Hire Web / Mobile / Tech Freelancers in January 2025

Kevin

PHP

Web / Mobile / Tech

Design and build software, websites, mobile apps (native iOS/Android), web apps/PWAs with full-stack web and mobile app developers, web designers ready for hire. Find Web / Mobile / Tech WFH freelancers on January 06, 2025 who work remotely. Read less

Board & chat Inside your order

Web Development

Web Design / Apps

WordPress

Blockchain / Crypto / NFTs

Apps / Mobile

Math / Science Help

Programming / Software

Bug Fixing Services

Game Development

Ideas / Help / Consultation

Database Design / Admin

QA / Testing

Networking / System Admin

Cybersecurity / InfoSec

ERP / CRM / SCM

Management / Training

Telephony / Telecommunications

SAP

Graduates

Verified sellers only

Web Development

Shop All Web Development

Hire frontend web designers with mastery in Shopify & Wordpress,

Web Design / Apps

Shop All Web Design / Apps

WordPress

Shop All WordPress

Hire DeFi / crypto enthusiasts skilled in blockchain analysis; crypto

Blockchain / Crypto / NFTs

Shop All Blockchain / Crypto / NFTs

Robust, secure iOS and Android mobile app development in Swift

Web / Mobile / Tech

Apps / Mobile

Hire graduate mathematicians and applied scientists to support business applications,

Web / Mobile / Tech

Math / Science Help

Hire developers proficient in software development to improve or tweak

Web / Mobile / Tech

Programming / Software

Fix UI issues or bugs that arise to ensure quality

Web / Mobile / Tech

Bug Fixing Services

Graduates

Verified

Keep exploring

Wikipedia Khan Academy Web / Mobile / Tech Courses .NET Framework PHP HTML React CSS Embedded C Formal Methods for Software Frontend Development File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Full Stack Developers GatsbyJS Git GitHub Go Programming (Golang) Google / Alphabet Google Firebase Google Programmable Search Engine Google Search Console API Grails Green Computing Grunt Software Graphical User Interface (GUI) HTML5 Hugo (GoLang) HTTP Caching C Programming C# Programming C++ Programmers Caching Angular Ruby on Rails Laravel Amazon AWS AWS CloudFront AWS Amazon EC2 AWS Amazon S3 Android Android SDK Apache HTTP Server Apache Hadoop Apple Products ASP.NET ASP.NET MVC Code Review Backend Development Backbone.js Backblaze AWS Lambda Atlassian API Development API-First Design Plugin Development WordPress Developers Wordpress Plugins Wordpress Themes WordPress Joomla CMS AngularJS Microsoft Azure Fintech Ruby Rust Programming Salesforce Android Studio Angular5 Angular 2 Twig (PHP template engine) Plates (PHP template engine) PL/SQL Serverless

Top Frequently Asked Questions

Building your app Finding your developer

Why is PHP a good choice for building my site?

Building intuitive, easy-to-use web applications relies on tried and tested software frameworks. Hypertext Pre-Processor otherwise known as PHP is a scripting language that works on the web server to produce requests for your website: https://www.w3schools.com/PHP/php_intro.asp

PHP is often considered a good choice for building websites due to several key attributes and features. Here’s why PHP might be advantageous for your site:

1. Open Source and Cost-Free:
Licensing: PHP is open-source software, which means it's free to use. This eliminates licensing costs, making it an economical choice for developers and businesses of all sizes.

2. Server-Side Scripting:
Execution: PHP runs on the server, meaning the code is executed on the server before the result is sent to the browser. This reduces client-side processing and enhances security by not exposing the source code to the end-user.

3. Wide Hosting Support:
Compatibility: Most web hosting services come with PHP pre-installed. This broad support makes deploying PHP applications straightforward and reduces the technical barriers to hosting.

4. Large Community and Ecosystem:
Support: PHP has a vast community of developers, which translates into:
Extensive documentation
Numerous forums for troubleshooting
A plethora of open-source libraries and frameworks (like Laravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter) that can accelerate development

5. Scalability:
Performance: PHP can handle high traffic with proper configuration.
Frameworks: Many PHP frameworks are designed with scalability in mind, providing features like caching, ORM (Object-Relational Mapping), and efficient database handling.

