There is no doubt that JavaScript is currently the most important and most popular technology used for IT projects. It not only powers around 95 percent of the world’s websites, it's also becoming more common in mobile apps, thanks to tools like the React Native framework, which allows cross-platform app development for Android and iOS.
According to the 2019 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, JavaScript is the most popular programming language in the world, being used regularly by 67.8 percent of respondents. It's more popular than HTML and CSS combined (63.5 percent), marking the seventh year in the row of JavaScript’s dominance.
Other JS-related tools and technologies are also dominating their rivals. In the same Stack Overflow survey, jQuery, a JavaScript library, was named the most popular web framework (used by 48.7 percent of devs), with two other technologies using JS, React and Angular, sharing the rest of the podium. The “Other Frameworks, Libraries, and Tools” ranking was won by Node.js (used by 49.9 percent of devs), a technology allowing JavaScript to be used on the back-end of a website.
Due to the huge popularity of JavaScript, the market is filled with developers on different levels: from experts who really understand the technology to newcomers who have just passed a short web development bootcamp. How can you make sure you hire a JavaScript developer who belongs to the first group and not to the latter? How can you make sure you get a team of professionals who will really take your product to the top?
Here is our guide on how to hire JavaScript developers who will really meet your needs.
Hard skills every good JavaScript developer should have
Is knowing JavaScript enough to be a good JavaScript developer? Not really. There are more technical requirements for a dev to be really able to take your project to another level. Below we list some of the most important hard skills you should consider when you plan to hire JavaScript developers.
- Knowledge of HTML and CSS
Alongside JavaScript, these two languages constitute the trio of most important web development technologies. They all complement each other and knowing all of them gives a developer the ability to actually create a modern, interactive website.
- Experience with relevant JavaScript frameworks and libraries
There are tons of different JavaScript frameworks and libraries on the market and no developer knows all of them. Depending on your project’s requirements, you might want to hire JavaScript developers with experience in very specific frameworks. Devs focused on front-end most often use frameworks and libraries like jQuery, React, Angular or Vue, while the go-to choice for a JavaScript-based back-end is the Node.js runtime environment, powered with frameworks like Express or Nest. Mobile development can be done with the help of React Native.
- Experience with JavaScript supersets
A superset in programming means a language that has all the features of another language, but also adds some additional ones. Taking JavaScript as an example, one of its supersets is TypeScript, most often used in frameworks like Angular and React. One of the additional features introduced by TypeScript is a real-time code check that helps avoid common coding mistakes. While there are some other supersets of JavaScript, TypeScript is the most popular, worth knowing as more and more frameworks and libraries are supporting it.
- Experience with JavaScript testing tools
Every new feature of your web or mobile project needs to be tested before releasing it to the broader public. Developers run a test to assess the performance of their code, as well as to check for any bugs that might have been introduced. Testing is usually done using separate testing frameworks, and you should make sure you hire JavaScript web developers who have experience with at least one such tool. Some popular JavaScript testing frameworks are JEST, Mocha, Jasmine and Karma.
The most important soft skills of great JavaScript developers
Having all the technical skills is crucial for a JavaScript developer, but soft skills should not be underestimated either. They directly influence the communication proficiency of your candidate — and great communication has an effect on the whole team, not only an individual.
So if you want to make the development of your JavaScript project more efficient and boost the innovation in your company, look for people with the following soft skills when you hire JavaScript developers:
- Understanding of the customer
As JavaScript developers often work on the front-end of a website or web app, they are directly responsible for creating a user-friendly interface that is easy-to-use, even for non-techies. Even if you have UX or UI designers on board, JavaScript developers still have a great influence on the final implementation of these designers’ recommendations. Because of this, being able to put oneself in shoes of the customer and look at the product from their perspective is a great asset for a JavaScript web developer.
- Pro-community attitude
With so many resources on JavaScript available online, most of the issues and bugs can be fixed easily — if only one knows where to look and who to ask. That’s why it’s important for a JavaScript developer to support their community and participate in its online (and offline) life.
- Great self-management
With so many different tasks that a JavaScript developer has to handle on a daily basis, the ability to manage one’s time well is crucial. This is especially important in small dev teams and young startups where dev team leadership is scarce and a lot of planning and scheduling is left to the devs themselves.
Top JavaScript developer job interview questions
How can you assess all the hard and soft skills that we mentioned above? By running a proper job interview. While the soft skills are often reviewed with the assistance of HR, the hard skills need a tech expert to evaluate. If you don’t feel like a JavaScript expert yourself, we recommend asking other professionals to help you out. The best choice would be a developer with JavaScript experience, software consultant or an IT project manager.
To give you an idea of how this kind of technical interview can look, we have listed our favorite JavaScript developer job interview questions below. Keep in mind, however, that most JavaScript developers specialize in one library and/or framework and interview questions will vary depending on that.
- What is the difference between === and ==?
- How does event bubbling work?
- What is the difference between .call and .apply?
- How does prototypal inheritance work?
- What is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous functions?
- When would you use a closure?
- What is hoisting?
- Classical inheritance vs. prototypal inheritance — what is the difference between the two?
- What are the differences between monolithic and microservice architectures?
- What is the same-origin policy in JavaScript?
The importance of company fit when hiring JavaScript developers
Your project can be developed even more efficiently if you look for a JavaScript developer who really fits your company. This fit can be assessed by looking at the three main areas that need to be considered: industry fit, product fit and company culture fit.
- Industry fit
Whatever your industry is, there are surely JavaScript developers who have already worked in it. Prioritize those candidates, as they can bring you the necessary expertise and understanding of solutions that have already been proven to work in your market.
- Product fit
Also try to hire JavaScript developers who have previously worked on products similar to yours. Consider similarities in product features, target groups and technology used. Having such experience means your candidate already knows how to achieve specific things you want in your project — and can implement them faster.
- Company culture fit
Things to consider in this area are: business values, style of management, approach to remote work and diversity. The more your business and your candidate match in these categories, the better the cooperation between you will go.
Start building your dream team
Supporting your technical team with a great JavaScript developer is surely a step forward, but don’t forget about backing other parts of your business as well. Maybe you need a new web designer or UX designer? Or maybe a product owner to help you plan the vision for your amazing new product’s future?
Whoever you might need, Ideamotive is ready to deliver. We run an industry-leading network of top IT talents looking for new job opportunities. We are able to discuss your current requirements and exact needs and then connect you with the professionals who fit your company’s profile the most.
Start growing today with the top IT talents found for you by Ideamotive.
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