The actionable guide to hiring the best front end developers within just one week(+soft skills you should look for)
Imagine a user visiting your business website for the first time. What will be the first thing that affects their stay? The answer would be UI or user interface. It captivates the first impression and helps them to decide whether they will browse other pages of the website or not. Therefore, an engaging UI does not just bring aesthetic value but it makes a product trustworthy for the users.
To create high-quality and enticing UI, you must have experienced front-end developers. They can make things easier by making a responsive website for your business. Nobody can stop you from creating an unstoppable brand presence. You can give them skills testing or a problem to solve in order to test their efficiency. Once you’re satisfied with the result you can talk to them regarding the hiring process.
But how?
What is Front-end development?
Most of the best websites and web applications entail a robust design, which attracts visitors. Moreover, these websites are easy to navigate and easy to use. To be precise, what a user sees and interacts with, is known as the User interface or UI. On the other hand, the general experience of the user is known as user experience(UX).
Mostly the user interacts with the UI & UX, and the front-end developers implement it. The designer creates the design and a front-end developer brings it to life. Most business people are now aware of UI & UX, as there has been an increased focus on it in recent times. Therefore the demand for front-end developers reached new heights over the past few years. According to a report, the surge in hiring front-end developers has seen a spike of 25% between the years 2019 and 2020.
You need to choose a front-end developer who can join your team to foster the development process. To shoulder the load, we’ve churned out a list that could help you to put on the right shoes.
Ways to evaluate a good front-end developer
As far the knowledge is concerned, front-end developers can be classified as Junior, Mid-level, senior, or team lead. There are differences between a junior and senior developer in terms of work experience and to perceive the notion of development and its phases.
Junior front-end developers– They should have proficiency in HTML, CSS, and javascript. These are core things in which all-front end code is written. If anybody has the knowledge of the framework and how to implement the same successfully; then it could be an added advantage.
While hiring the junior developers, you should check their portfolios. From there you can gauge their skill set, motivation, and further willingness to learn new things.
Mid-level front end developers
Generally, they have more than two years of experience. Although they need less guidance from the senior developers, sometimes they may lack things that need to be covered to complete the cycle of work. They should have experience with multiple frameworks, along with the experience of working on live projects.
Senior front-end developers
Individuals who have experience of more than 10 years are considered the senior front-end developers. They have already experienced building large-scale apps while working in a team and mentoring junior developers. An experienced senior developer can build robust and reliable applications for meeting business needs. With their calculated work and consistent performance, you can get a chance to play with big things.
While hiring senior front-end developers, take a look at their experience in multiple front-end frameworks. Also, dig deeper to find out their technical ability for making technical decisions.
Technical skills you should look for while hiring a front-end developer
Once you gauge the knowledge and skill set of the front-end developers, now is time to assess the technical depth whether it matches your requirements. In the following paragraphs, we’ll briefly discuss the technical skills that you should look out for.
1. Ability to write clean code
You need to identify if your developer can make sound technical decisions, followed by having the ability to write and structure clean code. You should keep in mind that your website is the cornerstone of your future success and you shouldn’t leave anything behind. Therefore, you may ask questions like-
- Will the website perform well in people’s browsers?
- Will the website run smoothly irrespective of the devices?
- Will the other developers understand their code?
2. Proficiency in debugging
A good front-end developer should possess the qualities like deep understanding, investigating, finding, and fixing the issues simultaneously. Half of the job is done when any developer could implement the same in larger-scale applications.
You can test a front end developer’s skills by doing an interview session. You can give a problem to solve in order to test their efficiency. Once you’re satisfied with the result you can talk to them regarding the hiring process.
3. Can work with the latest technologies
A knowledgeable front-end developer should know JavaScript and can work well with frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular. Consequently, they must have the willingness to learn new technologies and their related things. It may include watching tutorial videos, following the innovators on social media, etc.
4. Familiar with TDD (test-driven development) approach
Put simply, test-driven development means writing tests before the final deployment. Developers take this approach while the code has fewer bugs and it is less likely to be interrupted by the other developers. It’s useful for larger projects.
Soft skills you should look out for
Technical skills are the lynchpin for development and there is no doubt about the same. However, soft skills play a pivotal role to measure the interpersonal attributes like teamwork, communication ability,
Here are a few soft skills that you need to look out for in a knowledgeable front-end developer-
- Teamwork– Teamwork plays an instrumental role in order to complete a project on time. While hiring a front-end developer, you should check how much a candidate is a team player. Front-end developers should have the willingness to learn from the senior developers. Likewise, if any senior developer is stuck somewhere, they should discuss the issues with the other team members. It will help to eliminate the issues at their earliest.
- Communication skills– Communication is the conduit between developers and other team members. It helps to smooth the entire process while establishing the performance standards. Effective communication bodes well with the developers and it is applicable for all steps. From ideating to deployment- the notion of communication truncates the process to get the ultimate output without any hurdles.
- Creativity- A front-end developer with a creative mindset is the best combination. Your business website needs a state-of-the-art experience to pull more traffic. It’s possible when the developer can brainstorm while writing code. The same will affect the final output. Also, problem-solving abilities are an added advantage that can help to deal with crucial tasks.
The bottom line
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for any business. There could be ebbs and flows which may work as a restraint. To avoid any untoward situation for your business and to get stable results, you should start from scratch. This is what a front-end developer and his/her effort towards your business could turn the key to success.
If you want to hire efficient front-end developers, we have the recommendations of a few companies to help you take the plunge.
A full-fledged web development company in New Zealand with 100+ team members. They are committed to giving you the best service when it comes to web development or any other digital service. Learn how they can make your hiring experience great by visiting their website.
To help realize your business potential, top-drawer talents are always ready to serve you. With a passion for winning, the employees are maintaining the highest standards by giving top-notch service. If you want to hire developers, you can either call or shoot a mail to them. They’ll get back to you within a single to no time.
