Front-End Developers Hiring

How to Hire
Win Over Top Front-End

Developer Talent
Front-End
It’s a candidate’s market, and
to ensure the success of your
organization, you'll need to
hire better than every other
business. In this guide, you’ll
Developers:
gain key tips to set you and

your team up for success.
The Definitive
Guide
Introduction
Front-end developers are responsible for building the
experiences that define the internet as we know it. A complex
system of design and interactivity is behind every website you
visit and every button you click.
Building the future’s most promising technologies requires the

unique talents of skilled front-end developers. But connecting
to people with that skill set is easier said than done, as tens of
thousands of job postings compete for attention.
To hire the best front-end talent, tech teams have to recruit

better than every business out there. They need to cultivate
stellar candidate experiences through efficient and effective
hiring processes. And they need to hone their storytelling skills
to attract and engage with front-end developers who are strong
fits for the opportunity at hand.
In this guide, we break down everything you need to know

about hiring front-end developers. From sourcing to closing
candidates and everything in between, you’ll gain key insights
into hiring for this role that you won’t find anywhere else.
www.hackerrank.com How to Hire Front-End Developers: The Definitive Guide | P. 2

Table of contents
1 Front-End Development 101 5 Screen: Evaluate Top

Developers
2 Role Demographics 6 Interview: Assess Real-World

Skills
Plan: Build an Efficient Hiring Rank: Close the Role With the
3 7
Process
Right Hire
Source: Find Qualified

4 Candidates

Chapter 1
1 Front-End
Development 101 On a more technical level, the core job
responsibilities of front-end developers include:
Writing high-quality code

Front-end development is a branch of computer
Building tools that improve site interactivit
programming dealing with the graphical user interface of a
Ensuring high performance on every browse
website, app, or product. Front-end developers use
Troubleshooting, debugging, and optimizing
programming languages like CSS and JavaScript to build
performanc
interfaces and experiences so that users can view and
Prototyping application interfaces with graphic
interact with websites and web-based applications. They are
design tools
responsible for coding everything the user sees and interacts
Keeping up-to-date with advancements in
with in their browser, including buttons, text, links, design,
technology
and the user experience as a whole.
Working in an agile environmen
Creating and implementing UI/UX design
Designing information architecture
Managing API integrations

C hapter 1
Front-End vs Back-End vs Full-Stack Developers

Web development consists of two environments: the front end and the back end. Understanding the nuance between
front-end, back-end, and full-stack developers is key for hiring the right technical talent. Below is a chart that highlights
key differences between the three disciplines.
Front-End Back-End Full-Stack
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Python, PHP, Ruby, SQL, C, Both front-end and back-end
Technologies React Native, Vue.js, Flutter, C#, C++, Go
technologies
Ionic, Dreamweaver, CKEditor
Creating visuals, functionality, Building server-side Performing both front-end

Responsibilities
interfaces, responsive design, applications and databases and back-end
and user experiences responsibilities
Creative, visual, user-oriented Analytical, detail-oriented Multi-disciplined,

Traits investigative, attentive to
detail

Chapter 1
Core technical concepts include:
Key Terminology Agile: An iterative approach to project management and
software development.
API: Application Program Interface. A connection that computers

Front-end development is an advanced discipline with its own
and applications use to communicate.
set of technologies, terms, and jargon.

Client side: The front-end of a website that the user interacts
with.
Content management system (CMS): A software application
that allows multiple users to create, edit, and publish website
content.
Framework: A platform that provides a foundation for
developing software applications.
Talent acquisition teams and hiring

Information architecture (IA): The structural design of a
managers who have fluency over website that determines the relationship between its core pages
and experiences.
technical roles will have a competitive

Integrated development environment (IDE): A software
advantage while recruiting top talent.

application that consolidates the tools for building software into
a single environment.
Language: A set of rules for controlling the actions and behavior
of a computer.
Mobile-first design: A design philosophy that aims to create
better user experiences by prioritizing performance on mobile
devices.
Open-source software: Software for which the original source
code is made freely available and may be redistributed and
modified.
User experience (UX) design: The process of creating a system
that offers seamless, meaningful, and relevant experiences for
the user.
User interface (UI): The point of interaction in a device between
the user and computer.

