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To create an interactive and user-centric web page, you’ll need a front-end developer responsible for all client-side software development.
They are responsible for website security, code quality testing, cross-browser and device compatibility, performance, and scalability, among other things. The sum of their work is bringing mockups to life for the end-user.
You should hire front-end developers who are not only skilled in JavaScript, CSS, and HTML, but also familiar with the intricacies of different frameworks and libraries, interface design methods, back-end APIs, and more. They must also be strong communicators capable of working closely with UI designers and back-end software engineers.
Front-End Developer Salaries
To attract the right front-end developer, you’ll need to offer compensation consistent with market rates.
Front-end Developer Salaries in the USA
To calculate the national and local average salaries for front-end developers, we use data from our salary pages.
Senior Front-end Developer: National Average: $106,866
Junior Front-end Developer: National Average: $56,575
Average Salary By State
Here is a list of front-end developer salaries for a selection of U.S. states with tech hubs or a high ratio of software development job openings:
- California: $132,468
- Colorado: $106,258
- Georgia: $98,017
- Illinois: $107,976
- Maryland: $100,196
- Massachusetts: $117,285
- New York: $114,908
- Texas: $98.836
- Washington: $130,366
- Washington DC: $99,515
Front-end Developer Freelance Rates
According to our front-end developer freelance hourly rates explorer, the average rate for a freelance front-end developer is $61-80/hr.
Here we’ll briefly go over monthly and annual salary estimations for freelance front-end developers. As part of this, we’ll take $70/hour (the mid-point of the freelance rate range).
Monthly Freelance Front-end Developer Salary
40hrs/Week x 4 Weeks = 160 Hrs
160 hrs x 70 = $11,200 Per Month
Annual Freelance Front-end Developer Salary
$11,200 x 12 Months = $134,400 Annually
Companies may be tempted to hire a full-time, on-site programmer with the average salaried front-end developer compensated at $106,866 annually. However, the value of paid benefits and indirect costs substantially increase the expenditure of hiring full-time employees, making front-end freelance talent more attractive. Do your homework on full-time hire indirect costs before making a hiring decision.
Most Popular JavaScript Frameworks
Front-end developers use JavaScript frameworks to code quality apps quickly and securely while adhering to best practices. If you are using a particular JavaScript framework, you may want to hire frontend developers who are familiar with it.
Using job openings as an indicator, React, jQuery, and Angular remain the most popular JavaScript frameworks. Other popular frameworks suitable for your software development include EmberJS, MeteorJS, and VueJS.
Front-end Developer Communities and Networks
Recruiting a front-end developer with the right skills and experience can take a great amount of time and effort, so you’ll want to take advantage of all of the tools at your disposal. These tools include online communities where front-end developers share information, teach, and learn.
Getting involved in front-end developer communities will allow you to better understand the latest developments in client-side software development, get news and updates in real-time, plus build relationships with passionate developers who are serious about their craft.
Programmers who are active in online communities are often open to connect, or able to refer you to friends and colleagues who may be able to work on your software development project. In addition to virtual communities, we also present a list of front-end conferences where you can connect in person.
Front-end Newsletters
- Web Design Weekly
- Front-end Focus
- Smashing Newsletter
- CSS-Tricks Newsletter
- Front-end Rapport
- A Drip of JavaScript
Front-end Meetups and Conferences
Even in the world of web development, offline, in-person networking can go a long way. Check out your local meetup communities for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and web design events.In addition, there are many new and long-running conferences around the globe where top-notch developers convene, and the best minds in the industry share new innovations, up-and-coming trends, and research on the latest technologies.
These events are great opportunities to learn from the best in the biz and connect with front-end programmers who are serious about staying on the cutting edge of web design and development.
If you’re able to, try to make it out to an event in your region.
International Events
- JSConf – Multiple locations globally
- iJS Conference – Multiple locations globally
- React Live Conference – Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Typescript Congress – Remote from anywhere
U.S. & Canada Events
- Smashing Conference – San Francisco, California
- React Miami - Miami, Florida
Tailor Your Front-End Job Description
If you are not a large company, your job description may be the first time a candidate comes into contact with your organization. It’s important that it leaves a good impression and provides the right information to attract the right talent.
