Discover the best strategies for launching your career as a Front End Developer. This article provides insights into job search tools, application techniques, interview tips, salary negotiation, and the value of seeking advice from industry professionals.
Key Insights
- Online job platforms such as Indeed, Glassdoor, Github, LinkedIn, and Wellfound are valuable resources for finding front end web development job listings and networking with industry professionals.
- For those interested in remote or freelance work, sites like FlexJobs, Upwork, and Fiverr can provide relevant opportunities.
- Applying for jobs that fit your current skills and align with your career goals as a Front End Developer can increase your chances of success. Be sure to highlight your team collaboration skills and career objectives in your application.
- Your interview process as a Front End Developer will typically involve a phone interview, a follow-up technical interview, and a final on-site interview. Be prepared to demonstrate your technical skills and ability to fit into the organization's culture.
- Salary negotiations should consider factors like job location, experience level, and specific skills. Researching average salaries for your position can provide a starting point for these discussions.
- If you're struggling with your job search, consider seeking advice from industry professionals or utilize resources like Noble Desktop's one-on-one mentoring.
Possessing skills in web development logically creates interest in finding work in related areas. For example, becoming a Front End Developer might involve figuring out the best methods for job searches in the profession. While it’s obvious that you would look for work at major corporations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, small businesses, or tech startups, the puzzle is figuring out how to make the right connections for those options.
This article provides information and advice on how to search for work in front end web development:
Tip #1: Job Postings
There are several online employment websites like Indeed, Glassdoor, and Github that post detailed job listings for individuals with specific skills to find organizations seeking those skills to fill positions. With these sites, candidates must create a profile that includes their resume along with cover letters tailored to the specific job listing providing details of their skills and background that allows them to apply for work with any organization looking for skilled professionals to fill positions. In addition to the websites mentioned, job seekers might also want to create a profile with LinkedIn.
While many consider LinkedIn as simply another online employment site, it is a social media platform that not only allows organizations to post jobs but allows members to network by following or be followed by other members, increasing work opportunities.
Job sites like Wellfound: provides opportunities for finding work with tech startups, which usually involve entrepreneurial undertakings that might offer less experienced Web Developers and Designers opportunities for employment that provides more responsibilities than normally available.
For Front End Developers interested in strictly remote work, FlexJobs specializes in job listings for remote and telecommuting opportunities. Unlike many employment sites, creating a profile on FlexJobs is not free but costs anywhere from $9.95 a week for access, $24.95 for a month, $39.95 for three months of access, or $59.95 for a year of job listings for remote work.
Front End Developers looking for freelance or independent contract work can use freelancing job sites like Upwork or Fiverr that connect individuals and companies for independent work assignments on a variety of tech-related projects.
Tip #2: Applying for Work
Figuring out how to apply for jobs as a Front End Developer can be stressful. In the days before computers and smartphones had begun to dominate every aspect of our lives, a person with skills in a certain field might have looked for relevant jobs in a newspaper with classified ads or in a trade publication specific to that industry, which are still options. A diligent individual might also have researched locations for company headquarters and knocked on doors or simply called about the possibility of work. While those are still options for finding work, most people now apply through online websites that provide postings tailored to the kind of work an individual may be seeking.
It’s also a good idea to apply for jobs that fit your current skills and match your goals for the occupation. In applying for work as a Front End Developer, you should emphasize working as part of a team since that is a requirement for the position, which focuses on the client-side of creating websites and apps in conjunction with Back End Developers, who are responsible for the back end, or server-side, of web-related products, emphasizing functionality. Your application should also include career objectives in both your resume and cover letter that indicate your outlook on the profession as well as the possibilities of branching out to related professions like Back End Developer or UI Designer.