Chapter 1
Key Languages and Frameworks

Due to the technology industry’s pace of innovation, the list of languages front-end developers use is constantly evolving.
The popularity of coding languages and tech tools changes every year, and new tech is constantly being developed.
Research into developer skills will be necessary to understand the unique technical requirements — and opportunities —
of each role.
HTML CSS JavaScript
Standard markup language Style sheet language used to A dynamic scripting language
for designing web pages. design the layout and used for adding interactive
Definition presentation of web pages. behavior to web pages and
applications.
Structuring and marking up Styling and laying out web Creating web and mobile
web pages and content. pages by dictating how the apps, building web servers,
Used For browser should display the developing applications, and
document. designing interactivity.
Boilerplate, Foundation, Bootstrap, Bulma, Angular, Backbone, Ember,

HTML5, Semantic UI
Foundation, Skeleton, jQuery, React, Vue.js
Frameworks Tailwind CSS

Chapter 1
B eyond the Rs e ume
Front-end developers solve complex challenges, collaborate with other developers, and communicate with non-technical stakeholders. To
succeed in a front-end role, new hires will need to have skills that aren’t easily represented on a resume. Hiring teams' ability to assess these
four key competencies will help them identify great developers during the interviewing process and make better hires.
Code Quality
Problem Solving
When multiple developers work on the same codebase, Solving problems is the core of computer science.
it’s important for them to follow best practices to avoid Programmers must understand how a human solves
committing unintentional pattern and syntax errors. a problem, understand how to translate this
"algorithm" into something a computer can do, and
write the specific code to implement the solution.
Language Proficiency
Technical Communication
Language proficiency refers to the candidate’s ability to Technical communication is used to make technical
understand all of the rules, features, and mechanisms information clear, concise, and understandable.
of a programming language, and optimize for simplicity Throughout their careers, developers in front-end
and accuracy. roles have to interface with non-technical
stakeholders, including sales and marketing teams,
and may need to train employees on how to operate
websites they’ve built.

Chapter 1
Experience
After skill competencies, the most important qualification for front-end developers is experience. For many employers,
on-the-job experience and training is a critical requirement.
Larger companies that employ a significant number of developers tend to use well-defined structures and pay grades
for their seniority levels. A senior developer at Google, for example, might occupy the pay grade of L5. For the purpose
of this guide, we are focusing on years of job-related experience. It’s also worth noting that some firms may refer to
their front-end developers as software engineers.
Career Levels at Leading Tech Companies
Google Apple Amazon Facebook

L3 - SWE II ICT2 - Junior Software Engineer SDE I - L4 E3
L4 - SWE III ICT3 - Software Engineer SDE II - L5 E4
L5 - Senior SWE ICT4 - Senior Software Engineer SDE III - Senior SDE - L6 E5
L6 - Staff SWE ICT5 Principal SDE - L7 E6
L7 - Senior Staff SWE ICT6 Senior Principal SDE - L8 E7
L8 - Principal Developer Distinguished Engineer Distinguished Engineer - L10 E8
L9 - Distinguished Developer Senior Distinguished Engineer E9
L10 - Google Fellow Engineering Fellow
Source

Chapter 1
Tenure
While senior front-end developers have multiple years of experience, it often isn’t from lengthy tenures at just one company.
Industry-wide, front-end developers tend to move between roles frequently, with 33% staying in their roles for less than one year
and 38% for one to two years.
Average Tenure of Front-End Developers
40%
30%
Percentage
20%
10%
0%
<1 years 1-2 years 3-4 years 5-7 years 8-10 years 11+ years
Number of Years
Source

Chapter 1
Education
About 87 percent of front-end developers have a bachelor's While the majority of developers have degrees, fierce competition
degree or higher. When recruiting, screening, or hiring for talent is driving employers to prioritize real-world skills and
developers, there’s a high likelihood that many of the candidates access a much larger pool of skilled talent. And the ranks of
will have a degree. And many companies still require developers developers trained through bootcamps, online training, and self
to hold four-year degrees. directed programs are growing. For example, a survey by Course
Report found that from 2013 to 2020 the number of developers
graduating from bootcamps increased by 1,046 percent.
Front-End Developer Degree Levels Coding Bootcamp Growth Rate (2013-2020)
Source Source

