Hire top React JS developers to grow your startup

How to hire React JS developers at startups (2023 edition)

Are you looking to hire a Reactjs developer for your startup? We’re sharing how to get connected to talented developers, how to set up an interview cycle, and what skills to look for in a candidate.

Looking to hire a React JS developer?

A Reactjs developer is a skilled software development professional whose responsibilities include designing and building user interface components for JavaScript-based web and mobile applications using the React open-source library ecosystem. React.js developers provide full stack development services, including app development, building user interfaces, and translating designs into high-quality code.

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What skills you should look for when hiring a React JS developer?

Top skills for React JS developers at startups

HTML/CSS Proficiency

‍HTML and CSS knowledge is essential for front-end developers including Reactjs developers. React developers should be able to write semantic HTML tags, work with CSS, and implement responsive web principles.

Fundamentals of JavaScript + ES6

‍Being able to show proficiency in JavaScript Fundamentals (i.e. variables and scoping, arrays and objects) is also a key point to hire for. Additionally, knowing ES6, a newer version of JavaScript, means the candidate has more familiarity to build and maintain web apps (i.e. DOM manipulation, arrow functions, etc.)

JSX (JavaScript XML)

‍JSX makes it easier to write HTML in React and is a key skill for hiring a Reactjs developer. Note the candidate’s level of experience, any past projects, and familiarity with JSX. Note: a React developer with Babel experience, is a related programming skill to expand your search for candidates.

Git

‍Considered essential for all developer toolkits. Git experience showcases a candidate’s ability to track and manage coding projects on a day-to-day basis.

Node and npm

‍It may be counterintuitive to need Node experience for Reactjs developers, however having a solid understanding of the npm registry helps developers build software.

Redux

‍Redux experience shows a candidate’s knowledge of a state management library. This mainly helps engineers with scalability.

Eye for Design

‍Reactjs developers have to have a strong understanding of JavaScript and other front end programming languages while balancing an eye for design. React.js developers are at the core problem solvers with a great ability to translate a design into clean code.

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The most popular React JS frameworks

When hiring for an engineer, you’re mainly looking for a skill match.

Reactjs engineers should have a background in Javascript and JSX, an understanding of HTML/CSS, and proficiency in React.js for front end development. Bonus points for candidates who have skills in Redux. Experience in Node JS is also helpful to be a client-side React developer.

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React JS developers: are they ready for a startup?

Attract top React JS developer  talent through your Wellfound job postings

Companies can always post a Reactjs job and review applicants on Wellfound for free. When posting a job for Reactjs engineers, it’s important to write a job posting that will attract the right engineering talent.

• Add related fields: title, location, skills, and more. These relevant fields help your job post show up in the candidate’s job searches more frequently. Be sure to include React.js in the job description.
• Fill out job posting to describe your company, role, and ideal candidate accurately. All Wellfound job postings have a free-form section to explain more about the company, role, and/or what you’re hiring for. A few suggestions to include are:

1. Company name
2. Role title
3. Role responsibilities
4. Languages required for the role
5. Qualifications for Reactjs developers
6. Preferred or ideal skills from Reactjs developers applying to your startup

• Set up your company profile. A candidate will usually first click on their company profile to learn more when evaluating a company’s job post. Make sure your company profile is up-to-date and with all sections filled out — candidates rely on this to inform their job search!

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Top  React JS developers are on Wellfound

On Wellfound, you can also discover candidates by sourcing — instead of posting a job and waiting for candidates to apply, you can find potential candidates and pitch your opportunity directly to them.

The majority of candidates on Wellfound are specifically interested in joining a startup. With Source, our team provides key information including which candidates are actively looking for a job, what skills they have, their ideal salary, and more.

When sourcing for Reactjs developer’s on Wellfound, we suggest beginning with the following key points:

• Role and Title: Begin your search by filtering for those with a current or previous “Reactjs engineer” title. Depending on your needs, you could also include “frontend engineer” to widen your search to help filter candidates with matching titles.
• Skills Required: Add specific languages and technologies you’re looking for experience in - in this case, React.js and Javascript. Your search will depend on what technologies your codebase is in.
• Location Preferences: Filter for candidates on remote preferences or in a specific location (whether they’re only open to remote, only open to in-office, or both). If you’re looking for remote Reactjs developers, you can also search by remote Reactjs candidates in specific time zones.
• React.js Level of Experience: This is where you can clarify the level of experience in React.js you’re looking for. If you’re open to multiple levels for Reactjs positions, you can always leave this filter open to allow a wider range of candidates to show up.

From there, you’ll see different lists appear based on whether they are passive Reactjs candidates (open to interviews, but not actively looking), active Reactjs candidates (actively looking and ready to interview), or curated Reactjs candidates (ready to interview and have been vetted and recommended by our team).

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Get involved and meet React JS developers

One other way of connecting with Reactjs developers is through different communities or events in the startup community. Explore the full stack and Reactjs communities you can get in touch with to connect with talented Reactjs developers:

Reactjs Events and Hackathons

• React Summit
• Conferences – React

Reactjs Communities

• DEV Community - React
• GitHub React Community
• Other React Communities

Reactjs Discord Channels

• Reactiflux

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React JS developers effective hiring process:

Create a hiring funnel for React JS Positions

• Initial Phone Screen: For your first screen with a candidate, the conversation should be behavioral. Look out for a candidate’s problem-solving skills, excitement for the role, and culture fit in the product and company. Scan for the number of years experience working in the codebase or similar/relevant technologies.
• Hiring Manager Call: Hiring managers should press further into past React.js experiences, engineering interests and motivations, and type of work style. The evaluation should be focused on the “culture fit” component and whether the candidate seems like they have the type of soft skills that are needed in the role.
• Technical Interview: There are multiple ways to test a candidate’s coding abilities for technical interviews — most commonly, companies will include either a coding test or a project-based exercise.

1. For coding tests, startups have used platforms including TopCoder and CoderPad. Note: coding assessments such as these are becoming more and more outdated, as they can often be limited to only certain styles of work.
2. For Reactjs developers, typically the technical interview includes questions about the candidate’s understanding of Reactjs. For example, what is React? What is JSX? What is Redux? During this portion, the most important thing is to evaluate their skill level in Reactjs. A hiring manager may also evaluate is how the candidate solves problems and ask questions about previous Reactjs projects and solutions a candidate has worked on.

‍Hiring your first Reactjs engineer? Read our blog post for more information on how to hire your first engineer in 5 steps.

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Top interview questions for React JS developers

• What is React?
• What would you consider major advantages and limitations of React?
• What is JSX?
• Tell me about a successful project you completed using Reactjs.
• What is Redux?
• What is the component lifecycle of Reactjs?
• What are controlled and uncontrolled components?

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Salaries and compensation for React JS developers

Determine a competitive salary you can offer candidates by comparing market data for Reactjs developer positions. Take a look at levels.fyi, a popular tool among developer candidates to see the ranges of market salaries. Leverage Wellfound's salary tool to see how your offer for Reactjs developers stacks up against other jobs on our platform.

If you can’t meet a competitive salary and still want to hire top engineering talent, double down on the benefits that come with the offer. Are there unique company benefits? Is there equity, stock options, or other compensation you can provide? Discuss with candidates the additional benefits beyond salary during the negotiation and interview process.

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Hire React JS developers globally

Interview the top 1% of Reactjs developers today and hire 3x faster with Wellfound.

We’ve explored how to determine the type of Reactjs engineer to hire, ways to find React developers for your team, and the basics on how to set up your hiring process — now you’re ready to start looking 👀 Post your job on Wellfound and start sourcing top Reactjs developers today.