Finding and Hiring Front-End Developers in 2017

</>Unicorns, Goblins, and Wizards
Or in other words… Developers, Managers, and the Staffing Firms that bring them all together

Who am I?  In the web industry as a full-time professional
since 2002 (holy cow… that’s 15 years)
 CurrentlyVP,Team Lead of the Sparta Web
Tools Platform team at Bank ofAmerica
 Previously DeveloperAdvocate, Front-End
Architect, DevelopmentTeam Manager,
Senior Developer at Ally Financial
 Spent a short time traveling as SeniorTrainer
for appendTo, LLC.
 Freelanced full-time for 8 years (2002-2010)
</>

</>I’ve been part of the hiring
process of front-end developers
for the last several years.
I have experienced some of the
same challenges you face
finding good people.

Why are we doing this?
1. On-going, non-stop talent crisis #dramainthelbc
2. Role confusion in the Front-End space
3. Happier and more successful clients and consultants
</>

So let’s look at ways you can…
1. Spot a talented - and not-so-talented – Front-End Developer
2. Help hiring managers and leads narrow their focus
3. Help your consultants prepare for the interview and role
</>

</>
WHAT’S UP WITH
THIS “CAN’T FIND A
DEVELOPER” STUFF?

The problems are a few…
1. Statistically, the problem is real - Bureau of Labor Statistics
projects 1.4 million positions with only 100,000CS grads
2. Front-End Developers are mostly self-taught
3. Developers often avoid recruiters like the plague
</>

</>
The problem with
developers being self-
taught is that finding the
qualified – and right – one
becomes a huge challenge.

Why is that?
“[…] front end development, like any specialized trade or
spectator sport, is a lot harder than it looks. It isn’t until
you’ve dipped your toes in it that you realize just how
turbulent the waters are.”
– Ilias Ismanalijev
</>
https://medium.com/creative-business/why-is-it-so-hard-to-find-a-front-end-developer-cb92848a7c6f

Why is that?
“ We failed to update our message of a usable and
maintainable web to be relevant to the current market
and a new generation of developers.”
– Christian Heilmann
</>
https://www.christianheilmann.com/2016/10/14/we-need-javascript-to-fix-the-web/

</>
So how can you spot
a talented – and
not-so-talented –
front-end developer?

</>
“Tech” they should be aware of…
BUZZ BUZZ
BUZZ
HTML
• Web Standards and Semantic HTML
• Templating languages (Handlebars,EJS, Jade, Nunjucks, etc)
• UX and how code interacts with a consumer
CSS
• Sass, Less (CSS Pre-processors & PostCSS)
• Browser compatibility
• Responsive Web Design
JavaScript
• Vanilla JavaScript (not jQuery)
• JS application experience (Angular, React, Ember, etc)
• Build tools and workflow (Git,Webpack, Gulp, Grunt, etc)
• UnitTesting (Jasmine, Mocha, Chai, Jest)

</>
The way code looks can tell you a lot…

</>
Files can also tell their own story…

Get them talking…
For many – if not most – of the roles you are
filling, you need engineers who are passionate
about the web.
• Recent technical challenge they overcame?
• How about an achievement?
• How do they stay current? IfTwitter, who do
they follow? If RSS feeds, which service and
which blogs? If newsletters, which one’s?
• What are they interested in learning in 2017?
</>

</>
“Soft Skills”
go way further
than anyone
will let on.

</>
Now that we have a few
new tools for spotting
our unicorns, let’s talk
about those “roles”

Role Confusion
Front-End Developer
Front-End Engineer
Front-EndArchitect
Angular Rockstar
UI Engineer
Web Designer
</>

Role Confusion
</>
“A front-end web developer is generally expected to:
• Develop functional and appealing web- and
mobile-based applications based on usability
• Provide website maintenance and enhancements
• Use a combination of markup languages to write
web pages
• Write functional requirement documents and
specifications
• Create quality mockups and prototypes on tight
timelines
• Assist back-end developers with coding and
troubleshooting
• Create cascading style sheets (CSS) that are
consistent across all browsers and platforms
• Maintain graphic standards and branding
throughout the product’s interface
• Stay up-to-date on emerging technologies
• Promote usability best practices”
https://www.roberthalf.com/creativegroup/blog/hot-job-front-end-web-developer

Role confusion creates churn
This very description of a “Front-End Developer” often leaves
the hiring process in a state of churn:
• Interviews not specific to need
• Job descriptions not matching actual requirements
• Poor interview and hiring programs
</>

</>
First things first.
We all need to
understand…

</>
NOT EVERYONE
IS A UNICORN
And that’s okay.

Focusing the role
As someone who has been part of the hiring process in
multiple companies, Managers and Leads need your help.
• Ask questions to get to the heart of the need.
• Review the job description with them.
• Determine just how “Senior” the candidate needs to be.
• Dig into the interview process. </>

Okay, before we move on…
Java is to JavaScript
as
Cup is to Cupcake
</>

</>
Last piece…
A few notes on
prepping your
consultant for the
interview(s)

Prepping for the phone screen…
The phone screen will either make or break your consultant.
These tips can help make it successful:
1. Stay calm, take time to think through
2. Practice talking through answers to fundamentals
3. Be smart enough to say “I don’t know”.We know.
4. Ask questions.Workflow?Team?Culture? Snacks?Anything!
</>

Prepping for the interview…
Technical interviews are intimidating.These tips can help your
consultant be in the best place for success:
1. Take your time.Think.
2. Practice a 2-3 minute “this is who I am and who I want to be”
3. Code challenges and you’re stuck?Ask if you can Google.
4. Talk through the problems.
5. Ask questions (different than your phone screen)! </>

</>Finding a talented front-end
developer who is passionate about
growing their skill can be a
significant challenge.
Hopefully these ideas will help
make that challenge a little easier.

@vernonk
Devs ‘R Us
Thank you!
Any questions?

Finding and Hiring Front-End Developers in 2017

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