Today, 64.6% of developers worldwide use JavaScript for software development. In fact, JavaScript has gained so much traction that it has become the most sought-after programming language. In 2024, nearly 1 in 2 tech recruiters sought to hire JavaScript developers.
In this article, we will focus on JavaScript coder responsibilities, skills, ways to find candidates, and their rates. By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap of how to find top JavaScript developers for hire.
* Percentages exceed 100% because developers can work with several technologies and fields
Now, let’s proceed with step one and find out the primary responsibilities of professional JavaScript developers and their skill sets.
JavaScript developers are responsible for creating interactive front end and ensuring high performance on web, desktop, and mobile. JavaScript engineers can build and execute tests for units, services, components, etc. They can also access external APIs and data sources to gain information about third-party services.
In a nutshell, JavaScript developers have the following responsibilities:
When looking to hire JavaScript developers, you can preselect people with the following list of technical competencies:
First of all, hire JavaScript experts with proven experience in this programming language and ES6+. They must know JavaScript basics, like functions, variables, data types, objects, control structures, and prototypes.
On top of that, find developers who have in-depth knowledge of JavaScript libraries and frameworks. Whether you’re looking for front-end or back-end expertise, you may choose some of these technologies to focus on:
Since this ecosystem is constantly being updated and extended, a JavaScript developer would be familiar with the new versions.
Next, hire JavaScript developers who know Document Object Model (DOM) manipulation. This expertise allows coders to interact with HTML elements, modify their properties, and update user interfaces.
It is recommended to hire JavaScript programmers who are familiar with databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and SQLite. It will help your team handle data storage and retrieval efficiently.
Below is a table of JavaScript developer tech skills that you should test:
Front-end development
React, Vue.js, Angular, Preact, Ember, Svelte, Alpine.js, Lit, Solid, Qwik, Stencil
Backend development
Node.js, Express.js, Nest.js, Fastify, Strapi, Koa.js, Hapi, Meteor
Rendering frameworks
Next.js, Nuxt, Gatsby, Remix, Astro, Eleventy, SvelteKit, Docusaurus
Libraries
Lodash, RxJS, jQuery, Zod, Immer
Database integration
MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite, Apache Cassandra
Version control
Git, GitHub, Bitbucket
Testing and debugging
Jest, Mocha, Jasmine, Vitest, Cypress, Puppeteer
Performance optimization
Webpack, Babel, Lighthouse
API integration
RESTful APIs, GraphQL
Build tools
Webpack, Gulp, Vite, tsc CLI, esbuild
Cloud services
AWS, GCP, Azure
Containerization
Docker, Kubernetes
Besides technical skills, every developer must possess a certain set of soft skills to ensure smooth collaboration. Hire JavaScript developers who have an eye for detail and can quickly detect possible mistakes. Errors slow down the development process and lead to higher costs.
Also, look for a wordsmith with good communication skills who can convey their message to others and ensure everyone is on the same page. Finally, dedicated programmers are team workers and can cooperate with others, give or receive assignments, and contribute to the project.
Much like any other hiring process, recruiting a JavaScript developer is a challenging task. There is still a scarcity of professional software developers in contrast to a much higher demand.
On top of that, software developers are expensive and ask for an inflated paycheck, together with benefits and incentives. Besides that, hiring managers and recruiters often lack the basic technical education to evaluate a candidate’s knowledge and expertise. Finally, the hiring process is quite long and costly.
To overcome these issues, let’s find out the best options to hire a JavaScript programmer with its pros and cons.
Given the willingness of the IT world to share knowledge and know-how, there are many online communities for software developers. Although they mostly exist for developers, hiring managers also have access to such websites and can look for candidates.
StackOverflow is one of the most famous online IT communities where users can share their knowledge, ask questions, and contact each other directly. Being a community with almost 23 million users, it opens a large talent pool for many businesses. Since it rewards helpful answers and suspends untactful behavior, users can be sure to find some of the best answers here.
GitHub is another popular online community for software developers to exchange knowledge and share their code. It is less focused on direct communication and more on seeking collaboration and sharing the latest trends.
All in all, online communities are a good place to hire JavaScript developers. On the other hand, you will have to contact and evaluate the candidates yourself, which is a lengthy and costly process.
There are numerous tech events that take place around the globe. People in the IT industry get together to discuss the latest trends and exchange knowledge. More and more conferences are going online, which makes them more accessible for everyone. When you participate in such events, you expand your professional circle, increase your knowledge base, and potentially meet the right people to hire JavaScript developers.
JSConf is a conference that invites many speakers to converse and share their expertise about JavaScript and its ecosystem.
React Summit is another annual in-person and remote first JavaScript-related conference that brings developers together to discuss the latest trends in this technology.
Unfortunately, even though some tech events are held online, a big portion of them are still hosted offline, which makes it difficult to take part in them. And the virtual events are not very conducive to communication and exchange among the participants.
You can also hire developers online using modern hiring platforms. There are a myriad of marketplaces where you can find potential employees. We will focus on the primary ones, such as Toptal, Upwork, and Freelancer.