6. Integration with Databases:
Database Support: PHP has strong integration capabilities with various databases, most notably MySQL. Its native support for SQL makes database management and querying straightforward.

7. Versatility:
Use Cases: From simple static sites to complex web applications, PHP can handle a wide range of tasks:
Content Management Systems (CMS) like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla are built on PHP.
E-commerce platforms (e.g., Magento)
Backend for web applications

8. Security Features:
Built-in Functions: PHP has numerous built-in functions for security, like password hashing, data sanitization, and filtering. However, developers must also follow security best practices to prevent vulnerabilities like SQL injection or XSS.

9. Easy to Learn and Implement:
Syntax: PHP's syntax is relatively easy to grasp for beginners, especially those familiar with C, Java, or Perl. This accessibility can lead to quicker development cycles for new projects.

10. Cross-Platform Compatibility:
Operating Systems: PHP runs on most operating systems, including Windows, Linux, macOS, and more, making development and deployment flexible.

11. Continuous Updates and Improvements:
Versioning: PHP continues to evolve, with each new version bringing performance improvements, security enhancements, and new features. PHP 7.x and 8.x, for example, introduced significant speed and memory usage optimizations.

12. Integration with Front-End Technologies:
RESTful Services: PHP can easily be used to create RESTful APIs, allowing seamless integration with front-end technologies like JavaScript frameworks (React, Vue.js, Angular).

Considerations:
Performance: While PHP has made significant strides in performance, for very high-load applications, you might need to consider additional optimizations or alternative technologies.
Modern Web Standards: PHP needs to be used with frameworks or modern practices to ensure adherence to current web development standards and security protocols.

Invented by Rasmus Lerdorf in 1994 and now under the Apache Software Foundation, PHP offers a way of building fast, responsive web sites and great for web development because PHP can be embedded into the HTML to make functions happen. Most websites are built on PHP or its many sub-structure web frameworks like Laravel (https://laravel.com/), Symphony (https://symfony.com/what-is-symfony), CakePHP (https://cakephp.org/), CodeIgniter (https://codeigniter.com/), to name four.

In conclusion, PHP's combination of ease of use, cost-effectiveness, extensive community support, and robust functionality makes it an excellent choice for building websites, especially when considering development speed, maintenance, and scalability. However, like any technology, its effectiveness also depends on how it's implemented and maintained.

Learn more about PHP frameworks: https://hackernoon.com/php-frameworks-explained-in-5-simple-questions-uvz31i7

If your developer plans to use a PHP framework for your project, chances are you will have a site with industry-standard coding practices, that require less code to deploy (because the functions are embedded in the framework) that will help you get to market quicker with your web application.

What is WebAssembly?

Designed for modern web browsers like Google Chrome (https://www.google.com/chrome/), WebAssembly (WASM) runs alongside Javascript allowing code written in multiple different languages like C/C++ to all run together; helping web designers build faster applications with a focus on performance: https://webassembly.org/

What is WebAssembly?

WebAssembly, often abbreviated as WASM, is a binary instruction format designed for a stack-based virtual machine. It serves as a compilation target for languages like C, C++, Rust, and others, allowing these traditionally non-web languages to run on web platforms with near-native execution speed. Here are some key aspects:

Performance: Wasm's primary goal is to enable high-performance applications on the web, providing capabilities like those of native applications but within the browser's security sandbox.

Portability: WebAssembly is designed to be platform-independent, meaning the same code can run on different operating systems and devices without modification.

Security: It runs in a safe, sandboxed execution environment, adhering to web security standards like same-origin policies.

Interoperability: Wasm can work alongside JavaScript, allowing developers to leverage both for different parts of an application where each language excels.

Compact Binary Format: The binary format is space-efficient, which helps in reducing load times for web applications.

How Freelancers Use WebAssembly:

Freelancers can leverage WebAssembly in several ways:

Performance Optimization:
Speed Up Applications: Freelancers can use Wasm to speed up computational or memory-intensive parts of web applications, like games, data visualization, or complex calculations, where JavaScript might be slower.

Porting Existing Codebases:
Legacy Code: Developers with skills in languages like C or C++ can port existing desktop or server applications to the web without rewriting everything in JavaScript. This can be particularly useful for clients needing to transition legacy systems to web-based platforms.

