JavaScript is the most popular programming language in the world and this surely won’t change in the nearest future. The technology powers majority of websites and is widely chosen due to its versatility, performance, and a huge set of community-built tools that significantly increase the efficiency of working with JavaScript. One such tool is jQuery — used by 43.3% of professional developers, it's the most popular web framework* according to the 2020 Stack Overflow Developer Survey.
*We won’t go here in the debate whether jQuery is actually a framework or just a library.
Why choose jQuery for your next project and hire a jQuery developer?
jQuery significantly simplifies many aspects of JavaScript development. This means that by choosing to invest in this technology and hire a jQuery developer, you can significantly speed up the process of delivering your web product to the market and regularly updating it later on.
Some of the areas where jQuery especially thrives are:
- DOM manipulation — done the right way, it can significantly speed up the performance of your website, improving the user experience.
- AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) — utilizing this can improve the speed of data exchange between the user and the server, once again improving the overall user experience.
- Cross-browser compatibility — helping you deliver the same experience to all users fast and simple.
As the market is filled with quite many people claiming to be jQuery programmers, it might be sometimes difficult to pick the candidates who are truly knowledgeable in the technology and can deliver the right results. To help you make the right choice, the rest of this piece serves as a guide to hiring experienced and professional jQuery programmers.
The most important hard skills for jQuery programmers
Before you even start the hiring process, you should consider the specific technical requirements for your candidates. Only by doing so, you will hire a jQuery programmer who can easily jump into your project and deliver the results you want truly efficiently.
While some such requirements may vary depending on each company’s unique needs, there is a set of hard skills that will always come in handy for jQuery programmers. These are…
- Expert knowledge of JavaScript
Quite obviously, no work on jQuery can be done without the knowledge of JavaScript. Hire a jQuery developer who knows all the ins and outs of the language, including the more complex concepts, such as currying, closures, or prototypes.
- Proficiency with HTML and CSS
The two languages that power nearly every website on the internet. Alongside JavaScript, they make up the trinity of front-end web development.
- Advanced knowledge of jQuery
There is a lot that can be accomplished with jQuery that is not visible to an untrained eye. Make sure to hire a jQuery developer who truly understands the technology and knows how to leverage its most important advantages, such as the DOM manipulation possibilities.
- Understanding of other relevant frameworks and libraries
Most likely your web project is or will be powered by a set of additional JavaScript frameworks and libraries besides just jQuery. The list includes solutions Angular, Vue, or React. Hire jQuery programmers who have already experienced working with the technology of your choice for guaranteed top work efficiency.
- Some experience with back-end development
While jQuery programmers work primarily on the front-end of a website, some knowledge of the back-end is surely useful. If they understand the server-side technology behind your product, they can better cooperate with your back-end devs and deliver solutions less likely to cause any unexpected issues or downturn. However, as there are many languages that can be used on the back-end, you should once again consider which ones your company utilizes.
Crucial soft skills for jQuery programmers
As a front-end-centered specialty, development with jQuery requires a set of soft skills to truly thrive in the role and deliver creative products. The most important of these soft skills are…
- User empathy
To always consider the target customer of the company when developing the product.
- Attention to detail
To deliver issue-free solutions that always perform amazingly.
- Approachability
To happily participate in brainstorming and collaborate well with other members of the team.
Finding jQuery programmers who truly fit your company
Besides the hard and soft skills, there is one more area to consider when you want to hire a jQuery developer — the company fit. Look especially closely at…
- Product fit
JavaScript and jQuery can power up virtually any type of web project you have in mind. To make sure the development process at your company is going truly efficiently, hire a jQuery developer who has previously worked on a project similar to yours. For example: if you are building an online shop, look for a person experienced in e-commerce solutions; if you want to have a reliable booking system, get on board someone who has built one in the past.
- Industry fit
Your new jQuery programmers can work even more efficiently if you hire these candidates who have experience working in your industry. They will have the knowledge of technical solutions and obstacles common in your business vertical and, therefore, be able to deliver the right results faster.
- Company culture fit
The success of a web project is highly based on how the whole team behind it cooperates. To facilitate innovation and collaboration in your company, hire experts sharing similar values. First, consider the values that drive your business (e.g. style of management, type of office environment, focus on diversity; then, onboard people who also consider these values vital.
Why hire remote jQuery developers?
In the last few years, more and more modern businesses have been transitioning at least partly into remote businesses. We see a growing number of companies either having at least part of their team working remotely or even going fully remote and abandoning their physical office altogether.
What are the pros of hiring remote jQuery programmers?
- You get access to a wider selection of candidates from across the globe. You don’t need to choose anyone — you can pick the most shining talents instead!
- More developers are keen to work with you — approximately one-third of developers consider remote work options as an important factor when looking for new job opportunities.
- It’s easier to provide 24/7 technical support for your website or web app — simply hire jQuery developers from a few different regions so you know there is always someone looking after your product.
- You can better optimize your budget — in many countries, costs of living are lower than in the West.
Where to look for when you want to hire remote jQuery programmers? Our recommendation is the Central Eastern Europe region. Local developers there are not only considered as one of the most knowledgable and experienced ones but also their salary requirements are usually lower due to the lower costs of living in the region.
The questions to ask when you hire a jQuery developer
Every interview process should be finished by running interviews with the most promising candidates. The technical part of such an interview should be, of course, handled by a professional experienced in jQuery. If you don’t have the required knowledge yourself, we recommend asking for assistance from another JavaScript/front-end developer, a software consultant, or an IT project manager.
What technical questions can be asked when you hire a jQuery developer?
- bind, apply and call — when would you use each of the three?
- How is event delegation useful?
- What is your preferred JavaScript front-end framework? Why this one?
- What is the difference between delegate() and live()?
- What is end() used for?
- Classical inheritance vs prototypal inheritance — what are the differences between these two?
- What is hoisting?
- When would you use a closure?
- How does event bubbling work?
- What does it mean that JavaScript has a same-origin policy?
Who else will your team need?
When you decide to hire a jQuery developer, you end up with an expert who can help you take the front-end of your website or web app to the next level. But there are more elements to consider when you want to make sure that your product is truly successful. You will need a reliable back-end developer to handle the server-side operations, data scientists to help you understand users, Product Manager to lead the project through all the stages… And that’s barely the beginning of the list!
With Ideamotive, you can onboard all these experts fast. Thanks to our robust network of IT talents, we can help you hire a jQuery developer or any other expert you need fast. After you get in touch with us, we will connect you with a selection of candidates perfectly fitting your company profile and any unique requirements you have.
