The right front-end developer can make an app that draws users to your brand and keeps them coming back. They’re experts at creating user interfaces (UI) that form the basis of a great user experience (UX), which is precisely why their expertise is in such high demand.
To assist you in identifying the most exceptional candidates, we’ve prepared a list of strategic front-end developer interview questions.
Let’s dive in.
Technical Front-End Developer Interview Questions
1. What’s the role of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS in developing websites?
This is a baseline question that any front-end developer should be comfortable with. HTML provides structure, CSS applies to style, and JavaScript enhances interactivity.
2. How are CSS frameworks and libraries different, and how would you use each?
This question is a good way to see how your candidate uses these important tools. When they talk about how to use them in a project, they should mention speed and development efficiency, as well as the reliability of the final product.
3. What are some ways of optimizing the performance of a website?
This question equally assesses hard and soft skills. Optimizing a website involves the soft skill of problem-solving, and the tools you use to do it necessitate technical knowledge.
The candidate’s answer should include ways to reduce the file sizes of elements on the site, using browser caching, and compression. It’s important to keep in mind that there are several correct answers to this question because each site’s slow performance can be caused by unique factors.
4. What are some ways of navigating browser compatibility issues?
Getting around browser compatibility issues is another problem-solving challenge. A correct answer will, in most cases, include testing on different browsers. Ultimately, this is the safest way to ensure compatibility.
The answer to this question may also tell you a lot about a candidate’s patience, as well as how thorough they are in designing solutions.
5. How would you use CSS preprocessors to improve the development process or result?
This question is slightly more technical, and a developer comfortable with CSS preprocessors understands several other important concepts. The answer you’re looking for should mention how CSS preprocessors enable modular development and more straightforward, better-organized code.
CSS preprocessors also enable you to build your own library of code that you can use on future projects, speeding up your development timelines going forward.
6. What would you do if a site you developed worked very well on a laptop but didn’t look right on a mobile phone?
This is another question that has several right answers and demonstrates a mix of soft and hard skills. One way to solve this problem is to use CSS overrides. These can make it easier for users to view site features on smaller screens.
But regardless of the techniques they use, testing should be a primary feature of their answer. And even though there are online tools you can use to test how sites look on mobile devices, it’s best to use actual device screens to be sure.
7. What is responsive design and how would you use it to optimize a site?
This is the kind of question that enables a qualified candidate to shine, particularly because they should have used responsive design in the past and be very comfortable with using it in the future.
A good answer will include keeping in mind the limitations of a variety of devices—and not just the sizes of their screens. Each device has unique processing capabilities, memory capacity, and Wi-Fi chips. In some cases, responsive design starts with analyzing your target market and determining the kinds of devices they’re most likely to use. This narrows down your options as you make design decisions.
General Front-End Developer Interview Questions
Here are some general front-end developer interview questions you can leverage to assess the kind of teammate and asset your candidate may be:
- How do you make sure the code you write is easy to read by others, as well as easy to maintain—whether by you or someone else on your team?
- Have you ever met with a client to discuss their needs and expectations? If so, how did you manage that interaction?
- What are some of your time management strategies, especially when you have hard deadlines ahead and a range of tasks on your plate?
- Have you ever had to learn something new to complete a job? If so, could you describe how you obtained the knowledge you needed?
- If a team member told you they were suffering from an abnormal amount of work-related stress, how would you help them out?
- Can you describe a time when you witnessed—or played a role in—a miscommunication? What did you learn from that experience?
- Could you talk about a time you had to come up with a creative solution to address a challenge?
- Are you better at being a leader or someone who supports another leader? And what could you do to grow in your ability to either lead or follow?
- Suppose there’s a conflict between two members of your team, and it’s affecting progress toward the goal. How would you manage this situation?
- A manager approaches you and says, “Hey, I’m really sorry, but the time frame for project X just shifted from three weeks to two weeks.” How would you handle that situation?
RELATED: 18 Key IT Interview Questions to Ask Candidates
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