Enhancing Web Applications:
Interactive Features: Freelancers can add high-performance, interactive features to websites, such as 3D rendering, real-time physics simulations, or advanced image processing, which might be too resource-intensive for JavaScript alone.

Web Development Services:
Specialized Projects: They can offer services in areas where WebAssembly shines, like in creating secure, high-performance web servers, or in developing web-based tools for industries like gaming or scientific computing.

Tooling and Frameworks:
Using Frameworks: Freelancers might work with frameworks like Blazor (for .NET developers) or Emscripten (for compiling C/C++ to Wasm), providing clients with modern web applications using familiar backend languages.

Custom Solutions:
Unique Client Needs: For clients with very specific performance requirements, freelancers can offer custom solutions using Wasm, perhaps integrating it with existing JavaScript codebases for a hybrid approach.

Educational and Consulting Services:

Adoption Assistance: As WebAssembly is relatively new, freelancers can also provide consulting services to help businesses understand and adopt Wasm, teaching them how to integrate it into their tech stack or explaining its benefits for specific use cases.

Marketplaces and Project Platforms:
Freelance Platforms: Platforms like Toptal or Upwork have listings for WASM developers where freelancers can find projects specifically looking for WebAssembly expertise. These projects might range from developing new features for existing applications to creating entirely new software solutions.

Freelancers focusing on WebAssembly can differentiate themselves by offering specialized services in areas where traditional web technologies fall short, thus tapping into a niche but growing market segment. However, they need to stay updated with WebAssembly's evolving standards and tools to provide cutting-edge solutions.

We're raving about WebAssembly because it's an open-source, debuggable improvement to web browsers that uses a new language called AST (Abstract Syntax Tree) that browsers read and delivery faster in a binary format than JavaScript.

What is JavaScript used for?

Freelance developers harness JavaScript in various ways to enhance application development, leveraging its versatility, powerful libraries, and frameworks. Here's how they do it:

1. Front-End Development:

Dynamic Content: JavaScript allows developers to manipulate the DOM (Document Object Model) dynamically, which means they can update web page content, styles, or layout without reloading the page. This leads to more interactive and responsive user interfaces.

Event Handling: Freelancers use JavaScript to respond to user actions like clicks, form submissions, or keyboard inputs, making applications more interactive and user-friendly.

Responsive Design: With JavaScript libraries like jQuery, developers can easily implement responsive behaviors, such as adjusting layouts or content based on screen size, enhancing the user experience across devices.

2. Use of Frameworks and Libraries:

React, Vue.js, Angular: These frameworks enable developers to build complex UI components with ease. Freelancers use them to create reusable, modular components, manage state efficiently, and implement single-page applications (SPAs) which feel more like native apps.

jQuery: Although less used in new projects, jQuery is still valuable for quick DOM manipulation and AJAX calls, particularly in updating or enhancing legacy systems.

Libraries for Specific Tasks: Libraries like D3.js for data visualization, Three.js for 3D graphics, or Chart.js for creating charts can significantly speed up development time while providing professional-grade functionality.

3. Back-End Development with Node.js:

Full-Stack Development: Node.js, which runs JavaScript on the server-side, allows freelancers to work both on the front and back end with one language. This can streamline development, reduce context switching, and enhance consistency in codebases.

APIs: They can quickly build RESTful or GraphQL APIs, enabling data exchange between the client and server.

Real-Time Applications: Node.js is excellent for real-time applications, like chat applications or live updates, using technologies like WebSockets.

4. Performance Optimization:

Lazy Loading: Freelancers implement techniques like lazy loading of images or components to improve initial load times and performance, especially on mobile devices or slower connections.

Asynchronous Programming: Using async/await or Promises, they manage operations that don't block the main thread, enhancing the application's responsiveness.

5. Enhancing SEO:

Server-Side Rendering (SSR) or Static Site Generation (SSG): With frameworks like Next.js, developers can make JavaScript-heavy apps SEO-friendly by pre-rendering pages on the server or generating static HTML.

6. Cross-Platform App Development:

React Native: Freelancers can extend their web development skills to mobile app development, creating apps for iOS and Android with a single JavaScript codebase, reducing development time and costs.

7. Tooling and Automation:

Build Tools: Using tools like Webpack or Babel, developers can manage assets, compile code, and optimize for production, which is crucial for deploying efficient applications.

