Today, React Native is one of the most widely used cross-platform mobile app frameworks. It is an open-source JavaScript framework that is used for building high-end, scalable, reliable, and intuitive mobile apps for both platforms, i.e., iOS and Android.
Amid new entrants, waves of startups and even established companies are hiring React Native developers as they get to have both platforms with a single codebase that not only reduces development time drastically but also helps businesses save on cost. Due to the leap in demand for React Native developers, developers are showing a tendency towards it, and it is indispensable to scrutinize them before you call React Native developer for hire.
This post will dive deeply into hiring React Native developers and the right process to use to funnel them into your company. We will give you a template to follow that you can use as a checklist. Apart from this, we will also explore the technologies a React Native developer should be well-skilled in and what a React Native developer’s role is that will help you curate a perfect job post.
So, without further ado, let’s, without fuss and frills, dive into the right way to hire React Native developers.
Comprehensive Guide To Hire React Native Developer
Considering the kind of completion and saturation in React Native developers, you have to be strategic with your approach to get the right people in.
Define the Job Position and Requirements
Articulate all the requirements you have for the position, from skill set to experience to specific technologies or tools you want the hire to be familiar with to everything. Also, include what the job package includes so the maximum number of candidates consider applying for the position that would give you a larger pool to select from. The larger the pool, the better.
If it is not a position but rather a project for which you are a React developer, clearly explain everything about the app and what the app demands so the potential developers know ahead of applying. Mention the complexity of the project and the years of experience you want aspirants to have.
Create a Detailed Job Description
Once you have outlined all the things related to the job position, now is the time to curate a thorough job description that encompasses everything from the responsibilities of a potential React developer to the required qualities and familiarity with specific programming languages and specific tech stacks. Alongside this, outline the additional preferences. One thing you must ensure is that the project scope and various technologies are well-defined.
Choose the Right Platform to Find Developers
To hire professionals, you should be posting jobs on professional platforms and marketplaces, i.e., LinkedIn, Indeed, Fiverr, Upwork, and some other platforms like Turing or TopTal, etc., that will ensure you are hiring highly skilled professionals that will also fit in well with your company culture. Sure, there are Facebook groups, subreddits on Reddit, and channels on Discord to garner top potential.
Apart from this, you don’t ignore your extensive databases and utilize your professional network and industry connections, which will get you in contact with highly potential candidates.
Review Resumes and Portfolios
Once you start resumes and CVs, assess them vigilantly to check out candidates’ past experience, projects, etc., they have worked on recently. By doing this, you may already get something from any of those candidates that is similar to what you are building or hiring the developer, like maybe a chat application or something. Apart from this, check out their recent work to assess the quality of the code.
By examining CVs, results, and portfolios, you would know which candidates you should call over for the interview because you are going to get a flood of emails, and in cases of urgency, you would not be able to interview everyone.
Conduct Technical Test Interviews
Assessing the technical skills of the potential candidate is at the core of getting the right React Native developer. Ensure you put the potential candidate’s skills through a difficult test that actually assesses the candidate’s React Native knowledge, coding skills, and problem-solving abilities in a true sense. We have listed the domains you should assess for potential hires.
Apart from testing, have discussions about their previous projects, challenges faced, and what their approach was to take up those obstacles and what solutions they implemented.
Evaluate Communication Skills
If you are hiring React Native developers for an environment where they would be working in a collaborative environment, strong communication would be at the core. Ensure the hire possesses good communication skills for effective collaboration.
Assess how they convey their ideas and discuss things that involve technicalities, project requirements, and how they interact with other team members and stakeholders. Apart from this, it is very important to assess the hire’s communication under pressure.
Team Fit and Cultural Alignment
While working at a company, you are obliged to interact with team members and other office colleagues and acquaintances, assess how the potential candidate socializes with others, and assess his outward demeanor towards others that would help you carry on your cultural practices at the company.
People think that is not something to be so concerned about, but as the hire spends time, it becomes absolutely necessary for the hire to cling to the company culture.
Coding Test/Assignment
Apart from technical tests, consider giving candidates a coding test or a small project to assess their practical skills. This will help you evaluate the potential hires’ ability to take on projects, coding style, attention to detail, ability to meet deadlines, etc.
Check References
Apart from asking for experience letters and other documents, bother reaching out to the candidates’ previous employers to get insight into their work ethic, team collaboration, and overall performance. Apart from this, you may ask why the candidate left your company and the reasons they gave.
Salary Negotiation
Once you’ve identified a suitable candidate for the job position, settle the paperwork and ensure you are transparent in the salary and perk discussions. Try to pay the market a competitive salary so the hire considers working for you for a long time.
An Experienced React Native Developer Should Know/Have
- High-end Testing and Debugging
- Performance Optimization
- How to Retain Easily Understandable Code
- A solid knowledge of Javascript
- Ability to Apply React Native Fundamentals
- Agile Development
- Capability to Identify and Fix Bugs
- Ability to Work in a Collaborative Environment
- Complex Problem Solving
- Good Communication Skills
- API Integration
- Experience with Mobile App Development
Why Hire React Native Developer?
There is a multitude of reasons to hire React Native developers compared to other framework developers.
- Substantially Large Community: Since React Native is the origin of Facebook and is being maintained by it as well, the traction has congregated a deluge of React Native developers. The pool is so big that, due to high competition, chances of being well-versed in the framework are high compared to others.
- Hot Reloading Support: React Native developers get the leverage of building applications that let them load React components without having to load and without the loss of state.
- Third-party Plugins Support: React Natvie lets developers integrate plug-ins for high customization in the development process, giving autonomy to developers to leverage whatever piques their interest.
- Reusable Code: React Native has a modular structure, letting developers leverage once-written code throughout the development process. Also, the code is written once and runs on both platforms.
- Live Preview of Changes: React Native developers have the leverage to see the live changes in code in real time. They are building as they witness the live changes that streamline the whole development journey.
- Business Side of React Native: React Native-based applications are highly SEO-friendly and help businesses stand out in the competition. Also, apps created with React Native are really fast and send good indications to search engines.
Technical Skills to Assess Senior-level React Native Developers
- Native Languages: A senior React Native should be familiar with native Languages like Objective-C, Kotlin, Swift, etc.
- Libraries: A senior-level React Native developer must be able to work with all the libraries and frameworks with the help of documentation and a quick walkthrough of the syntax.
- Continuous integration and delivery: Senior-level React Native developers should be able to continuously deliver flawless and high-speed applications.
Even if you are hiring a dedicated development team of React Native developers, it is highly recommended to have all the candidates undergo the same process to ensure you get well-versed React Native developers who have a knack for utilizing React Native to the fullest.
Conclusion
React Native brings forth a plethora of benefits, from cross-platform compatibility and cost-effectiveness to a faster development cycle and enhanced developer product to native-like performance and integration of third-party plugins and much more. That is why it is important to hire React Native developers who can leverage the offerings of React Native. If you get the wrong hire in your company, your application will be built with flaws and not with best practices that will harm you in the future when you scale your application.
It is important to assess the potential candidates thoroughly so you can be assured that the application your React Native will be creating will ooze high performance. Also, you can adhere to this same format to hire mobile application developer of any expertise, skills, experience, etc.
