How do I prepare for a front end web developer interview?

An upcoming interview for a frontend web developer position can be an exciting chance to explore your career potential and create web experiences that delight and engage users. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), web developer and digital r jobs are expected to grow by 23 percent annually through 2031 — faster than the national average growth rate across all occupations combined.

As frontend web development grows, employers seek key skill sets from job candidates. ZipRecruiter’s Career Keyword Mapper indicates that the top skills in relevant job descriptions include frontend design, JavaScript, HTML, and user interface (UI) design.

How To Approach Frontend Web Developer Interview Questions?

Interviews can be intimidating. The interviewee gets to pull a question out of the air, and you must work diligently to solve it! Remember that there are ways you can improve your experience regardless of the question asked. Here are a few tips I always try to keep in mind:

1. Don’t begin coding too soon! Take time to explain the question you have before starting any code. Ask clarifying questions and write some “test cases,” even if they are just pseudo code (e.g., “So if I passed in 19837, it would return 13789”).
2. Don’t be shy when asking questions — even if some are off-topic. Asking questions will usually count in your favor most of the time!
3. Break the problem down into manageable pieces. Coding challenges often come wrapped up in a larger narrative, but they tend to be relatively straightforward at their core.
4. Use Magic Functions! Sometimes when solving a coding challenge, you may run into an area you don’t understand the solution to. Perhaps you’re writing code to access an API and forget the syntax for window.fetch. Don’t fret too much if this occurs! Create a “magical” function like getDataFromAPI and keep going forward — getting something working is better than nothing! With well-named magic functions such as turnStringIntoArray, iterateThroughObject, or fetchChildDOMNode, you can get back to what you understand about the problem at hand quickly and efficiently.

According to hiring advice from LinkedIn and Indeed, interviewers are crafting questions to uncover information such as:

1. The technical skills you bring to the position.
2. Your past work has immensely affected the companies you have worked for, from increasing revenue to satisfying customers’ requirements.
3. Your capacity for accepting feedback on projects and working collaboratively with stakeholders
4. Additionally, it demonstrates your dedication to developing your skills further.

Continue reading to uncover eight interview questions specifically tailored to frontend web developers and how you can prepare for your interview experience.

1. How can we optimize our web pages on the frontend?

Interviewers ask this question to assess your ability to identify opportunities to improve a website and clearly and concisely communicate your ideas.

Before responding, review the company’s website and make a list of potential optimizations that you, as a frontend web developer, could help implement. Be prepared to explain how these changes could benefit the business objectives and site visitors’ experiences.

2. How do you implement techniques to increase a website’s performance?

Interviewers ask this question to gain insight into your technical abilities and strategies for making websites successful.

As a frontend web developer, review your past or current web development projects to identify measures you’ve taken to enhance performance. What steps did you take, and how can you quantify the outcomes? Be sure to address topics such as decreasing page load time, eliminating redundant code, compressing file sizes, compressing content, minimizing page request numbers, etc.

3. How do you ensure a website is user-friendly?

Interviewers ask this question to assess your knowledge of and appreciation for UX/UI design related to frontend web development.

As a frontend web developer, I review past and current web development projects to determine what steps were taken to guarantee site visitors have an enjoyable experience. Quantify these results by discussing topics like responsive design, conducting user research, designing functional page layouts, and working with UX/UI designers.

4. What are your favorite frontend web development projects and why?

Interviewers ask this question to gain insight into your web development interests, the driving forces behind your involvement in this profession, and your range of experience. They may also want to assess how well these preferences match up with the projects that would be assigned if hired.

Prepare your answer by identifying your favorite projects, the steps to complete them, the lessons learned, and their purpose. Why do these types of projects stand out in your mind over others? Examples could include full websites, portfolios, or music players written using JavaScript.

5. Can you take me through your typical workflow for a new project?

Interviewers ask this question to understand how websites come alive thanks to your creativity and technical proficiency.

Prepare your response by reflecting on recent projects you are particularly proud of and outlining the steps taken to finish them. What steps do you consider essential for project success? How did you create and perfect this workflow?