Chapter 1
Common Front-End Developer Job Titles

The titles front-end developers hold vary drastically depending on their experience, industry, and employer. The title of a graduate from a coding
bootcamp, for example, might look different than a candidate with a four-year degree. And the role of a developer in a five-person startup will be
different than at a 5,000 person company.
Front-end development, in particular, is a multifaceted discipline with a diverse range of job titles falling under its umbrella.
Front-End Developer Front-End Engineer CSS/HTML Developer JavaScript Developer
Web Designer Web Developer WordPress Developer UI/UX Developer
UI Engineer Front-End SEO Expert Mobile Developer Accessibility Engineer
Front-End QA Engineer Lead Web Developer Software Developer Senior Front-End Developer

Chapter 1
Sample Front-End Developer Qualifications
Job Description Basic Qualifications
3-5 years of experience in front-end development

The job descriptions for front-end development roles can vary widely
depending on the responsibilities, industry, and seniority of a BS/BA degree or equivalent experience
position. That said, there are commonalities you can take advantage
of while writing job descriptions. Here’s an example of a job

Qualifications
description for a mid-level front-end developer position.

3+ years of hands-on development experience with

HTML, CSS, and JS
Title: Front-End Developer II
Familiar with front-end frameworks such as AngularJS,

Full-time. Associate.

React, and Vue.js
Responsibilities:
3+ years of hands-on mobile-first development

experience
Development - Responsible for design, development, testing,
deployment, and support of front-end applications. 
Strong sense of web and user interface design
Strong knowledge of web standards including HTML5
Delivery - Agile delivery of solutions aligned to business needs while
and CSS/SASS
maintaining a high standard of quality. Participate in code reviews
and troubleshoot bugs.  
Advanced knowledge of user experience design,
accessibility standards, API development, and
Collaboration - Partner with product owners to understand business information architecture
and product requirements to translate them into design solutions.
Knowledge of industry-wide technology trends and best

Communication & planning - Clearly communicate roadmap, practices
backlog, and team updates across the organization.

Other Desired Skills
Experience with search engine optimization

Experience with graphical editing tools (Photoshop,
Illustrator, Sketch, Figma)

C hapter 1
Front-End Developer
Salaries
On average, front-end developers receive highly competitive Front-end developer salaries can vary based on a number of
compensation packages. However, data sources on developer factors, including experience level, skill requirements, industry,
salaries often present vastly different, and at times conflicting, location, and company size.
numbers at both a regional and global level. The average base salary
for front-end developers in the U.S. is $100,139. But some estimates While this has always been true, market conditions such as labor
place the global median much higher at $144,000.
shortages and the Great Resignation have made technical

salaries especially volatile. Because of this, public salary data
The compensation packages of front-end developers occupy a wide may be low or out of date. Total compensation packages,
range. Salary aggregator levels.fyi lists common front-end developer including equity, bonuses, and additional stipends, are also
salaries ranging from $93,000 to $295,000. And there are hundreds changing rapidly. Hiring teams will need to conduct their own
of entries documenting salaries ranging from $304,400 to $475,600. research to identify salary bands based on their company's
requirements and the technical needs of the role.
Front-End Developer Salaries on levels.fyi
25th Percentile 50th Percentile 75th Percentile 9 0th Percentile
$93,000 $ 144,000 $200,000 Front-End Developer Salary Bands

$295,000
Source

Chapter 2
2 Role
Demographics
Today’s front-end developers come from backgrounds that span a wide range
of experiences and professional histories. Front-end developers as a whole
are a large, diverse, and fast-growing workforce experiencing high job
satisfaction and outlook.
600,000+
Number of Front-End &
Web Developers
Source: LinkedIn
36.6
Average Age in
the US
Source
13%
Web Developer Job
Outlook (2020-2030)
Source

