How to Find the Best JavaScript Developers for Hire

For many years JavaScript has been the go-to language to build modern websites and interactive applications. That’s what makes it so popular and high demand, which complicates the hiring process. Did you know that roughly 86% of HR specialists have difficulties finding a developer? There are simply not enough of them for all of us: only 6.4% of developers worldwide are currently (2019) unemployed. On top of that, the need for a technical talent will increase by 21% by 2028. Now, with a high demand for applications, there’s a need for a qualified JavaScript developer. Significant demand and small supply inevitably disbalance the market.

In this blog post, you’ll discover how to find and hire the best JavaScript developers, the potential pitfalls, and who can help you with all the hiring process’s intricacies.

JavaScript Programmers Roles and Responsibilities

We distinguish between front-end and back-end developers, while programmers who specialize in both are called full-stack developers. Front-end JavaScript developers for hire take care of the app layout, usability, and visual presentation. Back-end developers make sure that new features are well integrated with server logic. Let’s look at these roles more precisely to understand what to look for in JavaScript coders for hire better.

Front-end developers

Front-end developers use JavaScript to write UI code to enhance the user experience, shorten the learning curve for customers, and create an interactive platform that users will enjoy. It also involves continuous improvement, even after the website has been built and launched.

Here are the primary duties of front-end developers you need to know before deciding to hire a JavaScript programmer:

• Develop and continuously improve websites and applications;
• Develop new user-facing features to boost user experience;
• Conduct code analysis to catch potential security threats and bugs;
• Provide sustainable coding that can be reused and altered in the future;
• Ensure the feasibility of UI/UX design and always upgrade user experience.

Back-end developers

Back-end engineers monitor and maintain data storage, monitoring server performance, and make sure the app is functional. On top of that, they ensure the optimization of applications for speed and efficiency.

Here are the primary roles of back-end developers that you should be familiar with before deciding to hire JS coders:

• Analyze data and processes to identify areas for improvement;
• Work along with front-end developers to enhance user experience and integrate user-facing features with server logic;
• Write reusable code;
• Conduct software reliability analysis to uncover flaws in the software’s functionality and design;
• Maximize speed and scalability of applications;
• Secure and protect data;
• Implement data storage solutions.

Choosing JavaScript Developers for Hire: Essential Skills

It might be challenging to figure out what set of skills good JavaScript programmers for hire should possess. When you are looking to hire JavaScript engineers, one might get lost in the number of requirements, skills, databases, and languages. The information below is neatly structured to help you build an understanding of the essential requirements. Depending on the level of their expertise and the number of years spent working in this field, we distinguish between Junior, Middle, and Senior developers.

Hard skills of a front-end developer (Junior, Middle, Senior)

Code review

This skill is self-explanatory: Middle and Senior staff should be able to review other developers’ code for potential bugs, whereas Junior engineers should be able to check and fix small issues.

Project architecture

A Junior member of staff ought to understand and work with the existing architecture and its layers and have a basic knowledge about design patterns. The Middle coder’s tasks revolve around implementing new features within the architecture and an understanding of design patterns and SOLID principles. Finally, a Senior developer should be capable of adding new subsystems to the existing application architecture, have extensive knowledge about design patterns, and a deep understanding of architecture patterns.

HTML/CSS

Along with JavaScript, HTML and CSS are the cornerstones technologies, so even a Junior developer has to have some basic knowledge. Senior developers need to be familiar with SEO optimization, as well.

Testing

Testing is a vital part of the software development process. Junior staff needs to be aware of the unit testing approaches, whereas Middle developers should be experts in test-driven development. Finally, a Senior staff member should be familiar with the test automation framework like Protractor, Selenium Webdriver, and others.

Understanding of JS libraries (Angular and React)

Angular is a popular open-source JS framework applied for mobile application development. Every JavaScript engineer needs to be familiar with JS frameworks, and Angular is the most prominent one. Next to Angular, front-end developers have to be knowledgeable about ReactJS — an open source JS library for building UI elements as well as mobile applications.

Hard skills of a back-end developer (Junior, Middle, Senior)

Code review

Similar to front-end developers, back-end specialists are required to be able to review and fix code issues.

Project architecture

Back-end developers are also expected to understand the existing architecture and work with it without causing any disruptions. Juniors need to have a basic understanding of architecture layers as well as MVC (Model-View-Controller). At the same time, Middle developers need to be able to integrate new features into the existing architecture and understand commonly-used design patterns and SOLID principles. Seniors should be capable of designing application architecture from scratch using given technical and business requirements.

NodeJS fundamentals

As mentioned before, JavaScript developers should be familiar with some application frameworks, in this case, NodeJS. Junior staff needs to have an understanding of what NVM (Node Version Manager) is and be able to work with NodeJS basics. Meanwhile, Middle and Senior coders must have a more in-depth knowledge of the framework and have experience working with it.

