The world of web and app development is constantly changing in terms of design and functionality. To realize and optimize generational transitions, a considerable development backbone is required. Junior front-end developers are then the first point of contact at your firm to verify that all needs are satisfied and adequately built.
As the development industry gradually changes to full-stack development, many firms will mistakenly believe that junior front-end developer roles are scarce and that recruiting full-stack workers makes more sense. The purpose of this essay is to dispel this misconception by emphasizing the importance of front-end work.
By the conclusion of this essay, you’ll understand why junior front-end engineers should be the first individuals on your HR’s hiring agenda, as well as everything you should consider while onboarding one.
What Exactly Is A Junior Front-End Developer?
In most businesses, junior roles at any hierarchical level are effectively entry-level occupations. Similarly, a junior front-end developer is an entry-level developer entrusted with client-side web application development.
Front-end development, often known as client-side development, is the overall design, tweaking, and optimization of user-operable features. It entails the design and layout of websites and online apps for web development.
The format, layout, and interactive and animated aspects of the website all contribute to the overall structure, which is entrusted to junior front-end engineers.
Texts, fonts, photos, colors, sliders, and other look or aesthetic decisions in overall site design will be among the aspects. Naturally, it appears that junior front-end engineers serve two crucial functions in a single seat. They create design options and are proficient at programming their concepts to work.
However, because junior front-end developers are entry-level professions intended for most recent computer science graduates and rookie programmers, they are typically teamed with senior developers to assist them in navigating tougher designs and programming needs. Some may even be employed to shadow experienced developers in order to hone their technical skills.
It’s possible that this is why most organizations avoid junior development roles totally when seeking for fully functional, and, more crucially, smaller development teams. Adding another crop of young and inexperienced (non-full-stack) employees may appear to be an unneeded drain on the company’s salary.
Not all junior front-end developers, however, are unskilled or superfluous. Here are a few reasons why you should consider investing in them in the long run:
A. Junior Developers Assist in Load Reduction
Similar to how reserve teams function in sports, having a few people on your development team’s “reserve squad” can assist reduce the pressure on senior personnel. Tasks can also be cycled among senior and younger teams, like in sports, to assist minimize project delays and simplify work procedures.
B. Junior Developers Are Potential Senior Developers
Every senior developer was once a junior developer. Learning the business profession, developing corporate understanding, and honing design and development talents all take time. Giving young developers a head start in the business and effectively mentoring them can pay rewards in the future as these developers advance to newer and more senior responsibilities.
C. Recruiting Junior Developers Benefits the Industry
According to Stack Overflow’s 2022 report, around 40% of web engineers now are between the ages of 25 and 34. This crop may not be adequately replaced in another 10-15 years, especially as just 23% of current developers are between the ages of 18 and 24. Recruiting more younger developers can help to refill employment cycles in the future.
6 Major Duties of a Junior Front-End Developer
Overall, junior front-end engineers are critical to the long-term viability of most businesses and the software development industry as a whole.
LadiTech understands this better than other organizations and has a large workforce of part-time and full-time junior and experienced front-end developers available to work on projects at any time. Our meticulously reviewed procedure guarantees that you may engage web developers from all around the world with the essential expertise to bring your ideas to life.
Companies must first understand the precise duties and responsibilities of junior front-end software engineers. Here are a few examples:
Improving User Experience
The whole experience of the consumer or end-user on digital and online platforms is referred to as user experience (UX). Applications, websites, and other software are examples of this. User experience is an important aspect of front-end development, and the software developer must ensure that all interactive portions of the product are optimized for the user.
It includes not just the appearance and layout of the app or website, but also the general functioning and intuitiveness of the design as a whole. A junior front-end developer ensures that all client-side components function properly and are simple to use and navigate.
Bringing Ideas to Life
Front-end developers are also web designers, and while your startup may have dedicated designers who make all creative decisions, your front-end developers are the first project managers who give them the go-ahead.