Chapter 2
Front-End Developer Statistics
Gender Distribution in the US Race Distribution in the US Job Satisfaction
Source Source Source

Chapter 2
Emerging Trends
Accessibility
Accessibility is more than a trend. But there is growing emphasis on designing websites to accommodate users from a diverse range of
backgrounds and abilities. Front-end developers are committing to building accessible online experiences that every visitor can navigate.
High Performance
Gone are the days of waiting several minutes for a page to load. With 1.9 billion websites online, today’s users know that a slow page
isn’t worth waiting for. Modern front-end developers now have to carefully weigh their design decisions against these increasingly
aggressive website performance standards.
Mobile-First Design
In 2020, 68.1% of global website traffic came from mobile devices. Savvy front-end developers recognize that we live in a mobile-first world
and design websites with this concept in mind. Mobile-first design is a design philosophy that aims to create better user e xperiences by
prioritizing performance on mobile devices.
Accessibility AI Chatbots Gatsby GraphQL Headless Architecture
High Performance Jamstack Micro Front Ends Mobile-First Design Motion Design
Progressive Web Apps Schema Markup Server-Side Rendering Single Page Apps TypeScript
Source 1, Source 2, Source 3

Chapter 3
3 Plan: Build an Efficient

Hiring Process
The challenges of acquiring technical talent depend on the

seniority level of the talent. Recruiting a senior front-end
developer, for example, is a distinct challenge from recruiting
college graduates. As such, an effective hiring process is one
that’s tailored to the seniority level of the individual role.

Chapter 3
Entry-Level Professionals
Hiring early-career developers is vital to a company's success. In addition to providing a strong internal talent pipeline, early
talent can grow into employees with strong technical skills who apply their talents in the company's specific context. Early
talent usually consists of recent college graduates or developers with fewer than three years of hands-on, real-world
experience.
Below is a recommended process for hiring early talent. Administering a technical skills assessment early in the process —
for example, after a volume-based recruitment event like a career fair — can help identify candidates with the right skill
sets.
Source Screen Review Offer
Career page
Candidate
Career fairs Offer

Assessment Review by Hiring
Virtual fairs Team

Social links

Chapter 3
Mid-Level Professionals
Mid-level developers, who often have three to five years of experience, are one of the most in-demand demographics in the
tech industry. Because mid-level developers are well into their careers, talent acquisition teams must rely on a number of
proactive sourcing channels, including networking, referrals, virtual events, and social media, to connect with this
demographic.
In addition to proactive sourcing, companies with aggressive hiring goals need to build a world-class candidate experience
that attracts and converts talented front-end developers.
One key strategy is to structure your skill assessments and technical interviews with the developer’s experience in mind.
Paying attention to important factors like assessment duration, challenge complexity, and IDE functionality help to improve
the developer’s overall interviewing experience.
Source Screen Interview Review Offer
Candidate
Career Page Recruiter

Review by
Referrals Screen Assessment Interview Hiring

Offer
Team

Chapter 3
Senior-Level Professionals
The competition for senior-level talent is fierce. Many senior front-end developers are already employed, and there are
often fewer in-bound candidates on the market. This is because developers as a whole tend to be more passive in their job
searches, with this being particularly true for senior-level candidates.

To reach candidates who are both scarce in supply and passive in their search, talent acquisition teams must rely on
strategic outreach and internal referrals to meet aggressive hiring needs. Hiring managers will also want to conduct an early
call with the candidate to sell the opportunity and generate enough interest for the developer to want to move forward in
the conversation.

Another adjustment is to replace the skills assessment with a more strategic take-home project that focuses on a real-world
technical challenge a developer might encounter on the job.
Source Screen Interview Rank Offer
Candidate
Sourced
Recruiter
Hiring
Real-World
Hiring
Review by
Application Call Manager

Project Manager
Hiring
Offer
Sell Call Interview Team

Chapter 4
Source: Find Qualified
4 Candidates
Sourcing developers as new additions to your team can take a
variety of forms. Your strategies will change depending on the
technical skill requirements and experience level needed from
the role. But one constant among many teams is the need for
a steady and in-bound channel of early talent.
University Recruiting  
Campus recruitment offers talent acquisition professionals the
opportunity to create a strong tech talent pipeline and build
brand affinity with new front-end developers.
But the seasonality of university hiring makes it one of the
most dynamic types of recruiting. Taking an analytical
approach is vital to creating a more effective university
recruiting program. Start by identifying your hiring objectives
and program goals. Then identify key performance indicators,
like time to offer or candidate experience, that align with your
objectives.

