PHP programming & web scraping (DomDocument, XPATH)

PLEASE THOROUGHLY READ THE DESCRIPTION BEFORE APPLYING! IF YOU DON'T, YOU WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR THE JOB. To apply for this position, you must: * Be FLUENT in English (this means English is your 1st language, or close to it) * Be proficient in PHP and HTML * Have strong problem solving and debugging skills * Be willing to sign an NDA before starting the job Desired knowledge/skills/traits: * Preferably use the PhpStorm IDE * Experience with web scraping and document parsing/traversal (especially with DomDocument & XPath) * Experience debugging PHP scripts using an actual debugger (such as Xdebug) * Basic Git/GitHub use * Regular expressions * JavaScript, jQuery and AJAX experience a plus * Being in a timezone close to GMT-5 (US Eastern Time) is a BIG plus Project description: We are seeking an efficient PHP programmer for a several month long project. The position is part-time and will primarily involve writing scripts to retrieve product information from online retailers. At least initially, the job will mostly consist of modifying a template to work with various websites. You will need to look at the source code of pages to determine what DomDocument and XPath expressions and methods to use to get the data needing to be scraped, then modify the template accordingly. Most websites are fairly straightforward and easy, but some prove to be quite challenging. Due to limited funds, we are seeking an individual wiling to work for under $20/hr (preferably), although after our website is launched and turns a profit we would be more than willing to raise that figure significantly. For the same reason, the job is only for around 5-10 hours a week (this is somewhat flexible), but once the website launches more hours will be available if desired. You can work on your own time, but should be available via email or chat throughout the day in case we need to discuss the project. Interview Details: * Short-listed applicants will be interviewed via Skype (we can work around your schedule) * Will involve oral questions as well as actual programming problems * May take anywhere from 15-45 minutes * A webcam is not necessary * You will be required to share your desktop via Skype while solving programming problems given during the interview * You will need access to a server with PHP in order to complete the programming problems given during the interview (you are expected to have a server such as WampServer installed on your development machine) It seems many people don't even read the description before bidding on projects, so if you bid please put "Bow Ties Are Cool" as the first line of your bid. Thank you for your interest.