Automation with npm Scripts: Custom scripts help automate repetitive tasks, from running tests to starting development servers, making freelance work more efficient.

8. Security:

Client-Side Validation: JavaScript helps in form validation on the client side, reducing server load and enhancing user experience by providing immediate feedback.

Security Practices: Freelancers use JavaScript to implement security measures like input sanitization, preventing XSS attacks, and managing session data securely.

9. Integration with Other Technologies:

APIs and Third-Party Services: JavaScript's ability to make HTTP requests allows easy integration with numerous APIs, from payment gateways to social media platforms, enhancing app functionality quickly.

Web Assembly: For performance-critical parts of an application, freelancers might use JavaScript to interact with WebAssembly modules, providing near-native performance for complex computations or graphics.

Freelance developers use JavaScript not just for coding but as a tool to solve problems, enhance user interaction, and build scalable, efficient applications. By staying updated with the latest JavaScript trends, libraries, and best practices, they can deliver more value to their clients, often with faster development cycles and innovative solutions.

What is HTML?

HTML, or HyperText Markup Language, is the standard markup language used for creating and designing web pages and other information that can be displayed in a web browser. HTML describes the structure of a web page semantically and originally included cues for the appearance of the document.

Structure: HTML uses "tags" to define elements like headings, paragraphs, links, images, lists, etc., structuring content in a way that's both human-readable and machine-understandable.

Hypertext: It allows for hyperlinking, enabling navigation between pages or even within a page, which is fundamental to the web's interconnectivity.

Markup: HTML marks up text content with tags, providing instructions to browsers on how to display content.

Key Principles of HTML Use by Professional Developers:

Semantic HTML:

Importance: Using semantic elements like header, nav, article, section, aside, footer, etc., helps in defining the page's structure in a meaningful way. This improves accessibility, SEO, and makes the code more understandable for both developers and machines.

Example: Instead of using div for everything, use article for standalone content, nav for navigation links, etc.

Separation of Concerns:

Principle: Keep structure (HTML), presentation (CSS), and behavior (JavaScript) separate. This makes maintenance easier, improves reusability, and ensures that changes in one area don't inadvertently affect others.
Practice: Avoid using HTML attributes like style for styling; instead, link to a CSS file.

Accessibility:

Focus: Ensure that web content is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.
Techniques: Use appropriate ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles, labels, and attributes; provide text alternatives for images (alt attribute); ensure proper heading structure (h1 to h6).

Validation and Standards Compliance:

Validation: Use tools to validate HTML to ensure it adheres to W3C standards, which can prevent rendering issues across different browsers.
Standards: Keep up with HTML5 standards to use the latest features and ensure compatibility with modern browsers.

Responsive Design Considerations:

Adaptability: Design HTML structures that are flexible and can adapt to different screen sizes. Using meta name="viewport" for mobile responsiveness is a start.
Media Queries: While handled in CSS, the HTML should be structured in a way that CSS can easily adjust layout.

Proper Use of Forms:

Usability: Ensure forms are user-friendly with proper label elements, use of placeholder for guidance, and appropriate input types for better mobile experience (type="email", type="tel", etc.).
Security: Use autocomplete, autofocus, and other attributes judiciously to enhance UX while respecting user privacy.

Performance Optimization:

Efficiency: Minimize DOM depth where possible to reduce rendering time. Use efficient selectors and avoid unnecessary elements.
Lazy Loading: Implement techniques like lazy loading for images or iframes to improve initial page load times.

SEO-Friendly Practices:

Metadata: Utilize title, meta name="description", and other meta tags to optimize for search engines.
Content Structure: Ensure content is organized in a way that search engines can easily interpret, using headers, lists, and other semantic elements.

Clean, Maintainable Code:

Readability: Write clean, well-commented code. Use indentation consistently and follow a style guide.
Modularity: Break down complex pages into reusable components or partials where it makes sense.

Cross-Browser Compatibility:
Testing: Ensure your HTML (and the associated CSS/JavaScript) works across different browsers by testing or using polyfills for older browser support where necessary.

Professional developers adhere to these principles not only for immediate project success but also for long-term maintainability, scalability, and user satisfaction. HTML, while simple in its fundamentals, requires a thoughtful approach to truly harness its capabilities in modern web development.

