What I look for when hiring a Frontend Developer
I’ve been lucky enough to be in hiring positions at two companies I’ve worked for so far in my career, and let me tell you - hiring Frontend Developers is difficult.
Not only is there a shortage of good developers, but experience, skills and methods vary dramatically in Frontend Developers. It’s a very broad role and one that many people don’t value the intricacies of.
I’ve hired people to fill Junior roles working on enterprise sites, a Head of Frontend to replace me, and most recently I’ve been hiring Senior Developers to work with me on a complicated web app. The skills needed for these roles vary a lot but I do have some things I look out for in any Frontend Developer, whether they focus on Javascript Frameworks or Accessibility.
The Frontend Spectrum
When I’m looking for someone I’m not looking for “a unicorn” or someone who thinks they know everything (although those would be great). I’m looking for someone has a good solid foundation in Frontend Development, and has some knowledge of the breadth of Frontend Development. If someone has dabbled in design and found it not for them I’m fine with that. If an interviewee has never touched a Angular or React but loves Accessibility that’s also fine.
Frontend Development has a spectrum. Design to Development; UX to ES6; CSS animations to WebGL animations. I love all parts of the spectrum but when I’m looking to hire someone I want them to have what I call Core Frontend skills, and these Core Skills sit right in the middle of the spectrum.
The Core Frontend Skills
Every Frontend Developer should be able to write Semantic Markup. We are the authors of the web and HTML is the language we speak. If you’re writing div soup then I’m not going to be interested. Use the markup for the purpose it was designed for and it will help you.
HTML pages are documents, so they should be written as coherent pieces of information. I want people who are writers and know how to structure their pages.
I’m also looking for someone who understands CSS. You don’t need to be the next Chris Coyier but you should be able to work the box model and you shouldn’t be scared of it.
I want people who consider the Accessibility of the things they make. You don’t need to be a specialist in creating AAA accessible sites but I want to consider all users not just the ones sat behind iMacs in Design Agencies.
These are the skills I think should be a bare minimum of any Frontend Developer, regardless of experience or specialism. You maybe the best React Developer in the world but if you’re writing nothing but divs I’m not going to be impressed.
Summary
Finding Frontend Developers with these Core Skills tends to be more difficult that you would expect. Many people have moved into Frontend Development without coming through the traditional HTML/CSS route, and the scope and requirements of Frontend Development is constantly growing. However I believe a good Frontend Developer should have these Core Skills down.
There are always going to be other skills and considerations you are looking for when filling a Frontend position; do they compliment the team? Do they know Angular / React / Vue? Can they also do UX Design? But in my experience getting people with these Core Skills as well will really benefit your team and produce much better products.
