I told the company I work for that I want to phase myself out, but that I would stick around for a couple months before applying anywhere to help in the recruitment of my replacement. I offered this because I am the sole web developer and I didn't want to leave them helpless.

The problem is, they want to hire someone very under qualified to avoid having to pay a high salary.

As far as I'm concerned, it's their company and they can run it how they want. However, when it comes to me helping find and train someone before I go, I'm in a position where I don't know what to do.

To give a little perspective, I built them a medium sized e-commerce system using an MVC framework; there's more to it, but I'll leave it at that. The candidates they are finding me to review are people who have never worked as a programmer, have made a couple really crappy static websites using a WYSIWYG program and are calling themselves web designers.

I know these people have no chance at success. I have tried to explain it to the company, but they don't want to hear it; they think one of these people can be trained and be up and running at my level in about a year. The reality is, I don't think their site will last a year if they go this route.

I think maybe they think I am just trying to make myself look good and the new candidates look bad for some reason, which is not the case at all. I would like to leave what I have worked hard on in capable hands.

So what is the ethical and professional thing to do here? Just keep telling them that these candidates are no good until they actually find a decent one, up until its time for me to leave, at which point I leave them with no one? Or just accept that they are going to destroy themselves and do the best I can to pick the best out of the candidates and teach him/her what I can before I go?

I really just want to do the right thing here, so I can leave on good terms. And if a year down the road they fail, I can have a clean conscience.

Here's what you do:


Let them know that the candidates they are sending you are all unqualified
Give them your minimum qualifications
Reject anyone who does not meet those qualifications.


If they refuse to give you resumes of anyone who meets your qualifications, then you have done your part.

Regarding ethics, you don't have a responsibility to replace yourself--that's the hiring manager's job.  If you want to go beyond ethics into kindness, then offering to help out is great, but stick to your guns on what the job really requires.

Finally, set a deadline for leaving the company, don't languish in this job.  They could very well be sending you unqualified candidates so that you will stick around (although that is unlikely).  But once you set that deadline, let them know so that the expectations are understood.
