The pandemic has changed our perception of work and jobs. On the bright side, a few changes have the potential to improve our lives. Working remotely is no longer a fad; a flexible schedule has become the norm, and collaboration between people living in different countries with different cultures is stronger than ever.
However, in these circumstances, hiring and retaining employees has become more challenging. As a manager, startup owner, or CEO, ensuring employee loyalty is a top priority. In addition, there are many jobs available for designers, developers, and content creators. The real challenge is finding the proper freelancer for these jobs.
Below, you will learn how to hire the proper JavaScript freelance developer. It’s challenging and may take time, but your chances of finding a suitable hire grow by being transparent about your expectations and budget.
Why JavaScript
With the experience we have under our belts, we want to share our thoughts with you. We have only scratched the surface of hiring and human resources in our articles thus far. Hiring differs from country to country, industry to industry, so there is no carved-in-stone algorithm.
JavaScript is used practically everywhere, and there is a constant demand for experts. It’s the most used language amongst developers, and it will likely be used for many years. Hiring a JavaScript freelance developer is a real challenge. If you manage to hire a good JavaScript coder, you most likely can hire any developer. This idea drives us to focus exclusively on how to hire the proper JavaScript freelance developer.
Types of JavaScript Developers
A massive problem with recruiting JavaScript developers is that recruiters often don’t have a clear idea of the ideal hire’s profile. Don’t make this mistake! First, start with the type of work: part-time, full-time, or project-based. Part-time developers fit for small teams and minor projects. Junior developers are more tempted to accept these jobs. Full-time jobs are more attractive for experienced developers, but you have to pay them accordingly. Hiring a full-time JavaScript developer takes more time and resources than part-time or project-based hires. Project-based jobs require hiring developers to resolve a specific task or give them recurring tasks based on their availability. Both parties agree on a deadline, payment, milestones, and requirements. It is an approach based on the efficiency of the developer.
Another distinction mandatory in hiring the proper JavaScript coder is their level of experience. Junior level implies a smaller financial compensation, but the requirements should be pretty basic. Seniors ask for higher amounts of money, but they are suitable for complex tasks and team management.
Usually, freelance developers prefer remote work. However, you should be precise about this aspect- is physical presence mandatory for the job? Would you accept someone living on another continent, in a different time zone? It’s pretty important to have clear-cut answers to these questions to avoid wasting time and nerves.
To ensure you have all of the above questions answered, knowing that you will hire the right person for the job, and to make the hiring process more efficient click here for Node.js online tests.
Back-end, Front-end, Full-stack
You have probably heard of terms like front-end and back-end developer. It’s vital to distinguish what kind of developer you are looking to hire. The front-end JavaScript developer is in charge of the design and functionality of the web interfaces, which are directly responsible for how users interact with the app or site. Practically, the front-end developers transform the mockups of the designers into working digital experiences. You can’t call yourself a front-end developer without HTML, CSS, and JavaScript skills.
Back-end development refers to the server-side aspects. The work of the back-end developers isn’t noticeable by the end-user, but it affects the functionality of apps and sites. Back-end developers have jurisdiction over functionality, security, and performance. As a back-end developer, you have to be comfortable with databases, server operations, and dealing with APIs.
Full-stack developers are the most experienced, and they have skills for both front- and back-end development. On average, they are the best financially rewarded developers, and they have the needed experience to manage medium to complex projects.
The Skills of a Good JavaScript Freelance Developer
It’s not enough to have an exact type of freelance developer in mind. Let’s suppose that you precisely defined the new hire’s profile- a senior back-end developer that can work remotely and be available for one weekly online meeting. That’s awesome, but you should also work on a list of soft and hard skills for the new hire. Generally speaking, there are two types of skills: hard and soft. The former refers to teachable skills and is an indicator of your professional level. More or less, these are technical abilities. Soft skills relate to personality and are less trainable.