What is CSS?

The best developers on HostJane leverage several CSS principles to enhance both the visual appeal and user-friendliness of their clients' websites and web applications. Here's how they do it, based on established practices and trends:

1. Visual Hierarchy and Layout

Flexbox and Grid: Modern developers use CSS Flexbox for one-dimensional layouts and CSS Grid for two-dimensional layouts, enabling complex designs with responsive behavior. This ensures elements are displayed in a way that guides users through the content naturally, enhancing readability and user interaction.

Visual Hierarchy: They apply principles like contrast, size, and color to establish a clear visual hierarchy, making it easy for users to identify what's most important on the page. This can involve using larger fonts for headings, contrasting colors for calls to action, or unique styling for key features.

2. Responsiveness

Media Queries: By employing media queries as explained by DigitalOcean, developers ensure that websites or applications adapt seamlessly to different screen sizes and devices. This not only caters to mobile users but also improves usability across all platforms, ensuring content is always accessible and legible.

Fluid Images: Images are set to scale within their containing elements using max-width: 100%;, which prevents overflow on smaller screens while maintaining aspect ratio, enhancing the user experience on various devices.

3. Typography

Web-Safe Fonts and Custom Fonts: Using web-safe fonts ensures readability across devices, while custom fonts via @font-face or web font services add personality and brand consistency. Developers pay close attention to line height, font size, and spacing for better readability.

Legibility and Readability: They optimize text for legibility with appropriate contrast ratios between text and background, font weights, and sizes, particularly important for accessibility.

4. Color and Contrast

Color Theory: Developers apply color psychology and theory to evoke the right emotions or actions. They use color to create visual interest, guide attention, or convey brand identity. Tools like color pickers or CSS variables help maintain consistency.

Accessibility: Ensuring high contrast between text and background is crucial for accessibility. They adhere to WCAG guidelines for color contrast, making sites more user-friendly for all, including those with visual impairments.

5. User Interaction

Animations and Transitions: CSS animations and transitions can make interactions feel more natural and engaging. Developers use these to provide feedback, like button states changing on hover, or to draw attention to dynamic content changes without overwhelming users.

Micro-interactions: Small CSS-driven animations for actions like form field focus, button presses, or menu toggling enhance user feedback and satisfaction by making the interface feel more responsive and interactive.

6. Performance Optimization

CSS Minification: By minifying CSS, developers reduce file size, which speeds up page load times, directly contributing to a better user experience.

Critical CSS: Loading only the CSS necessary for above-the-fold content first helps in rendering pages faster, which is crucial for user retention and SEO.

7. Consistency and Maintainability

CSS Methodologies: Techniques like BEM (Block Element Modifier) or SMACSS (Scalable and Modular Architecture for CSS) are used for creating scalable, maintainable codebases. This ensures that as the site grows, its design remains consistent and is easier to update.

CSS Preprocessors: Using preprocessors like Sass or Less allows for variables, nesting, and mixins, which leads to cleaner, more organized CSS, making it easier to manage complex styles across large projects.

8. Accessibility

Semantic HTML with CSS: While not solely a CSS principle, best developers enhance HTML semantics with CSS to improve accessibility. This includes using CSS to style ARIA roles or to ensure focus states are visually distinct for keyboard navigation.

By combining these CSS principles with a deep understanding of user experience and design, top developers create websites and applications that are not only beautiful but also intuitive and accessible, significantly enhancing user engagement and satisfaction.

What should I do before I hire a web developer?

1. Define what your goals are: Look for web developers with skills and studio descriptions that closely match your job description: https://websitesetup.org/hire-a-web-developer/

2. Be honest about your budget. A good freelance web developer working in the U.S. earns $50+ an hour. While rates are lower on HostJane, budget to pay for skilled labor: https://hiring.monster.com/resources/recruiting-strategies/talent-acquisition/how-to-hire-a-web-developer/

3. Set achievable timeframes: Freelance developers often have more than one job, uncertain availability and underestimate or have difficulty giving exact time periods to clients on how long a project will take depending on the complexity. If you find a good web developer, allow for delays.