Chapter 4
Expand Your Talent Pool How to Source Senior

Candidates
Another key sourcing technique is to expand your talent pool

beyond prestigious, four-year colleges. To fulfill aggressive
Hiring senior front-end developers is a fundamentally
entry-level hiring goals, you’ll need to look for talent in places
different challenge than hiring early-career and mid-
you wouldn’t expect. You might, for example, explore less
level developers.
traditional “top university” lists to expand your search.
If you have the latitude to branch outside traditional Few companies get enough passive applications for
universities, consider including options like coding bootcamps, senior developers. If your team needs to hire a number
high school programs, and community colleges, too. Their rules of senior developers, consider bolstering your outbound
of engagement differ from traditional universities, but still sourcing strategy with the principles of account-based
boast a high volume of eager junior candidates.

marketing. In this model, talent acquisition works to
identify candidates who aren’t on the job market and
reach out through networks and social channels.
Outreach should be highly compelling — and

personalized. Assume the candidate already earns a
lofty salary and receives dozens of similar inquiries. To
catch their interest, you’ll need to anticipate their career
goals and motivations, connect on a personal level, and
develop a storytelling strategy to encourage
engagement.

Chapter 4
DEI Best Practice:

A 2018 Muse User Survey found that 55% of candidates consider
job descriptions as one of the most important factors when
Job Description Language
deciding if a company’s a good fit.
The language you use to construct a job description influences a

Increasing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace candidate’s opinion about the company. An inclusive job
has become a high-priority initiative for tech companies. While description speaks to diverse applicants while being specific
front-end developers already come from a diverse range of about the skill sets required. Leading with inclusive language
backgrounds, recruiters and hiring managers can help further this shows candidates your organization is serious about inclusivity
initiative by integrating DEI into every stage of their recruitment and helps attract applicants to roles they might not otherwise
process, starting with sourcing.
apply for.
Demographics Exclusive Language Inclusive Language
Nationality Must be a native English speaker Must have fluency in English
Disability Visually inspect code for accuracy Review code for accuracy
Gender He/she They, you
Culture Cultural fit Cultural add, value alignment
Dynamic atmosphere, inclusive
Age Work hard/play hard, digital native

environment, technical fluency
Source

Chapter 4
Sourcing Tools
Sourcing talent from standard recruiting channels — think job postings and company career pages — might not be enough to
attract diverse talent. Starting a search with tools designed to reach underrepresented communities will lead to a more diverse
pool of applicants. Here are diversity sourcing tools to consider adding to your sourcing tools.
Jopwell Vet Jobs Fairygodboss
Black Career Network Getting Hired The Mom Project

Chapter 5
5
Screen: Evaluate Top
Developers
Once you’ve built a strong sourcing funnel, a new problem arises. How do
you screen a high volume of applications to identify the best candidates? In
this section, we’ll break down key components of the screening stage, with a
focus on assessing front-end skills to find the right talent for your business
needs.
Sometimes companies don’t send a skills assessment — one of the key

components of an effective screening stage — until after a resume screen.
But when facing a flood of candidates for a role, it can be difficult to gauge
their skills based on resumes alone. A front-end developer resume doesn’t
adequately communicate the full potential of candidate's abilities, such as
technical skills, code quality, and language proficiency.
Resumes are an important part of hiring technical talent. But technical

teams looking to hire the best candidates supplement the resume screen
with a skills assessment to gauge the candidate’s real-world skills and ability
to do the job at hand.

