Top 10 Web Developer Interview Questions to Ask
Due to the exponential growth of mobile devices and e-commerce, a web developer has become one of the most promising, popular, and highly-paid jobs.
According to statistics, the employment of web developers is projected to grow 8 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Who is an ideal web developer? A versatile web development specialist with tech prowess and a person with perfect soft skills all rolled into one.
Everyone wants to have a top-notch player on their team, right? But how to find him/her? What questions to ask during a web developer interview?
We are well aware that the process of finding valuable and qualified personnel is a long, tough, and thorny path. We have prepared the top 10 common web developer interview questions and answers that will help you find the specialist that your company needs.
Who Is a Web Development Specialist and What Skills Should He or She Have?
A web developer creates and maintains websites and applications with the interests of the client and consumer in mind. In his/her work, the web developer uses coding languages: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, etc. A back end developer is responsible for the code that ensures and controls the smooth operation of the website, database, and any applications it contains, a front end developer codes the front end of a website and is responsible for the parts of the website that the user interacts with, and a full-stack developer understands both internal and external processes and strategies.
Here are four qualities that differentiate a great web developer from a good dev.
- Coding and problem-solving skills
A successful web developer must be creative and have an excellent grasp of the technical side. Besides, an ability to solve the problem in a non-trivial way and debug effectively is vital.
- Ability to learn constantly
If a person wants to be successful, then staying ahead of the curve is a must. Constantly learning new technologies, programming languages, and keeping abreast of new design trends and customer demand is the path to success.
- Excellent time-management skills
The work of a web developer is complex and chaotic. Every junior web developer or senior web developer is faced with burning deadlines and stuck projects, therefore, he/she must be able to manage time perfectly to remain efficient and sane.
- Great soft skills
To create an outstanding product, web developers, designers, managers should be perfectly aligned. Therefore, communication is vital. A good web developer should be able to explain difficult technical issues in layman’s terms so that other team members can understand the project’s timelines, potential pitfalls, or reasons for delays.
Web Development Interview Questions to Ask
Searching for an employee is a time-consuming process, so we have prepared general interview questions for web developers, entry-level web developer interview questions, and web developer technical interview questions. Use this interview cheat sheet to make the most of your time and hire a top specialist.
Tell us about a project that you are truly proud of. What have you done to successfully implement it?
Why this matters:
This is one of the crucial website development interview questions. This will give an insight into the ambition of the professional, as well as his perspective on success and workflow strategies. Besides, this question is aimed to put a candidate at ease and let him/her speak about accomplishments.
What to look for:
A good specialist is a team player. Be sure to pay attention to whether an applicant is focusing on his/her efforts or talking about the combined efforts of the entire team. Besides, a successful specialist has a clear strategy and algorithm of actions (feedback analysis, prompt problem-solving, handling the QA process), which leads to the successful completion of the project.
Pretend I’m a tech novice. Can you explain what JavaScript is in plain English?
Why this matters:
This one refers to common web developer interview questions. A web developer should communicate with a lay audience and be able to explain tech issues in non-jargony terms.
What to look for:
An applicant should have a thorough understanding of JavaScript and be able to explain everything in simple terms. The explanation should be concise, straight to the point, clear, and easy to understand.
Can you find errors in this code?
Why this matters:
A codesheet with strategically placed errors will test technical knowledge.
What to look for:
An interviewee should go through the code line by line and point out all the mistakes. This will show how deep his knowledge is and his attention to detail.
Tell me about a case when you got stuck while coding. How did you deal with the problem?
Why this matters:
Broken code, an error in the system, bugs are an integral part of a web developer’s work. A skillful programmer can not only code but also solve problems quickly, creatively, and efficiently. This is one of the questions to ask web developers that shows how a candidate solves the problem. Perhaps he seeks help, needs a few hours of rest, or works non-stop until the problem is solved. Try to find a dev that fits your needs.
What to look for:
A good web engineer boldly meets challenges, as this is a great opportunity to show the flexibility of mind, creativity, and depth of his/her knowledge. An excellent answer to this question would be a detailed description of the problem and the solutions used by the specialist.
How do you keep up with the latest trends in web development?
Why this matters:
Web development is a highly competitive sphere that changes rapidly, and to stay on top of the game, it is obligatory to be in-tune with the latest trends and have his/her own opinion on trends and their dynamics.
What to look for:
An interviewee should list which technical publications he/she reads and which authors or personalities in the IT-community admires. Also, attending specialized courses or seminars to improve the level of professionalism will be an advantage.
In what programming languages are you proficient? Which ones do you plan to learn?
Why this matters:
HTML, PHP, SQL, CSS, Python, Ruby, and JavaScript are just a few of the common programming languages that a web developer should be able to work with. This question will reveal the strengths and shortcomings of an applicant, as well as indicate his/her plans, ability and willingness to learn.
What to look for:
A potential employee should indicate the level of proficiency. A professional will tell in detail what are his/her basic languages and what languages he/she wants to learn, why, and how actively he/she is working on it.
What is the difference between using HTTP/2 and HTTP 1.1?
Why this matters:
A web developer should understand the main differences between using HTTP/2 and HTTP 1.1and the benefits of using HTTP/2. An answer to this question will show you how these methods will fit the required role of a web developer.
What to look for:
A future employee should demonstrate a knowledge of HTTP and highlight clear differences. The ideal candidate will provide statistics indicating why using HTTP/2 is the best choice.
Tell me about a time when you have dealt with negative feedback.
Why this matters:
A web developer receives tons of negative feedback from users, clients, colleagues, and beta testers. It is very important to accumulate feedback, analyze it, come to a certain conclusion (possibility of improvement), and effectively solve the problem.
What to look for:
An excellent candidate is considerate and patient. He/she should list examples of negative feedback received and explain how he/she turned it into a constructive solution.
What APIs have you worked with?
Why this matters:
Web developers should have experience working with APIs of various commercial services (using their functions, integrating results into the design).
What to look for:
Experienced candidates should specifically identify the APIs with which they have worked. A substantial advantage is the development of their own useful API-interfaces.
Explain how you optimize and reduce web application load time.
Why this matters:
Statistics show that 1 in 4 visitors would abandon a website that takes more than 4 seconds to load.
These web dev interview questions will help you understand whether an applicant is aware of the effect the load time has on an average bounce rate and user’s experience. On top of that, asking this question will show how well a dev can analyze the received data and effectively optimize the load time.
What to look for:
A qualified web developer should understand the importance of load time, know many methods of reducing boot time, use the most effective of them, and provide evidence of how much he has managed to reduce web application load time.
Bottom Line
Finding a good web developer is a time-consuming and complex process, but if you use these web developer interview questions to ask, you will quickly find the talented specialist that suits your company. If you want to make your recruiting process even smoother and faster, Yojji IT consultants will be glad to provide support. Do not hesitate to contact us.
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