Tip #3: Successfully Interviewing
The point of applying for work to become a Front End Developer is to get an interview that could lead to employment. The job is very specific and typically involves collaboration among Web Developers, usually working with Back End Developers and Full Stack Developers, whose duties overlap with work related to front end development. Front End Developers concentrate on the user facing aspects of web development. Front End Developers implement the coding that allows users to view and interact with web pages and apps through their computers or smartphones.
The interview process for becoming a Front End Developer typically involves three stages:
- A scheduled phone interview that is usually set up after the candidate has applied for the position and has been contacted by a recruiter for the employer about whether the applicant is available for a conversation,
- A follow-up phone interview or teleconference that typically attempts to gauge a candidate’s technical knowledge and fit for the available position,
- And a final onsite interview that involves further questions along with demonstrations of the candidates skills and abilities for the position.
The onsite interview typically involves more tasks meant to measure the candidate's skills within a working environment along with indications about how that person may collaborate with coworkers. In other words, is the person a good fit for the organization?
Tip #4: Negotiating a Salary
When interviewing for work as a Front end Developer–or any position for that matter–the topic of the salary might come up, usually towards the end of the session. It’s a good idea to research salaries for the position, which vary depending on the market and experience of the individual. You can consult people you know in the profession to gauge the salary range for the job you’re hoping to get.
Depending on the location of the job, levels of expertise, years of experience, and specific skills in front end web development, the salary expectations will vary. For example, the average salary for working as a Front End Developer in Austin, Texas, averages around $107,000 annually. That number may vary depending on whether the candidate is just entering the professions, which could be as low as $73,000 in the city, or has years of experience with supervisory responsibilities, which could earn a salary of as much as $167,000 a year in Austin.
Other factors in negotiating a salary include whether the position is in high demand and you’re able to play several potential employers against one another. Barring that kind of leverage, it’s wise to take a conservative approach in salary negotiations. However, you should never sell yourself short by understating your own value. Candidates should always promote themselves by highlighting why their skills make them the best fit for the job.
Tip #5: Get Advice
If you’re having trouble figuring out how to search for work as a Front End Developer, you could ask people you know, who already work in the industry, for advice on how to approach what you should do. Many universities and online education providers offer help for students transitioning into the workforce, including best practices with searching for work. For example, Noble Desktop provides one-on-one mentoring where you can get advice from experienced professionals.
Learn the Skills to Become a Front End Developer at Noble Desktop
People have several options for learning to become a Front End Developer, which include in-person and live online training courses, bootcamps, and certificate programs that provide real-time hands-on instruction. Noble Desktop offers several live online Web Development courses.
For example, with hardly any prior coding experience, an individual could complete the Front End Web Development Certificate and get headed in the right direction for their new career with training in how to build the user side of a responsive website. This course aims to keep class sizes small so that students can receive tailored advice and guidance from their instructors.
If you would like to learn about designing websites or email programs from coding with HTML, CSS, or JavaScript, you can train for the Web Design Certificate. In addition, this course will teach you how to build websites using WordPress.
If you would like to learn about more options for building websites or apps from scratch through skills in front end web development, Noble Desktop provides information on their Learn Front End Web Development page, which can guide you through learning about several options for becoming a Front End Developer, including what free resources are available and career advice.
Key Takeaways
- Those interested in working as Front End Developers may want to find advice on job searching for the profession.
- There are several online job websites that post listings for candidates who have skills in front end web development that can lead to interviews and employment.
- While figuring out how to apply for jobs as a Front End Developer can be stressful, applying for work through online job sites that provide postings tailored to a person’s specific skills.
- Negotiating a salary for working as a Front End Developer will depend on several factors, including the location of the job as well as your years of experience, exact skills, and level of expertise in front end web development.
- If you’re having trouble with searching for work as a Front End Developer, you might want to seek advice from people you know who work in the industry.
- Noble Desktop provides one-on-one mentoring, including advice from experienced professionals.
How to Learn Web Development
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- Full-Stack Web Development Certificate at Noble Desktop: live, instructor-led course available in NYC or live online
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