Hire the Top 3% of Freelance Front-end Developers

No End in Sight for Front-end Developer Demand

Demand for front-end developers is perennial. For six years in a row, front-end development has been the third most popular specialization in the Stack Overflow Developer Survey. It’s also an integral part of the top role—the full-stack developer. Because of the internet’s constant growth, companies continually need new websites and features to market new products and keep a competitive edge.

JavaScript, HTML, and CSS are the foundations for any website, making them the top technologies that more than half of professional software developers use. In a growing market, finding the appropriate front-end developer poses a challenge; at times it may be impossible to find an exact skill match for a given set of project requirements. The challenge then becomes one of knowing the nuances inherent in the front-end development space, and being able to discern which skills are essential and which are a bonus. Hiring managers who can find the right new hires—either on-site or remote developers—can help their company grow.

This hiring guide provides an overview of front-end developer skills, outlines the components of a strategic front-end job description, and suggests interview questions to help you find and assess the perfect match for your project.

What attributes distinguish quality Front-end Developers from others?

First, let’s explore a more precise answer to the question “What job does a front-end developer perform?” Front-end developers are primarily responsible for the client-side development of web applications—that is, the part of the web application that runs within the web browser on a user’s computer or mobile device. They specialize in coding the visual, user-facing elements of a website or application.

This includes not only creating HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code to build interactive interfaces, but also organizing this code in a maintainable and scalable way. A sleek new website is of no use if it’s coded in a way that means a slight change will take hours of digging through spaghetti code to implement it—and even longer to fix without breaking existing functionality.

That’s why development quality is so relevant when evaluating candidates. Technology evolves rapidly, especially in front-end development, as new frameworks are being released constantly. Having experience with your specific project dependencies is ideal, but a seasoned developer will typically be able to quickly learn what they need to know about any unknown parts of your technological stack, assuming they have adequate documentation.

Beyond architectural wisdom and the ability to adapt quickly to new technologies, there are three attributes that set exceptional front-end developers apart from the rest:

How can you identify the ideal Front-end Developer for you?

The first step is to identify the capability gap in your current team. Consider whether you need a seasoned front-end expert or if a junior developer will suit your purposes. Less experienced developers can work on simpler tasks under supervision, but the time spent training them will initially detract from their and their mentor’s productivity. When filling whole expertise gaps in your team or starting a project from scratch, it’s worth investing in a senior developer; they will bring expertise and overall higher productivity.

To that end, you’ll need to identify gaps and clearly define the objectives and scope of your project or projects, then list the qualities and qualifications of a candidate you’re looking for. Pay particular attention to listing technical skills, especially as they pertain to your project’s tech stack components. Such a list will make it easier to evaluate the relevance of candidates’ hands-on experience.

Complementary technology skills for front-end development

While project-specific front-end skills are the most desirable, the following skills enable developers to tackle a broader range of challenges, work more efficiently, and contribute to the overall success of front-end projects:

Do front-end developers need to know design?

Front-end programmers do not necessarily need to have expertise in design, but having a basic understanding of design principles and aesthetics is beneficial. While the roles of front-end developers and designers often overlap to some extent, they have distinct areas of focus. Designers work more on the aesthetic end of the spectrum, whereas front-end developers primarily implement the user interface using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code.

Having a fundamental understanding of design concepts and an attention to detail allows front-end developers to effectively collaborate with designers and ensure the proper implementation of visual elements and user experience.

How crucial is React?

React-based front ends are quite common, but they’re not the only option. Angular and Vue.js are also popular, and more recent challengers such as Svelte have started to gain serious traction. What is most important is the system already in use on your project and/or what you plan to use? For greenfield projects in which the choice of front-end framework is undecided, you have some flexibility; significant experience with any major framework will suffice.

Is jQuery still a relevant front-end skill?

Once one of the most commonly used cross-browser-compatible front-end libraries, jQuery simplifies and enhances common tasks such as manipulating and traversing HTML documents, handling events, creating animations, and making asynchronous requests.

