How To Choose Best Front End Developer For Your Startup
Front end developers are the individuals responsible for creating the part of website users interact with every day. In other words, you are depending on these guys to offer valuable UX and UI. That’s exactly why you should be extra careful when hiring front end development services.
How can a startup be sure to find the right candidate for the job? How to choose the best front end developer? This guide will help all the way through:
Know Where the Cream Hangs Out
First things first, you must know where front end developers hang out the most. Platforms such as Krop, Behance, and Coroflot are the best places to find high-profile designers and developers. They provide recruits the opportunity to preview their work. This is a great way of determining if their aesthetic match the needs of your project.
What Skills to Look for?
Skills matter the most. Although there is a whole list of technical skills a front end developer must have, there are the two basic ones your potential candidate must have:
- Solid programming skills. He must have a good grip on HTML, JavaScript and any other language you would prefer.
- He must be able to adapt to your work environment.
Front end developers are responsible for designing the user interference of a given product. They must have some people skills to directly have a conversation with your client. It’s a good idea to look for a candidate with more than just standard people skills. They must be comfortable working in a team environment as well. FEDs (Front end developers) need human interaction because of the nature of the job.
Availability and Flexibility
A reliable front end development company is always available. In other words, the developer must be easy to reach out to. Successful communication means much than exchanging information by speaking and writing. The communication needs to be fast and uninterrupted by interferences like time zones, cultural differences, language, etc.
Therefore, communication is as important as a soft skill. You must be certain that the developer is available whenever you need their service. Some projects are time-sensitive. Other projects are a little demanding. The entire project can suffer if the developer is out of reach. When you are considering a candidate, make it clear that you need them to be flexible (if that’s the requirement of the project).
Set a Budget
Keep in mind a professional front-end developer will be expensive. Before you start your hunt for a developer, set a budget. Know how much you can spend.
The next line of action is to compare the cost of front end development services by various companies. You will observe that similar companies within the same region have different rates. Choose the developer with the right skill set to bring life to your project without costing you a fortune.
Don’t make the common mistake of hiring a developer with the lowest hourly rate. You will end up paying twice! Your focus should be quality, open communication and support, timely delivery and the right technical stack. If all that comes in a little higher hourly rate, don’t hesitate in hiring that particular developer. After all, you will get the quality of work you want. Just find the right balance between skills and price. This might require a few hours of homework but it’s worth it.
Learn About Their Expertise
An important criterion that will influence your decision is the domain of expertise. Find out the area of professional skills of the developer or company you are considering. Ask them to provide information on certification. Check their experience and degrees if you must. Learn about the technologies they are most proficient in, the technology stack they use and language proficiency.
Check Out Their Reviews
This digital world has blessed us with the opportunity to evaluate a service before hiring it via reviews. A solid indicator of the success of a developer is customer feedback. The best developers never hesitate in showing you reviews from actual clients.
Every successful development company will have client testimonials on their website. This would highlight the relationship between the team and past clients. You can go one step further by reaching out to these clients via Facebook and LinkedIn and ask about their experience with the company. Knowledge is power, you know.
Shortlist the Best Ones
It’s recommended to narrow down your search to at least 3 top front end developers. You must determine the criteria to choose the perfect candidate for your project.
Here are some general questions to ask from the candidates:
- Who will be the owner of the source code?
- Are there any hidden charges we should be aware of?
- Do you follow a set of coding guidelines? If yes, ask them to show the guidelines in a written document.
- What is your code of conduct for continuous delivery and integration?
- What is your approach to simplify product scalability and support?
- What is your approach to 3rd party solutions?
- Do you perform quality assurance testing? If yes, what are the methods you use? How do you fix a bug after it’s identified?
- Do you offer guarantee for your services?
- How flexible are you?
- What kind of support services do you offer after the project is complete?
The answer to these questions will reveal a lot about the companies in question. It’s time to make a decision from there.
Listen To Your Gut Feeling
Whether it’s a mobile app or a website, developing one is a long process. You will be working with the developer for more than just a couple of months. This will require lots of communication and trust. Try choosing a developer you feel the most comfortable with. Go with your gut feeling.
Get a Second Opinion
You will be evaluating the front end development company on the basis of technical skills. If tech is not exactly your area of expertise, don’t hesitate in hiring an independent consultant for evaluating the skills of the developer.
The consultant will ask all the right questions and translate the answers for you. You will have the information necessary to make an informed choice.
Good luck with choosing the perfect candidate for the job!