4. Establish the developer's policy on bugs. Designing software and web applications is difficult, buggy code is a problem for all companies big and small. We require web developers working on HostJane to give their clients at least 1 revision, but what happens down the road if you find a newly-discovered bug 6 weeks after project completion? Will the developer be available to help you? Will they charge you for fixing errors? Are there any software or hardware issues the developer won't be able to help you resolve?

Should I interview before hiring?

It's a good idea and HostJane recommends you message any seller before engaging their services to talk about your project. Like with any hiring process, use due diligence.

You are free to request an interview by audio or video chat like zoom with any freelancer, although they are under no obligation to accept.

Unlike other platforms, HostJane doesn't try to stop people communicating off our site but you should be aware that paying off the site will cancel your guaranteed payment protection for work done in HostJane.com's interactive chat and Board workspace: https://help.hostjane.com/buyers/hostjane-workspace/

What are tips for hiring the right web developer?

Hiring the right web developer involves a strategic approach to ensure you find someone whose skills, experience, and work ethic align with your project's needs. Here are some comprehensive tips based on current industry practices:

1. Define Your Project Needs Clearly
Project Scope: Detail what you need, whether it's a simple website, a complex web application, or ongoing maintenance.
Technology Stack: Identify the programming languages, frameworks, or tools required. For example, do you need expertise in JavaScript, PHP, or Python?
Goals and Timelines: Be clear about your objectives, target audience, and project deadlines.

2. Look for Specific Skills and Expertise
Technical Proficiency: Ensure they have the necessary coding skills. Look for proficiency in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and any required back-end languages or frameworks.
Specialization: Decide if you need a front-end, back-end, or full-stack developer. Each has its focus areas.
Soft Skills: Communication, problem-solving, and project management skills are crucial, especially for remote work.

3. Review Portfolios and Past Work
Relevant Experience: Look for projects similar to yours in their portfolio. This gives insight into their capabilities and style.
Quality of Work: Assess the design, functionality, and performance of their previous projects. Check for responsiveness, usability, and code quality if possible.

4. Check for Cultural Fit
Work Environment: Consider if their work style aligns with your company culture, especially important for long-term hires.
Communication: Evaluate how well they communicate during initial interactions. Clear communication is key for project success.

5. Assess Their Learning Attitude
Adaptability: Technology evolves rapidly; a good developer should be eager to learn and adapt to new tools or methods.
Curiosity: Look for signs they keep up with industry trends and continue their professional development.

6. Conduct Technical Interviews
Coding Tests: Use coding challenges or live coding sessions to assess their problem-solving skills. These shouldn't be about memorizing trivia but solving real problems.
Scenario-Based Questions: Ask about how they would approach specific project scenarios relevant to your needs.

7. Consider Freelance vs. Full-Time
Project Duration: For short-term projects, freelancers might be ideal. For ongoing needs, full-time might be better.
Scalability: Consider if you need a team or just an individual. Freelancers might network with others to form a small team if needed.

8. Evaluate Their Professional Network
References: Ask for references or look at client testimonials. Past clients can provide insights into their reliability and work quality.
Community Involvement: Participation in developer communities or open-source projects can indicate a developer's dedication and community standing.

9. Understand Their Process
Development Methodology: Do they use Agile, Waterfall, or another method? Does this align with your project management style?
Documentation: Good developers document their work well, which is essential for maintenance and future development.

10. Test Their Problem-Solving Approach
Real-World Scenarios: Discuss how they've handled past challenges or how they would approach hypothetical ones related to your project.

11. Discuss Maintenance and Support
Post-Launch Support: Understand their approach to ongoing maintenance, updates, or issue resolution after the project is live.

12. Budget vs. Quality
Compensation: Be realistic about what you can offer. Remember, you often get what you pay for, but also ensure you're not overpaying for the level of expertise you require.

13. Use Specialized Platforms
Hiring Platforms: Use platforms like Toptal for pre-vetted developers or Upwork for a broader range but vet candidates carefully.

14. Trial Period or Project
Pilot Project: If possible, start with a smaller project or trial period to assess fit before committing to a larger engagement.

15. Legal and Contractual Clarity
Contracts: Ensure all agreements are clear regarding scope, timelines, payment, intellectual property, and confidentiality.

By following these tips, you can increase your chances of hiring a web developer who will not only meet your technical needs but also contribute positively to your project's success. Remember, the right developer should be a partner in your project, not just a service provider.