However, with advancements in modern JavaScript and browser support for native APIs, front-end programmers often avoid jQuery. Many jQuery maneuvers can now be accomplished just as easily without it, making it undesirable for newer projects but still relevant in legacy contexts.

How to Write a Front-end Developer Job Description for Your Project

To attract top talent for your front-end developer position, start with a job description template. You should also:

• Specify required skills (e.g., HTML, CSS, and/or JavaScript) and preferred frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, Vue.js, or an alternative) to ensure targeted applications.
• Highlight key responsibilities such as UI implementation, performance optimization, cross-browser compatibility, and search engine optimization.
• Mention potential job titles (Front-end Developer, UI/UX Developer) for clarity.
• Include the desired experience level (junior, mid-level, senior) to attract suitable candidates.
• Describe your company culture and your team dynamics.

What are the most important Front-end Developer interview questions?

Relevant interview questions for front-end engineers will help you not only to assess a candidate’s technical proficiency, problem-solving abilities, and communication skills, but also to determine how close a match they are to your project specifics. It may also be worth including some wider-context questions and even some full-stack development questions if there’s a possibility their role may involve any back-end development. It will pay to make sure the candidate knows your project’s source control system(s), which in most cases will include Git.

In conversation, seasoned developers should be able to further demonstrate a deep understanding of the pertinent technologies you identified in their portfolios earlier and offer recommendations on their best practices. Here are some sample questions that can help in evaluating potential candidates:

What front-end technologies and frameworks are you proficient in?

The candidate should mention their proficiency in core front-end technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It’s helpful if they’re familiar with popular frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js, and it’s worth delving deeper into any major framework or technology in your tech stack with focused questions. You could discuss full platforms like WordPress or any heavily leveraged front-end testing tools like Selenium.

Can you describe a challenging front-end project you have worked on? How did you overcome any obstacles?

Good answers should demonstrate a candidate’s problem-solving skills, adaptability, and ability to find effective solutions. Look for candidates who showcase their critical thinking and creativity in resolving complex front-end issues.

How do you ensure cross-browser compatibility and responsive design in your projects?

The candidate should discuss techniques they have used to ensure cross-browser compatibility, such as CSS media queries and thorough testing on different browsers and devices. They should also mention their approach to responsive design, i.e., ensuring that websites adapt seamlessly to various screen sizes and devices. Answers should reflect their knowledge of best practices and their ability to deliver consistent user experiences across different platforms.

How do you optimize website performance?

The candidate should demonstrate their understanding of performance optimization techniques. Look for answers that mention strategies like minimizing file sizes, leveraging caching mechanisms, optimizing images, and reducing HTTP requests. Top candidates may also mention their familiarity with performance analysis tools and their ability to conduct performance audits.

Can you explain your approach to collaborating with designers and back-end developers?

The candidate should emphasize effective communication and collaboration skills. They should explain their approach to the requirements provided by designers and their ability to translate those designs into functional front-end interfaces. The candidate should also have demonstrated experience collaborating with back-end developers to integrate front- and back-end functionalities seamlessly.

Why do companies hire Front-end Developers?

Hiring front-end developers empowers businesses to deliver exceptional user experiences and build robust web applications. Since front ends themselves are used in so many contexts within every industry, it helps to be able to communicate to stakeholders the high-level value they might add to your particular project, and this depends on the applicable front-end use case.

Front-end use cases

Front-end developers are crucial for the success of various projects, as they bring expertise in creating visually appealing user interfaces and enhancing user experience. What does that look like in various projects?

Front-end developers bridge the gap between product designers and back-end developers. They transform your company’s design concepts into functional code. They ensure cross-platform compatibility, enabling applications to work seamlessly across devices and browsers. They optimize performance by employing efficient coding practices and enhancing website speed and responsiveness. They also work on search engine optimization and web accessibility to help your app reach the widest audience. In short, front-end engineers are ambassadors to your user base, and having a top performer in this role is crucial to the ongoing success of your product.