Toptal is known for its rigorous vetting process and serves as the ultimate online tool to hire JavaScript developers. Only 3% of all applicants become a part of their talent pool. Although the harsh screening process demonstrates their portfolio’s excellence, it also drives up the costs. Toptal might be a good choice if you need an exceptional mind to generate new ideas, not a typical middle or senior developer.
Upwork is more inclusive than Toptal and does little to zero vetting. It has an algorithm that only checks whether the profile is complete and relevant. This means that you will have to do the vetting yourself.
Freelancer does not do any screening and lets anyone in. It is a good platform to hire remote JavaScript developers who are just starting their careers, but it is unsuitable for middle or senior-level developers.
Toptal and Upwork are the go-to solutions to hire freelance JavaScript developers. If you would like to learn more about these services, their vetting processes, and pricing, look at the Toptal vs Upwork article.
With 1 billion users worldwide, LinkedIn is the biggest business platform that also offers a job marketplace. Candidates can choose location, type of employment, experience, and other aspects to narrow down their search.
Businesses can post their job ads on LinkedIn, thus reaching out to millions and millions of potential workers. The size of LinkedIn has its downsides: imagine how many companies publish their vacancies on this massive platform. Your posting may get lost within just an hour or two.
Another drawback is that it’s a confusing pricing model, where you pay for the number of views, not per job posting. As a result, you never know how much you will end up paying for a single job ad.
IT staff augmentation is a relatively new approach to recruitment. DOIT Software is a company that specializes in this method and allows you to hire a development team. The main idea is that a company can “borrow” a worker from software development companies instead of hiring in-house.
You are not required to conduct interviews and tests since the company will do that for you. You only need to provide a set of requirements for the project, and staffing experts will find developers that fit that profile. This way, you augment your JavaScript team with one or several essential workers who will work for you for the duration of the project or task.
We at DOIT Software have various JavaScript developers ready to work on your next project. We can deliver a full development team to execute your project or augment your existing JavaScript team with one or several specialists.
Contact us for more detailed information and many great insights.
Finding candidates is only the beginning. The next step is to evaluate their expertise and ensure they fit both the technical requirements and your team culture. If you choose to hire in-house JavaScript developers, the evaluation process requires additional preparation and involvement from your team.
Start by reviewing JavaScript developer portfolio, which should showcase relevant projects and the use of essential technologies. Look for examples of clean, maintainable code. If possible, request code samples or invite candidates to explain their contributions to specific projects.
Next, collaborate with your technical specialists—such as team leads or senior developers—to create a coding task or technical test. This task should mimic the kinds of challenges they will encounter on your project.
Now let’s get more technical and go through a list of questions you could ask during technical interviews with candidates of different levels:
1. Can you explain what variables are and how to declare them in JavaScript?
2. What is the difference between let, const, and var?
3. What is a Javascript callback function? Give an example.
1. Can you explain the concept of closures and provide an example of how you have used them in a project?
2. Explain the CSS box model and write code snippets to illustrate your point.
3. How do you optimize DOM manipulation for performance?
1. Can you explain virtual DOM and its advantages?
2. What are some of the most common performance pitfalls in JavaScript?
3. How do you handle data migrations and schema changes in production databases?
The cost of hiring always depends on the type of employment and the worker’s location. If you hire JavaScript developers to work in-house, you will also pay taxes, office equipment, and so on.
US
$117,737 - $215,648
UK
$65,688 - $90,712
Canada
$63,875 - $92,634
Germany
$50,292 - $78,483
Netherlands
$49,521 - $83,203
Norway
$57,133 - $65,563
Eastern Europe
$19,143 - $49,991
Latin America
$17,689 - $50,498
If you hire a dedicated JavaScript developer to work remotely, you will save much of your budget. In the staff augmentation model, the rates also depend on the developer’s region:
JavaScript is a technology that is constantly being extended and augmented with new features. It will be on the market for years and years, which means that people will continue to learn about this technology. Investing in a qualified JavaScript developer will guarantee you a feature-rich application.
If you have more unanswered questions about how to hire JavaScript developers or if you want to augment your team in the short term, get in touch. Our staffing experts will contact you as soon as possible.
Get a consultation and start building your dream team ASAP.
REQUEST CVSYes, JavaScript was the most in-demand programming language in 2024. Over 41% of recruiters were looking for people with this programming skill.
You can hire JavaScript developers in the USA for $60-200 per hour. In Western Europe – $45-150 per hour, in Eastern Europe – $45-90 per hour, and in LATAM – $50-80 per hour.
Key skills include a solid understanding of JavaScript fundamentals (e.g., ES6+), expertise in frameworks like React or Node.js, experience with DOM manipulation, and familiarity with databases such as MySQL or MongoDB. Strong soft skills, like communication and teamwork, are also important.
The hiring timeline depends on the complexity of your requirements. According to a study by LF Research, companies spend an average of more than 5.5 months to fill a Front-end/Back-end developer position. But using platforms like freelance marketplaces or staffing agencies can significantly speed up the process compared to traditional hiring methods.