It is because designers may create a sophisticated network of animations and flourishes on a simple eCommerce website, which may appear amazing and out-of-the-box at the end of the day, but can harm user experience and make development a nightmare. Front-end developers approve of what is and isn’t possible on the back end.
Mobile Design Implementation
Web and mobile development are two fundamentally distinct processes that necessitate independent approaches. While flexible web design has made development for both platforms significantly easier, certain features, such as mobile applications, require separate development methodologies.
Junior front-end developers assist with converting an existing web design to appear and perform properly on mobile platforms. When cross-platform development is essential, these experts can guarantee that both versions appear and operate as similarly as feasible.
Software Workflow Management
Working in an Agile team necessitates that all members contribute their weight and divide duties equitably according to predetermined sprints. Senior front-end engineers may find themselves with a lot on their plates when lesser projects are assigned to them.
While adhering to the Agile framework, junior-level engineers can successfully alleviate that strain. Smaller development jobs may be delegated to them, easing and simplifying the entire development workflow for everyone else in the organization.
Following SEO Guidelines
SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, considers not just content and keywords, but also website and application functioning and responsiveness. All efforts to assist your client’s project rank better on search engines may fail if design and development rules are not followed correctly.
Front-end developers are in charge of ensuring that all SEO criteria are followed and that their design implementations do not clog the back end or contain heavy parts that take too long to load.
Software Testing Problem-solving experience is important not just for developers as they construct their product, but also after the key front-end development work is completed.
Developers must verify that their projects are bug and mistake free both during and after the development process. It reduces the amount of troubleshooting necessary after the fact.
Since the tasks of a junior front-end developer have been clearly defined, let’s move on to the fundamental distinctions between a junior front-end developer and a senior front-end developer.
5 Significant Differences Between a Junior and Senior Front-End Developer
The tasks listed above in front-end developers are not limited to junior-level executives. Senior development teams in most companies play comparable duties. However, there are a few discrepancies in the job descriptions of the two hierarchies that should be noted.
Levels of Experience
The first distinguishing feature of a junior front-end developer is the number of years of experience they have. A developer’s experience level and the talents they have obtained over their professional careers will be indicated on their resumes.
While there is no hard and fast rule, the usual norm for most junior developers is that they have no prior experience at a firm, or roughly a year and a half of development knowledge. Senior developers have more than eight years of relevant industry experience.
Responsibilities for Bug Fixing
From this point forward, a junior developer’s experience will determine how much responsibility they are given in most businesses. This is also true in bug-fixing situations.
The majority of junior developers are simply charged with resolving small flaws in their code. Senior engineers identify severe issues and attempt to make the code as efficient as possible, eliminating any stray lines.
Workflow for a Project
Scrum Masters in Scrum and Agile-led teams, or project managers in traditional setups, regulate the workflow in any software development project.
Junior developers typically contribute in the planning stage of development, when they set out the frameworks and technologies that are necessary from the start. Senior developers manage the whole process from beginning to end, ensuring that all deliverables are delivered on schedule.
Knowledge of the Codebase
Junior developers have a rough understanding of the codebase used to create the front end. It contains the frameworks, tools, and languages needed to finish the development.
Senior engineers understand all of the technologies necessary to efficiently write for the front end while also ensuring their codebase operates well with the back end.
Salaries
Junior-level developers’ pay is often bracketed according to their job titles as well because they have minimal expertise and industry knowledge. Depending on their employment type and responsibility, most junior developers make between $50,000 and $70,000 per year.
In most firms in the United States, senior developers may expect to earn between $100,000 and $125,000 per year.
Given our understanding of the fundamental distinctions between junior and senior front-end developers, let’s delve deeper into the essential talents of a junior front-end developer.
5 Essential Skills for a Junior Front-End Developer
Knowing what abilities you need to include in your job posting when recruiting a junior developer is vital since it may help you find the best-qualified individuals for the role.
LadiTech is a firm that guarantees that all of its resources have the essential capabilities to work on multidimensional projects, whether they be online or mobile. Our screening procedure and ongoing skill development through boot camps and monthly training sessions ensure that you recruit the finest remote teams and in-office front and back-end engineers to ensure the success of your project.