6. What technical challenge have you recently faced, and how did you overcome it?

Interviewers ask this question to gain an understanding of your professional resilience and resolve.

Prepare your answer by reflecting on your difficulties and the steps taken to overcome them. What resources did you gather? Whose support did you enlist? Which methods and approaches were successful, and what can now be achieved due to overcoming this obstacle?

7. What resources do you use to stay abreast of frontend web development skills?

Interviewers ask this question to assess your commitment to continuing your education in frontend web development and applying it to the position you are applying for.

Prepare your answer by reviewing courses, certifications, boot camps, and other educational experiences you have completed. How have you used the knowledge and skills gained in each one to create better websites? What ideas do you have for applying these abilities to the job you seek? You could also research frontend web developer news sources, influencers, blogs, podcasts, and schools to find additional resources that will help develop your abilities further; examples include freeCodeCamp Egghead Codecademy W3Schools and FrontendHappy Hour.

8. What technology would you master this year if you could?

Interviewers ask this question to understand your current educational priorities and how they may enhance job performance.

Prepare your answer by researching trends in frontend web development and considering your long-term career objectives. Once you’ve selected the trend, technique, software, or method that you want to prioritize, write down why. What will you be able to create as a result of mastering it? Examples include progressive web applications, server-side rendering, flexible design systems, and CSS data structures.

Interview Preparation Tips and Best Practices

Now that you’ve anticipated some questions an interviewer may ask you, you may also wonder how best to prepare. Utilize these tips and best practices to maximize your interview experience.

1. Anticipate Introduction and Technical Questions.

In addition to the critical thinking questions we’ve covered in this article, expect your interviewer to ask other types of questions as well. Some might be introductory and thus act as “icebreakers,” giving both of you a chance to build rapport before further discussing qualifications. Examples of such inquiries include “Tell me about yourself” or “What inspired you to apply for this position?”.

2. Be ready to demonstrate your coding abilities live.

A common element of frontend developer interviews is a live demonstration of one’s coding abilities. Employers want an idea of the value a candidate can bring the company by presenting them with a challenging coding challenge that must be solved on the spot.

Prepare by practicing common coding challenges frontend web developers face, such as designing a sign-up form, creating an e-commerce order summary webpage, cloning an existing website, and creating bar graphs from scratch.

3. Develop Your Interviewing Skills.

Possessing basic interviewing abilities can give you confidence when speaking with potential employers. Practice these essential techniques ahead of your upcoming frontend web developer interview, and strive to improve them as you progress in your career:

Researching a company to become familiar with its mission statement, values, target audience, product offerings, and web development needs.

1. Conveying Your Ideas Effectively
2. Communicating your ideas clearly and concisely is essential for effective collaboration and decision-making.
3. Reassessing your qualifications so that you can confidently present them is key.
4. Research questions to ask the interviewer in advance.

Asking questions throughout a conversation can demonstrate your enthusiasm for the role and provide you with the information necessary to make an informed career decision. Create questions based on company research ahead of time, then listen carefully during the interview for opportunities to ask qualifying questions about anything discussed with the interviewer.

5. Be Prepared to Discuss Salary Expectations.

As a to-be frontend web developer, you must have a firm grasp of the salary you expect or desire in a new role, even if your interviewer doesn’t discuss the topic during the conversation. With an approximate range in mind and why it matters, you can approach every step of the job search process with assurance in both your earning potential and qualifications.

Conduct frontend web developer salary research on various career sites to uncover average salaries for different job titles and the factors influencing salaries, such as experience, education, and skills. For instance, Glassdoor reports that US frontend developers earn, on average, $84,491 annually as of January 2023; those with more than 15 years of experience can command an annual salary of $100,551.

Build Job-Ready Skills with FunctionUp

Bootcamp courses can be an excellent way to hone your skills and knowledge for interviews and explore potential career avenues. FunctionUp’s frontend web developer training bootcamp programs from industry leaders like Google, IBM, and Meta are perfect for this purpo