Front-End Development with Đorđe

Is there anything that distinguishes working on this position from other positions in the IT sector? 

There is nothing special that I would single out when it comes to working in this position compared to other roles in the IT industry, except maybe two things. I got the impression that non-technical recruiters can more easily conclude what are the technical skills and if the candidate is a good match for a company, based on the projects on which the candidate worked (whether on sites, web applications, or something else). Also, it seems to me that the distribution of candidates on the market by seniority is equal.

Is there a greater demand for Front-End or Back-End Developers in our market?

I would say the demand is equal. It often happens that in waves we get more Front-End or more Back-End positions. I got the impression that currently, companies are looking for more Front-End profiles, but as I said previously, the demand is always almost the same, because every software has both a frontend and a backend part. Of course, we must not forget the popular full-stack profiles, which are extremely popular.

What is currently the most popular framework for working in Frontend?

Although the global data show that Angular is number 1, lately one gets the impression that React is becoming more and more popular and it seems to me that more companies are looking for React developers in our country. I got the impression that most of them are not actually fans of Angular, but those who love Angular – they adore it. The same thing happens with React. Sometimes the Angular-React rivalry reminds me of an eternal derby. Of course, we must not forget Vue, a framework that is becoming more and more popular and is just starting to have its passionate supporters.

In your opinion, what are the most important skills that Front-End Developers should have?

Of the technical skills, these are certainly HTML, CSS, Javascript, Typescript, and some of the modern frameworks (Angular, Vue, React, the more you know, the better). When it comes to “soft” skills, these are certainly some standard competencies that every developer should have – communication skills, teamwork, responsibility, independence, analytical thinking, etc. Another name for the frontend is also the client-side, so knowledge of UI and UX principles is of great importance. Because of this, that design notes, creativity, and visuality are also important. As one candidate once told me, “I decided on frontend development because it’s the best possible combination of analytical thinking and creativity.”

Does the selection process for this position differ from the process selections for other IT positions?

As with all other positions, companies most often evaluate a technically and culturally fit candidate. A technical interview is usually organized, in a smaller number of cases a technical task or a pair of coding interviews. What stands for all IT positions is that candidates are not available for a long time when it comes to the duration of the process, which should be as fast as possible because currently, the demand for them is high, while there are not so many candidates. Therefore, companies that want to hire front-end developers should try to make their selection process as efficient as possible, without compromising the quality of candidate evaluation.