post background decoration item

Learn to interview

Hiring a Node.js Dev: The Ultimate Guide

The Ultimate Guide to Hiring a Node.js Developer

Hiring a web developer is hard enough; further specifying the exact area of specialization is a whole other can of worms. The web development world is broad and diverse, which is why specialization is so important. So, sometimes you may have no choice but to look for a seasoned developer in a particular programming language or software engineering field to complete a project. This guide covers all the crucial things you need to know about hiring a Node.js developer.

Who is a Node.js Developer?

Node.js is an open-source, cross-platform runtime environment that enables a web server to execute JavaScript functions outside the client-side browser. It’s mainly used to create lightweight dynamic web pages, collect form entries, and manage data and files on a server. In a nutshell, Node.js unifies back-end and front-end web development across a common scripting platform.

Node.js is just over a decade old. But it’s already a popular choice for developing complex apps such as real-time chat and collaboration tools, single-page applications (SPAs), media streaming platforms, and event-driven systems. Basically, a Node.js developer utilizes Node.js asynchronous programming to create such applications.

What are the main ways to hire a Node.js Developer?

Due to the popularity of Node.js in the coding community and the ever-growing demand for the kind of apps it can create, prowess in this field has become rare and highly sought after. The challenges with hiring a Node.js developer hinge on the hiring model in question. You can take any of these three hiring approaches depending on the level of commitment you expect from the developer:

In-house hire

This is the traditional hiring method where you onboard a Node.js developer as a full-time employee. It’s probably the best option if you’re looking for a long-term developer, but it’s also the most expensive and toughest to follow through. The average base salary of a Node.js engineer is around $106,800 per year (exclusive of employee benefits and welfare). Even if you’re prepared to pay the hefty salary, filling a full-time position may still be challenging.

Outsourcing

IT Outsourcing is a much cheaper way to hire a Node.js developer compared to full-boarding. You can opt for an outsourced web development company or an independent contractor/freelancer. However, outsourcing works best for one-off projects and may limit your control over the project’s workflows and progress.

Staff Augmentation

IT Staff Augmentation is the best of both worlds. This approach gives you the reliability of an in-house team and the cost-efficiency and scalability of outsourcing. Staff augmentation broadens your team’s capabilities and skill set by working hand in hand with vetted, qualified, and experienced experts. What’s more, hiring a Node.js developer through a staffing agency saves you the time and trouble you’d otherwise waste on finding and scrutinizing the right developer.

What questions should you ask when interviewing a Node.js Engineer?

Node.js is not a programming language; it’s a JavaScript runtime environment. Developers only use the runtime to write and support server-side scripts. A 2021 survey ranked JavaScript as the most commonly used programming language, and Node.js came in 6th place. So, a Node.js expert must have a deep understanding of JavaScript and other associated web development languages, tools, and resources. Here are some important questions to ask each potential candidate to help you gauge their competence and fitness for the job position:

  • What are some of the Node.js projects that you’ve worked on in the recent past?
  • Which types of apps can you design or develop?
  • Do you have any references?
  • Which area do you specialize in?
  • Besides scripting in JavaScript, which other languages can you code with?
  • What would you need to complete the project at hand?
  • How committed are you to your projects or clients?
  • How would you say your unique skill set makes you suitable for the job position?

Conclusion

With remote work and hybrid workplaces becoming increasingly popular, the demand for custom collaboration platforms keeps growing. Fortunately, Node.js provides a robust solution for quickly developing and running these much-needed web applications. However, hiring a Node.js developer or engineer is no easy task. There are so many important factors to consider before settling on a single hire. And that’s assuming you can get qualified and willing candidates to vet in the first place.

But we have some good news for you. WeDevelop can save you all that time and effort of searching, interviewing, and on-boarding a Node.js developer. We are an IT Staffing Agency dedicated to helping businesses to access highly skilled talent through Staff Augmentation. Our team has been successfully matching IT professionals with employers for a while now. So, we know a thing or two about finding the best developers around. We’d love to hear from you; don’t hesitate to talk to us about your staffing needs.

Like this article?

left decoration item
left decoration item