Chapter 5
DEI Best Practice: Screen

Out PII
Many hiring managers use a resume-first process to begin Screening out PII allows hiring managers to review the
assessing candidates. The problem is that resumes often contain candidate’s skills and work history before seeing any personal or
a candidate’s personally identifiable information (PII), like name, demographic information. This helps the hiring manager focus
email, school, employment history, and more. Hiring managers on the application without unconscious bias getting in the way.
may unconsciously use this information to assume demographic When using any resume screening or skill assessment tool, it’s
information, including age, race, gender, ethnicity, and nationality. important to look for options that allow hiring teams to screen
The result is the unintentional introduction of unconscious bias out PII.
into the hiring process.
Examples of Personally Identifiable Information
Name Address
Phone Number Email
Education Employment History

Chapter 5
Phone Screen Best Practices
Phone screens are quick ways to evaluate communication

skills and screen in candidates who meet key requirements
for the role. The phone screen is often a brief conversation
between the recruiter and candidate to establish basic
qualifications and develop a rapport.
Gaining more insights into the

During the call, questions about a candidate's previous role candidate’s motivations helps
and their knowledge about your company work well.
you tailor conversations later

Beyond basic questions, some organizations may ask in the interview process to
technical problems — like questions about responsive
design or how to weigh design choices against site
ensure you're underscoring
performance and speed.
how the opportunity of the role

Another critical component of the phone screen is early lines up with the candidate’s
communication of company messaging and employer
value proposition. The more you sell the candidate on the
key motivations.
role during this stage, the more personalized the
developer’s experience will be.

Chapter 5
Skills Assessments
Skill assessments are a critical part of the screening process
used to verify the candidate’s technical skills and proficiencies.
The timing of the skill assessment may vary, but assessments
early in the process help recruiters to advance candidates with
the real-world skills required in the job. For larger organizations
with a high volume of applications, providing assessments early
in the process can also help with pairing down the applicant
pool.
The assessment’s ability to evaluate skills depends on the
testing environment, the authority of the platform, and the
quality of the questions. The most effective way is to use a
remote-first screening assessment solution
These tools create assessments from a library of questions, pre-
built tests, or custom content creation. When building the test,
questions can be sorted based on role or skill requirements.
Look for tools with randomization features to ensure
candidates don’t get the same version of the test.
Ideally, the system will be able to automatically score the tests
and give recruiters and hiring managers an objective analysis of
candidates’ skills. That way, they can advance individuals who
meet a certain score threshold.

Chapter 6
6 Interview: Assess
Real-World Skills
Technical interviews are fundamental to finding and assessing
great front-end developer talent. The number and types of
interviews conducted will vary depending on role, seniority, and
company.
Adobe requires four technical interviews and one HR interview

over 6-8 hours. Google typically conducts three to four rigorous
technical interviews in one day. The processes at Facebook and
Amazon are similar. And most organizations, from startups to
growth-stage companies, are following suit.
In this section, we’ll break down each of the potential interview

rounds your company might use during the candidate search.

Chapter 6
Coding Interview Round

  Design Interview Round
After a candidate has moved on from the screening stage, they’ll Following a successful coding interview comes a
go through a live coding interview that gauges their problem- design round. This stage grants candidates the
solving skills and proficiency in the languages and frameworks opportunity to design components of the front end of
required for the role. Questions in this stage may also measure an application, including front-end architecture, page
their ability to navigate a complete application environment, design, user experience, and application interfaces. It
translate log messages, and interchangeably use the command- also gives hiring managers an understanding of the
line, IDE, and browser to interact with the environment.
candidate’s approach to problem solving.
This part of the process is highly customizable, and hiring Potential design prompts include:
managers can choose from a number of variations on how to Design a ride-sharing service
evaluate specific technical skills.
Design a simple social media application

Design a video streaming service.
Traditionally, hiring managers conducted coding interviews in Design a messaging app.
person, with the candidate solving problems on a whiteboard. In

remote technical interviews, candidates don’t have that option.
Virtual whiteboard tools allow interviewers to assess the
candidate’s design skills and how they conceptualize a problem.
With pair programming tools, hiring teams can watch candidates

build on code from pre-screen challenges in real-time, or run and
test code together, all in a single session. This enables hiring
managers to see a candidate’s problem-solving and
communication skills in a practical alternative to onsite
interviews.