Here are a few crucial characteristics to look for in a front-end developer:
Important Languages
To be successful in their positions, all developers must have programming and development skills. Companies will not recruit developers without the essential technical skills, regardless of their experience or school qualifications, it might be stated.
Most businesses want their front-end engineers to know the following languages:
- CSS
- HTML
- HTML5
- JavaScript
Other languages that are optional yet useful include:
- Vue
- Swift
- Python
- Angular
The first four required languages are required to code online apps and webpages. HTML and CSS are in charge of the software’s basic layout and formatting, as are JavaScript and React. Some of the more difficult portions of the development can be coded with JS.
Manipulation of the DOM
A DOM, or Document Object Model, is a programming interface for online content. It is required to aid in the representation of any online document’s information and structure, including its styles and HTML sections. Front-end developers edit and update the DOM to alter how the material is shown to users.
Most businesses require knowledge of how to alter DOM. Because DOM converts each component of a website into objects and nodes, developers may interact with the model using languages like as JavaScript or any other object-oriented programming language.
Most web technologies nowadays involve DOM modification to produce project-specific online experiences.
Website Design
As previously said, most junior front-end developers also work as web designers. They must understand certain design concepts that ensure the ultimate product is both aesthetically beautiful and provides a positive user experience.
Web design is an art form in and of itself. In any front-end development profession, having a good eye for what works is essential, and it might take years to learn and perfect. Web design also necessitates familiarity with popular technologies such as:
- Weebly
- Bluefish
- Illustrator
- WordPress
- Dreamweaver
- Photoshop by Adobe
- Visual Studio Code
MySQL, Node.js, and JSON
JSON is a JavaScript Object Notation that is derived from JavaScript. Its primary application is in the text-based representation of online data. JSON has been ubiquitous on the internet over the last 15 years and is required by various databases such as MySQL and PostgreSQL.
Knowledge of this data format is required to easily transfer information between users and your website. JSON is required for every website that requires information to be sent between users and the website’s back end.
Similarly, Node.js is utilised to guarantee that your users have the greatest possible experience. It allows clients to access your website without experiencing any unwanted waits or delays. It also assures that your site will be scalable as traffic increases. Front-end developers may use Node.js to reduce latency and process a large number of requests.
Finally, MySQL is a database management system that oversees the database structures that websites employ to organize their data. WordPress, a popular content management system, stores and relays information to users using MySQL databases. This contains all website postings, articles, and user data.
While there are other possibilities, most junior front-end web engineers choose Oracle’s MySQL. Although many would argue that it is a back-end technology, ensuring that the front and back work effectively together is one of the most critical talents every developer should have.
Soft abilities
Whether developers are employed to work from home or in full-time in-office settings, a few soft skills are required to thrive in most professional settings. Working effectively with other team members is one factor, which may be determined by effective communication skills and understanding how to collaborate in the office.
Another important talent to have is the ability to operate in a team setting and with other senior individuals. Having the proper attitude, especially in junior jobs, may help you solidify your place in the team and guarantee you receive your chance to work and shine, as well as projects that come your way.
Most significantly, your young front-end developers should be excellent time managers. These abilities guarantee that projects are completed on schedule and that deliverables are met. When working in Agile teams, for example, the most crucial component is to focus on project deliverables while keeping high code and development standards. Furthermore, if you want to fully grasp these fundamental web programming abilities, you might consider enrolling in a full-stack development school.
Conclusion
Most firms are afraid to hire young developers, which is sensible. However, as previously demonstrated, a junior front-end developer may be a vital addition to any development team and may even assist augment your current arrangement. Most importantly, they serve as the foundation for any future developers who will work in the software and IT industries.
However, finding a competent junior resource is more said than done. With today’s advice, we hope you have all the requirements you need to guarantee you’re recruiting the greatest people for your organization.
Contact us at [email protected] to begin your front-end developer hiring process today or find out more about our services by visiting the LadiTech website.
