Front End Developer Jobs

Website design, user experience, and overall site layout play a key role in the success or failure of any business that wants to build their online presence. With so many choices available on the web, even the slightest frustration will cause the user to hit the back button and spend their money elsewhere.

It’s the job of talented front-end developers to ensure website users feel comfortable and engaged while browsing a website. They’re responsible for creating a consistent brand image and making sure users can easily navigate their way around.

We’re in the digital age. No matter what industry you’re in, chances are you’ll need a website to connect with customers and sell your products. This tech boom has increased the demand for front-end developers tremendously.

If you’re creative and have an eye for design, a front-end developer job could be your true calling. Positions in the field are well-paid and offer excellent job prospects. This article will provide you with some tips on landing a front-end developer job. We’ll go through example interview questions, list a few online job platforms, and discuss focused education programs you might want to consider to kickstart your front-end developer career.

Tips for Landing a Front-End Developer Job

Let’s start by running through some tips to help you stand out from the crowd and get hired as a front-end developer:

Freelance Projects: This is one of the best ways to strengthen your portfolio. You’ll not only enhance your skills but you’ll also gain vital real-life experience. You can list freelance positions on your resume. This should impress prospective employers and boost your chances of success. Even small projects will reflect your passion and commitment to the field. Don’t worry about well-paid opportunities in the beginning. Take on low-pay or even charity projects. What’s important is the learning experience.
GitHub: Many companies expect front-end developers to have some hands-on experience. GitHub is a platform where you can showcase your best code. By making regular contributions on GitHub, you can prove you’re a consistent worker with a real interest in programming.
Hackathons: This is a fun way to test your coding skills, get to know like-minded people, and even win some prizes! Participating in hackathons will also give you the experience of working with a team. You can find hackathons through sites like ChallengePost, AngelHack, and Hackathon.io.
Networking: You can connect with other aspiring developers by attending tech meet-ups. There are many online communities and forums where you can find people with similar interests. Networking can help build your development skills and even directly lead to new job opportunities.
Stay Up-To-Date: This is important for everyone in the tech world. Keep your ear to the ground and be aware of what’s new in the space. Design blogs and news sites are great for staying in the loop.

How to Make Your Application Stand Out

When applying for a developer position, the first step is to secure an interview. Your application really needs to stand out. Here’s some things that can help you land that all-important interview:

Tailor Your Resume: Tailoring your resume and cover letter for each job application may seem time-consuming. But it’ll be worth the extra investment. Tailor-made cover letters help grab the attention of prospective employers and instantly set you apart from other front-end developers. Pay attention to spelling, grammar, and vocabulary while highlighting key skills. Also, don’t just write something generic on your resume. Provide examples with your statements. For instance instead of simply writing “a good team player”, provide a real-life story of why this is true.
Build Your Portfolio: Creating a professional website will impress employers. It’ll introduce them to your skills, experience, personality, and strengths. You can showcase your projects and hard work on your site.
Optimize Your Online Profile: Your online presence can either work with or against you. Recruiters often do background research on candidates to help find a perfect fit for the position. Your professional profiles should look impressive and current. You should pay attention to key terms that are listed in front-end developer job descriptions and include them in your profile.

Common Front-End Developer Interview Questions

Here are some commonly asked front-end developer questions. Practice answering them over and over again to help feel confident while walking into the interview:

What’s Coffee Script?
What’s the difference between cookies, session storage, and local storage?
What are the technical skills needed to be a front-end developer?
How do you structure source code to make it easy-to-read for your colleagues?
Name some online resources you use to learn about the latest trends in front-end development and design.
How do you deal with browser-specific style incompatibility?
Explain the difference between block, inline, inline-block, and box-sizing?
What are the benefits of Coffee Script over JavaScript?
What’s the difference between null and undefined?
Explain the difference between XHTML and HTML?
What’s the difference between classic and prototype inheritance?
How do you ensure that your website design or web application is accessible and user-friendly?
Tell us about your favorite types of front-end development projects to work on? What do you like about them?
What are your favorite features of HTML5? How have you implemented them in your front-end development projects?
Do you like to work with a team or by yourself?
Provide an example of an important project goal you reached, and how you achieved it.
What has been your most difficult/stressful project so far, and how did you deal with it?

Along with these questions, remember to revise fundamental front-end developer topics. Have basic coding concepts clear in your head. Preparing for these questions should help your nerves and set you up for success.

Where to Find Front-End Developer Jobs

Before starting your job search have a clear strategy in place. You should first decide on the kind of role and the type of company you prefer. There are advantages and disadvantages when working for both large and small organizations. You must also decide if you’re happy to relocate. You should have answers to all these questions before commencing your job search. Here are some online portals that’ll help you find your perfect front-end developer position:

LinkedIn: It’s the world’s largest social media platform for professionals. Although LinkedIn doesn’t specifically include front-end developer jobs, most companies post their job openings here. You can create your portfolio, upload your resume, and start applying for jobs immediately.

GitHub Jobs: This platform is geared towards tech-related jobs and is a hub for front-end developers, coders, full-stack developers, and other tech professionals. You can network with like-minded experts, browse job listings, and use the search feature to focus in on your perfect front-end developer job.

Stack Overflow: The largest online community of developers, Stack Overflow is a resource to learn code and connect with industry experts. Just like GitHub, they have a job board, where you can search for jobs.

Dice: This is a popular job board for IT and tech professionals. You’ll find all kinds of tech-related job openings listed here. Employers must pay to post jobs on the site. This means all jobs are from serious recruiters.

Mashable: You’ll find an array of tech and media-related jobs on this platform. The best part is that you don’t have to create an account to apply for a position. If you want to post your resume and cover letter on the website, you have the option to do so.

Tuts+: This is another good platform dedicated to developer and design jobs. Tuts+ also has international job listings. This makes the site perfect for candidates looking to relocate overseas. You don’t have to create an account to begin applying for positions.

AngelList: This is for front-end developers who want to work at a start-up. It’s perfect for those applying for entry-level jobs. You’re required to create an account before you start applying for positions. You simply upload your resume and your online profile is created.

Product Hunt: This is another great portal for aspiring front-end developers interested in working at start-ups. The job list isn’t as extensive as some other sites, but the positions are updated regularly.

Your Next Step

To land a front-end developer job, you first need to invest in your education. If you’re serious about a future in web design, consider enrolling in our web design bootcamp. You’ll learn how to create an amazing online user experience and develop easy-to-use interfaces. Our mentors will support you during the course and help you achieve your goal of becoming a front-end developer. Schedule a call with one of our experts to learn how you can get started.

You might also be interested in reading some of our other design-related blog posts. Learn how to wow employers with your cover letter when applying to front-end developer jobs.