These skills aren’t necessarily a reason to eliminate candidates, but it’s good to keep them in mind. Sometimes, a highly-skilled freelancer can be contentious, individualistic, and nerve-racking. A lousy atmosphere affects the entire team’s effectiveness, so as a recruiter, you have to take into account candidate personality and morale.
Soft Skills of a JavaScript Freelance Developer
These skills are often considered less important than hard ones, but that is a big mistake! Soft skills alone don’t help write better code, but they can be the pillars of a good working environment, vital long-term. So here are a few soft skills you should look for when hiring a JavaScript freelance developer.
- Emotional Intelligence (EI). Especially in tough times like today, emotional intelligence is much-needed. A high EI coefficient helps in understanding the problems of the team members and finding faster solutions for interpersonal issues. Project managers should be emotionally intelligent to manage a team and convince people to give their best for each project.
- Communication skills. It doesn’t matter the position or level of experience, communication skills matter a lot. Many issues between team members are due to improper communication. Ideally, a new addition to the team should naturally speak and listen to colleagues. Working remotely implies more challenges in this aspect due to a lack of face-to-face communication. Conversely, a remote team implies limited contact between colleagues, so it may limit the frequency and intensity of conflicts.
- Teamwork. If you are passionate about sports, you know how important teamwork is. A team is more than the sum of all members. Teamwork implies patience, friendliness, and empathy. A lack of teamwork generates stress and a less pleasant working ecosystem.
Hard Skills of a JavaScript Freelance Developer
Each position has its particularities that will influence the desired hard skills of the ideal developer. However, a few skills are generally accepted as must-haves for a JavaScript developer.
- HTML & CSS. You won’t ever impress a recruiter by stressing your good HTML & CSS skills. Nowadays, a JavaScript developer must know these by default.
- JavaScript libraries and frameworks. The more libraries and frameworks a developer knows, the more chances of getting hired he has. React, jQuery, Vue, Svelte, Angular, Node, and Meteor are a few libraries and frameworks which are good to know.
- Version Control. It allows for restorations of earlier versions, an overview of an account’s history, and work on parallel code versions. If you don’t have basic version control skills, you don’t know how to collaborate effectively with the team.
- Performance Optimization. Internet users are the least patient beings on Earth, so a slow-loading website or app is a failure no matter what it does. JavaScript is responsible for slowing a website or app loading speed and developers, so developers need to improve the overall performance.
Places to Find the Proper JavaScript Freelance Developer
Luckily, there are plenty of marketplaces to find the proper JavaScript freelancer. Moreover, you have a few types of marketplaces to find your new team member. Fiverr has a unique approach; you buy a gig and nothing more. Toptal introduces to you a massive army of handpicked JavaScript developers. Stackoverflow is where developers can ask for and provide help, but it is also a great place to post jobs for JavaScript developers. Check the following marketplaces to find a good JavaScript developer.
Fiverr
Fiverr takes a different approach than any other marketplace. Instead of posting a job or project description, you purchase a gig- a well-defined service provided by a freelancer. It works best for small projects where you know precisely what you need and match your needs to the gig you buy.
Toptal
Toptal is a premier marketplace that accepts only the most experienced coders. Therefore, the skills and professionalism of the talent you want to hire are out of the question but bear in mind that the wages required aren’t for tight budgets.
Stack Overflow
This is a massive community of designers and developers and posting a job here attracts a lot of eyeballs. You have a great chance to find a good JavaScript developer if your job description is clear and concise.
Wrapping Up
Hiring the proper JavaScript freelance developer isn’t rocket science, but it takes time and nerves. Finding the ideal team member on the first try is the exception, not the rule. The first step in your quest to hire the best developer starts with clarifying your expectations and needs. Next, you have to create the ideal profile of the new team addition. Finally, select one or two marketplaces to post your job/project description, and visit Fiverr to take a look at gigs that match your needs. Be honest with the candidates and open to dialogue. In this way, you increase the chances of hiring the best JavaScript freelance developer for your team.
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