with tight deadlines resulted in working very long shifts, sometimes from 9am in the morning until the next day.

Before earning my promotion to Web Developer in October 1999, I started at PIPEX working as a first-line technical support agent. This role involved assisting customers who were having problems using their PIPEX services. I had to have a good telephone manner, a lot of patience, be calm under pressure, and be able to troubleshoot problems quickly and methodically. The role requires the ability to "think on your feet", explaining what to do in plain English and talking them through it.

During my time in the Support department, I decided to start designing a basic Intranet site during and between calls, containing technical information and suggested fixes etc for the department. My web design skills and my ambition and enthusiasm were noticed, and I was promoted to Web Developer, which is where I am today.

July 1998 - August 1999
Powerhouse Retail - Storeman

At Powerhouse I worked as a part-time storeman. My duties included stock control, making sure stock counts were up to date on the computer system, and dealing with stock enquiries from staff, along with managing the stock rooms, accepting deliveries etc. When customers came to collect their purchases, I had to check the relevant documentation then help them load their purchases into their vehicle.

This role required good organisation, ability to work alone under my own initiative, and good customer service skills, along with a good telephone manner when dealing with staff or customers. I was trusted to work alone in the stockroom with access to all items including very valuable electronic items, and control over the movement of stock. Since I would often be working alone, I had to be able to work under pressure when customers were waiting to collect items.