CI, VCS

To ease the collaboration and keep track of all the changes, software development teams refer to VCS (Version Control System). On top of that, teams implement CI (continuous integration) several times per day to merge the code into a shared repository, verified with automated testing.

Soft skills of a JavaScript developer

While possession of the above-mentioned technical skills is crucial for landing a JavaScript job, the importance of soft skills should not be underrated. Hire JavaScript developers who can efficiently communicate with the team have developed critical thinking and can solve problems creatively. Before choosing to hire a JavaScript developer or JavaScript consultant, make sure they have the following soft skills:

• Communication,
• Creativity,
• Working under pressure,
• Critical thinking,
• Problem-solving ability,
• Attention to detail,
• Ability to work in a team.

How to create a well-balanced team of specialists

How many Senior developers do you need? How do you make the right choice given two candidates with similar work experience? What is the secret to a well-functioning development team? Should I hire offshore specialists, or should I better go for in-house employees? These questions occur to everyone who is trying to hire a JavaScript development team. However, there are some useful tips you could apply to ease the task. So, how to hire JavaScript developers who will constitute a well-balanced team?

Hire at least one Senior developer

Having too many Senior staff on your team might lead to the situation when some tasks won’t be interesting for them. However, there is a need for several Senior developers if you have a complex project that requires in-depth expertise and excellent skills. A well-established team should have one or two Senior developers to retain expertise and valuable knowledge and raise the new generation of great experts.

Consider the candidate’s personality

This advice goes back to soft skills. No matter how vital technical skills might be, if a developer does not get along with the team, they will disrupt the well-oiled mechanism, which will inevitably lead to mistakes and delays.

Set development and performance standards as well as best practices

Everyone comes from different backgrounds and has their styles when it comes to naming conversions and organizing workflow. It is essential to have a clear set of rules and standards, as well as performance criteria. This way, your employees will know how to act in case of a common issue and what is required to do.

Maintain continuous communication

Continuous communication within the team and regular meetings or calls with stakeholders will help you avoid misunderstandings and reduce unnecessary work time. Most team members will not interact daily, which might come back as an issue later on, and regular meetings will put everyone on the same page.

How to Attract the Best JS Developers

Read their CV properly

While checking a candidate’s CV, look out for unnecessary, irrelevant skills, such as MS Office. It could mean that the candidate did not prepare a CV for this particular position. Alternatively, it could be due to a lack of essential skills.

Secondly, watch out for quitters. You don’t want to hire someone who will leave the company after a couple of months. If a candidate has switched several workplaces in one year, you should look further.

Ask the right questions

“What do you know about the company?” — this simple question will help you understand whether the candidate researched the company and the product. If the candidate comes unprepared, it means they are not motivated.

“Why did you apply to our company?” — this straightforward question will help you establish whether the candidate fits the position and has enough skills to offer to your company.

Check their skills

Firstly, ask your candidates to evaluate themselves from 1 to 10 on how good they are at a particular task. It will help you figure out their strengths and weaknesses and establish a candidate’s self-awareness level when you check these skills later.

Secondly, prepare a small assessment test based on their future position and the level of expertise. For Juniors, you could ask to create a simple array, an array with static functions, or write a piece of code. Ask potential Middle and senior candidates questions about the technologies they mentioned in their CV and provide them with a more complex practical task.

How JavaScript Developers Work at TechMagic

TechMagic is a javascript software product development company that specializes in JavaScript apps as well as AWS and Serverless solutions. Having combined our broad tech stack and expertise in web app development, frontend development services and data storage solutions, we are the perfect partners to run a project of any complexity.

How TechMagic prepares remote developers

TechMagic provides employee onboarding and offboarding guides to prepare all the important documentation — test cases, mind maps, diagrams, and user flow. Our Senior staff deals with the newcomers onboarding, which brings the team closer together and creates a well-functioning trusting environment.

To ensure that Juniors gain the first experience, we let them start with low-risk assignments and enable the “learning by doing” approach. To ensure the smooth working process and avoid misunderstandings, we organize regular meetings with the team.

Why TechMagic is the right choice

TechMagic will boost your employee retention rates due to the close collaboration between Senior and Junior staff and continuous experience exchange. We make sure to distribute the tasks according to the level of expertise and provide a balance of seniority, which rewards the workers based on their performance, not solely on seniority.

TechMagic is highly cost-effective due to its balanced-out teams: one Senior full-stack team lead, several Middle and Junior specialists, and a QA engineer. It’s a common practice to have a team of 4-5 such specialists and add more when the project grows. In such a scenario, Junior staff has a chance to fulfill their potential due to close collaboration with Seniors and develop T-shaped skills. Finally, we provide test automation services to security to ensure the safety of your sensitive data.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, landing a professional JavaScript developer who will fit your requirements and bring the exact set of skills you need is like finding a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, there are third-party companies that can help you with this task. Referring to a well-established, credible vendor like TechMagic, will save you time and money and provide you with the best possible candidate.