Why should I message web developers before hiring?

Good developers with the right problem-solving skills and coding experience will often have a verifiable project they are passionate, which they are most proud of, and which they saw through from start to finish. Hiring remotely can be daunting as we are often dealing with people across borders whose first language is different to our own. By asking a developer about their best achievement, you'll gain a critical insight into how they work:

- What do they do if they get stuck with coding?
- Do they take into account factors like user experience and usability when designing applications?
- What kind of page load times and mobile responsiveness should you expect with your web development or web design project?
- Are they patient and able to tell you about relevant web development concepts in a positive way you understand?

The developers who will devise workable plans and winning solutions for your project will not see this as a red flag and will engage you in a constructive process that takes into account your feedback from the outset.

Should a web developer have a college degree?

It really depends who you ask but the question of whether a web developer should have a college degree is nuanced and depends on several factors. Here's a breakdown of the arguments:

Arguments for Needing a College Degree:

Structured Learning:
Comprehensive Knowledge: A degree program typically provides a broad understanding of computer science, algorithms, data structures, and software engineering principles, which can be beneficial in more complex development scenarios.

Formal Education:
Theory and Best Practices: University courses often cover theoretical aspects of programming, security, system design, and software architecture, which might not be as thoroughly explored in self-directed learning.

Networking Opportunities:
Connections: College offers networking with professors, peers, and through campus events, which can lead to job opportunities, mentorship, and industry connections.

Career Advancement:
Gatekeeper for Some Roles: Some companies or government positions might require degrees for certain roles, especially in more traditional or large organizations.

Credibility:
Perceived Expertise: A degree can lend credibility, especially when a developer is new to the industry or when applying for roles in conservative sectors.

Arguments Against Needing a College Degree:

Practical Experience:
Portfolio Over Degree: Many employers, particularly in tech startups or dynamic tech sectors, value a strong portfolio of work over formal education. Demonstrable skills and experience through personal projects, contributions to open-source, or previous work can be more persuasive.

Self-Learning and Bootcamps:
Alternative Education: Coding bootcamps, online courses (like those from Coursera, Udemy, or Codecademy), and self-learning through resources like MDN Web Docs or freeCodeCamp have proven effective in teaching practical web development skills quickly.

Industry Demand:
Skill-Based Hiring: The tech industry often faces a talent shortage, leading to a focus on skills rather than degrees. Many successful developers are self-taught or have learned through non-traditional paths.

Flexibility and Specialization:
Narrow Focus: Web development is a field where specialization can occur without deep academic knowledge. Developers can focus on specific technologies or areas (front-end, back-end, full-stack) tailored to market needs.

Cost and Time:
Economic Considerations: College degrees can be expensive and time-consuming. Bootcamps or self-learning can be quicker routes to employment, especially if one learns while working.

Current Industry Trends:
Inclusivity: There's a growing trend towards inclusivity in hiring, recognizing that talent can come from any educational background. Companies like Google, IBM, and Apple have shown openness to hiring based on skills rather than degrees.

Certifications: Professional certifications in areas like JavaScript frameworks, cloud computing, or cybersecurity can sometimes be seen as more relevant than a broad computer science degree.

Soft Skills: While technical skills are crucial, soft skills like problem-solving, communication, and teamwork are often weighed heavily, and these aren't exclusively taught in college.

Conclusion:

It Depends: For some roles, particularly those in academia, government, or large corporations, a degree might be beneficial or even required. However, for many web development positions, especially in tech startups or web agencies, a degree is not strictly necessary if the candidate can demonstrate competence through other means.

Hybrid Approach: Many successful web developers combine elements of formal education with practical experience or further learning through bootcamps or online platforms.

Ultimately, whether a web developer needs a college degree should be evaluated based on the specific job requirements, the company's culture, and the career goals of the developer. Both paths—formal education and self-directed learning—can lead to a successful career in web development, provided there's a commitment to continuous learning and adaptation to new technologies and methodologies.

What coding skills should successful candidates have?

When hiring a web developer or software programmer, there are several hard coding skills that are considered non-negotiable due to their fundamental role in modern web development and software engineering. Here’s a detailed list based on industry standards and current practices:

WEB DEVELOPMENT SKILLS THAT ARE MANDATORY

Front-End Skills:

HTML5:
Mastery of Structure: Ability to create well-structured, semantic HTML for web pages.
Forms and Accessibility: Knowledge of form elements, semantic tags for better SEO, and accessibility features.