Chapter 6
Culture and Behavioral

Interview Round
Culture and behavioral interviews are also common and can
occur later in the hiring process. These are carried out with the
goal of assessing how well candidates will adapt to an
organization’s culture.

DEI Best Practice: Representation Among
Questions during this round are often open-ended: Interviewers

What motivates you to do your best work?
Have you ever taken a professional risk? What was it?

The interviewers a candidate interacts with are often the
How do you respond to criticism?
only employees they meet during the hiring process. This
How do you prefer to communicate with your colleagues?
is especially true now that many companies have replaced
When was the last time you made a mistake at work, and
onsite interviews with remote interviews. As such, the main
how did you address it?
opportunity a candidate has to assess the diversity of the

company’s workforce is the diversity of the interview panel.

These questions give insights into the candidate’s working style.
Increasing the diversity of interview panels helps make
Seemingly small traits like preferred mode of communication
candidates from a range of backgrounds feel better
can have a huge impact on their work and collaboration at your
represented, while also demonstrating a commitment to
company, so it’s important to assess their “culture add” and pay
diversity, equity, and inclusion.
ample attention to the soft skills they possess.

Chapter 7
7
Rank: Close the Role
With the Right Hire
A developer’s experience has a major impact on their interest in the

role — and your ability to finalize an offer. A company that provides
a world-class candidate experience has a competitive advantage
against the firms it competes with.
One common hiring process tech teams follow is to screen, test, and
interview applicants before having the hiring manager sell the
candidates on the role. The risk with that approach is that the
candidate might receive half-a-dozen offers by the time they meet
with the hiring manager and hear about the interesting technical
opportunities at the company.
The result is a sub-par candidate experience that can lead to

recruiters sending offers that few applicants accept.
By involving the hiring manager sooner, (for example, moving the

“sell” call with the hiring manager to the beginning of the process),
you can foster a stronger candidate experience and ideally increase
acceptance rates.

Chapter 7
Employer Value Candidate Communication &

Proposition
Touchpoint Planning
Employer branding plays a major role in attracting top-tier talent. Being transparent about the hiring process and what the
That work hinges on the development and communication of a candidate can expect goes a long way in shaping their
clear employer value proposition.

experience. So what’s an effective approach to candidate
communication? Assume every candidate is interviewing for a
In a traditional, on-site interview, inviting candidates to the office dozen roles and entertaining multiple offers. What would
to meet future co-workers in person is a crucial step in the make that process easier for them, while making your firm
interview process. When remote interviewing, your interviewees stand out
will be able to meet the hiring managers and potential Map out how many rounds of interviews the candidate will
teammates during video interviews. However, they won’t have go through.
the in-person, meet-and-greet experience that demonstrates Communicate which skills assessment platform you’ll be
company culture first hand.

using.
Send them a copy of your company’s mission and values.
In remote settings, make sure your hiring teams know how to sell Share interview prep materials from your skills assessment
the highlights of the role and company. Signaling a strong platform.
employer brand, value proposition, and culture to candidates is Stay in contact with the candidate from your first phone
vital to attracting and retaining developer talent.
screen to the end of their onboarding process.
Stay in contact with the developer after they’ve accepted to
ensure they’re engaged, excited and set up for success on
day one.
Don’t be afraid of over-communicating. Lagging on

communication is a common mistake companies make which
can result in a negative candidate experience — and a lost
hire.

C hapter 7
R emote Hiring Best Practices
The COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of remote work, and the Great Resignation have had a profound impact on the hiring processes
of every organization. While every company has different protocols for in-person and remote interviews, it’s important to build
your talent acquisition infrastructure as if every interview will be remote. Here are four best practices for creating a first-class
remote and global hiring process.
Overcommunicate
Eliminate Distractions