There are five basic sections every job description should include. They are as follows:
Job title, location, type of employment (full-time, part-time, etc.), salary range
Company overview, vision, mission statement, and culture
A detailed list of day-to-day responsibilities
Required skills
Benefits and perks
You’ll want to customize these sections to fit your specific company and software development project. For example, if you want to continue using ReactJS and Stylus styling sheets, you should use these keywords at the top of your requirements section to find developers with this specific skill set and experience.
You should also include day-to-day tasks like testing and debugging if your front-end developer is expected to take on those tasks. The more specific you can make your job description, the more likely you are to attract strong candidates that are a good fit.
A good front-end developer job description immediately and briefly introduces the product and industry. It also lists a specific number of years of experience required, specific languages, frameworks, and other requirements necessary or used for the company’s software development. Front-end developers who read your job description should know if their experience, skills, and interests, qualify them to apply.
Ensure the responsibilities and requirements sections of your front-end dev job description aren’t too vague. Job responsibilities like “support development” and “work on creative projects” are obvious, and phrasing like this leaves the candidate with no information about the type of web applications and developments the job actually entails.
In addition, without listing a certain number of years, preferred frameworks, and libraries, the requirements section lacks specificity. Based on that more generic job description, anyone with basic front-end development know-how may feel they are qualified to apply for the job. This will result in more work for the recruiter as they sift through a sea of unqualified candidates.
Front-End Developer Interview Questions
Once your awesome job description has attracted the quality developers you have been looking for, you’ll need to put their knowledge to the test with a properly designed interview process.
You should first ask general questions to gauge communication skills, web development foundation, applicable experience, and interest in working with you. You should then delve into some technical aspects of front-end development.
To that end, we’ve included a list of general questions and specific front-end interview questions surrounding JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to help you build a bulletproof interview structure. While not included here, you should also interview candidates for soft skills like communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution. Now, let’s jump into the interview questions.
General Questions
- Tell me about a project you’re particularly proud of. What did you do that worked out well?
- What’s hard about coding?
- How do you do testing? How would you improve QA?
- When have you solved a problem that didn’t involve you coding?
- Have you ever worked directly with clients or been in a customer-facing role in the past?
JavaScript Interview Questions
- How do you organize your JavaScript code?
- What is the difference between
var,let, andconstin JavaScript? - Explain prototype inheritance and method lookup.
- What is a “closure” in JavaScript? Provide an example.
- How does JavaScript event loop work?
If you are hiring a developer with experience in a particular JavaScript framework, you should also include language and framework-specific questions in your interview.
CSS Interview Questions
- How can you integrate CSS on a webpage?
- If you have 5 different stylesheets, how would you best integrate them into the site?
- What do you do when a web browser doesn’t yet support a property?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of CSS, LESS, and SASS?
- What is an embedded style sheet? What are the advantages?
HTML Interview Questions
- What’s the difference between HTML elements and tags?
- How do you serve a page with content in multiple languages?
- Consider HTML5 as an open web platform. What are the building blocks of HTML5?
- What is semantic HTML?
- Is it possible to change the color of a bullet?
Recap
With few exceptions, businesses reach their potential customers with a web application. To bring the best user experience to your customers and potential customers, hire the best possible front-end developer.
Here are the steps to go about doing so:
Set your budget to be in line with developer salary expectations in your region, or consider working with a remote freelance developer. Do some background research to fully understand the indirect costs of bringing on a full-time employee.
Engage in front-end development communities both online and off. Remember that developers who participate in online forums, contribute at meetups, and attend web development events are most likely to become leaders in their field and make good connections.
Customize your job description using keywords to emphasize the technical experience you are looking for and include specific requirements and job tasks. Your job description is also the place to brand your company as a desirable employer to attract the best candidates.
Design your interview process to test not only a candidate’s professionalism, communication ability, and interest, but also their technical knowledge of front-end development.