CSS3:
Layout and Design: Proficiency with Flexbox, Grid, and responsive design principles.
Animations and Transitions: Understanding CSS animations, transitions, and keyframes for interactive elements.
Preprocessors: Familiarity with Sass or Less for more efficient stylesheet management.

JavaScript:
Core Concepts: Deep understanding of JavaScript syntax, functions, closures, prototypes, and ES6+ features like Promises, async/await.
DOM Manipulation: Expertise in manipulating the DOM for dynamic web content.
Event Handling: Ability to manage user interactions through event listeners.

Frameworks/Libraries:
React, Vue.js, or Angular: At least one major JavaScript framework for building single-page applications (SPAs) or complex user interfaces.
State Management: If using React, understanding of Redux or Context API; for Vue, Vuex; for Angular, NgRx or RxJS.

Version Control:
Git: Proficiency in Git for version control, including branching, merging, and resolving conflicts.

Back-End Skills:

Server-Side Languages:
Node.js (JavaScript): For full-stack developers or back-end with a focus on JavaScript.
PHP, Python, Ruby, Java: At least one of these for traditional server-side programming, with knowledge of frameworks like Laravel (PHP), Django/Flask (Python), Ruby on Rails, or Spring (Java).

Databases:
SQL: Basic to intermediate knowledge of SQL for relational databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL.
NoSQL: Understanding of when to use NoSQL databases like MongoDB for document storage.

API Development:
RESTful or GraphQL: Ability to design and implement APIs, understanding of HTTP methods, status codes, and authentication mechanisms.

Server Management:
HTTP/HTTPS: Knowledge of server protocols, including setting up SSL/TLS for secure connections.

Testing:
Unit Testing: Writing unit tests with frameworks like Jest (for JavaScript), PHPUnit (for PHP), or PyTest (for Python).

SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING SKILLS THAT ARE NON-NEGOTIABLE

Algorithms and Data Structures:
Fundamental Knowledge: Ability to solve problems using basic to advanced algorithms and data structures.

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP):
Principles: Mastery of OOP concepts like inheritance, polymorphism, encapsulation, and abstraction.

Design Patterns:
Implementation: Knowledge of applying design patterns to solve common software design problems.

Debugging:
Skills: Competence in diagnosing and fixing bugs in code, using debuggers, and understanding error traces.

Security:
Practices: Understanding of common web vulnerabilities (XSS, CSRF, SQL Injection) and how to mitigate them.

Performance Optimization:
Optimization Techniques: Knowledge of code optimization, caching strategies, and database query optimization.

Cross-Field Skills:
Command Line Interface (CLI):
Proficiency: Comfort with using Bash or PowerShell for scripting and basic system administration.

Package Management:
npm, Composer, pip: Familiarity with package managers for managing project dependencies.

Build Tools and Task Runners:
Webpack, Gulp, Grunt: For automating tasks like bundling, minification, and running tests.

Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD):
Understanding: Experience with tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or GitLab CI for automating testing and deployment.

These skills form a baseline for what one might expect from a competent web developer or software programmer. However, depending on the specific job role or project, additional specialized skills might be required. It's also important for developers to continuously update these skills as technology evolves.

Does HostJane vet web developers qualifications?

No. Other than our feedback review system, HostJane doesn't vet or require technical code tests from remote web developers listing their services. Online exams and tests can often be manipulated making them poor performance indicators.

Instead HostJane encourages buyers to select web developers by messaging them first. You're entitled to ask to see evidence of stated educational or industry qualifications and/or proof of competency from a new freelancer before outlaying your funds to start a web development project.

#JaneIsPowerful

Find people to hire.

Job done or your money back.

Continue with X

Continue with Google

Continue with email

Browse Categories

Web / Mobile / Tech

Getting services

Web Development

Shop All Web Development

Web Design / Apps

Shop All Web Design / Apps

WordPress

Shop All WordPress

Blockchain / Crypto / NFTs

Shop All Blockchain / Crypto / NFTs

Apps / Mobile

Math / Science Help

Programming / Software

Bug Fixing Services