While remote interviewing, you won’t have the opportunity to During remote interviews, it’s important for the interviewer
create an in-person connection. To ensure that the candidate to give the candidate their undivided attention. To eliminate
experience doesn’t suffer, over-communicate by sending distractions from the interview, establish a quiet
updates at every stage of the evaluation process. This will environment for the interview, silence notifications, and
make them feel valued and appreciated while creating a good check that your Internet connection is stable.
impression of your employer brand, regardless of the hiring

outcome.
Be Transparent from the Start
Introduce Candidates to the Company

Virtually
Make sure your updates are transparent throughout the
hiring experience. Remote interviewing can be challenging One of the advantages of in-person interviewing is that
for many candidates, and you can put them at ease by candidates can experience the company’s culture and
telling them how the interview process will unfold: employees first-hand. To replicate this virtually, create a
How many rounds of interviews they will fac branded content package that candidates can review to get a
What technologies will be use feel for the company’s culture and values. This package might
What will be evaluated in each conversation or skills test
include employee profiles of team members or content from
recent talent branding campaigns.

Conclusion
If you’ve made it to the end of this guide, you’re now
prepared to take on the challenge of recruiting the Accelerate the World’s
world’s most talented and in-demand developers. We’ve
broken down the fundamentals of front-end
Innovation
development, how to find and recruit the best talent, and
how to deliver a first-class candidate experience. But
there is still work to be done.
See how the HackerRank Developer Skills

Platform can help you develop a seamless
The world’s appetite for developers is vast, and the pool hiring experience that developers and
of talent to satiate that hunger is finite. And it will remain hiring teams love.
so for the foreseeable future. For years to come, every
new role to fill will be a zero-sum game, a fight between
the largest and smallest companies alike. Hiring
processes will be dissected, improved, and rebuilt again.
Chat with an Expert
Each day will present new challenges, along with endless
opportunities.
www.hackerrank.com How
How
to Hire
to Hire
Front-End
Software
Developers:
Engineers:The
TheDefinitive
Definitive Guide
Guide | P. 36
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How to Hire

Win Over Top Front-End

gain key tips to set you and

Building the future’s most promising technologies requires the

To hire the best front-end talent, tech teams have to recruit

In this guide, we break down everything you need to know

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1 Front-End Development 101 5 Screen: Evaluate Top

2 Role Demographics 6 Interview: Assess Real-World

Source: Find Qualified

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Writing high-quality code

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Front-End vs Back-End vs Full-Stack Developers

Front-End Back-End Full-Stack

Ionic, Dreamweaver, CKEditor

Creating visuals, functionality, Building server-side Performing both front-end

Creative, visual, user-oriented Analytical, detail-oriented Multi-disciplined,

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Core technical concepts include:

Key Terminology Agile: An iterative approach to project management and

API: Application Program Interface. A connection that computers

set of technologies, terms, and jargon.

Content management system (CMS): A software application

that allows multiple users to create, edit, and publish website

Framework: A platform that provides a foundation for

developing software applications.

Talent acquisition teams and hiring

technical roles will have a competitive

advantage while recruiting top talent.

Language: A set of rules for controlling the actions and behavior

Mobile-first design: A design philosophy that aims to create

better user experiences by prioritizing performance on mobile

Open-source software: Software for which the original source

code is made freely available and may be redistributed and

User experience (UX) design: The process of creating a system

that offers seamless, meaningful, and relevant experiences for

User interface (UI): The point of interaction in a device between

the user and computer.

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Key Languages and Frameworks

HTML CSS JavaScript

Boilerplate, Foundation, Bootstrap, Bulma, Angular, Backbone, Ember,

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B eyond the Rs e ume

"algorithm" into something a computer can do, and

write the specific code to implement the solution.

and accuracy. roles have to interface with non-technical

stakeholders, including sales and marketing teams,

and may need to train employees on how to operate

websites they’ve built.

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Career Levels at Leading Tech Companies

Google Apple Amazon Facebook

L4 - SWE III ICT3 - Software Engineer SDE II - L5 E4

L6 - Staff SWE ICT5 Principal SDE - L7 E6

L7 - Senior Staff SWE ICT6 Senior Principal SDE - L8 E7

L8 - Principal Developer Distinguished Engineer Distinguished Engineer - L10 E8

L9 - Distinguished Developer Senior Distinguished Engineer E9