Angular’s scalable architecture makes it a top choice for developers to build complex applications. At first blush, hiring angular developers who can maneuver their way with this sophisticated platform might seem like an easy task, but able angular developers are few and far between considering the fact that there are a number of skills developers need to have to be able to use the platform effectively to create something actually useful in today’s competitive climate. In this blog, we address this (sometimes) arduous process of hiring the best angular developers in the industry so that you can create applications and programs that can contribute to all your stakeholders including your consumers. 

Since the task might need you as a leader or a hiring manager to know and understand the basic structure of the platform, we will first go through the rudimentary knowledge you need to have before you hire an angular developer. 

So What is Angular? 

Initially launched as AngularJs, angular evolved into a typescript base code hosted by Google for developers to develop web-based or mobile applications with a native framework and tool extensions. Now don’t confuse yourself between AngularJs and Angular. Though Angular was developed from AngularJs, it is now an independent entity that is open-sourced, free, and community-driven. 

Foundational Skills of an Angular Developer

To help you navigate this tricky but essential hiring process, we have elaborated the rudimentaries of the platform so that you can start and wind through the hiring process with confidence and ease. 

Typescript in Angular is the keyword because that means that it is essentially a subset of Javascript and the same knowledge of type-based programming languages like JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, and CSS will form the base of your developer’s ability to develop anything worthwhile on the platform. Although your developer doesn’t need to be an expert on these grounds, they should at least understand the core concepts of the platform. 

Aside from an active knowledge of HTML and CSS, your Angular developer should have an effective knowledge and understanding of npm (Node Package Manager). While the name itself suggests the context of Node.js development, npm has become the primary tool used to build most client-side web development packages. Yes, that also includes Angular. Angular has elements of npm packages and the skill of deploying your requirements at the time of need becomes invaluable when working on a complex application. 

Similarly, along with npm, the developer needs to have an understanding of Angular CLI (Command Line Interface). While they can create Angular packages on their own and write the code by scratch, CLI certainly makes the process easier and more automated. CLI not only helps your angular developer to create a new application but a deep understanding of it enables them to add new components, services, and modules to existing applications as well. This skill primarily comes in handy during the process of building the app when changes are introduced because of several factors, both internal and external. 

At the same time, another essential skill for an Angular developer is the ability to synchronize the application over other platforms via the API. For this, your developer needs to have an understanding of the RxJS library. RxJS is a library for reactive programming with streams that can easily be monitored. It is independent of Angular but is an essential library for the framework for many common tasks. 

One crucial subject that will recur time and again in the job is testing. Testing is an essential skill for your angular developer because it will determine the usability of the app. Automated testing in this case is paramount to the success of your app because otherwise, your organization will waste a lot of money and resources on manual testing. Try to understand if they prioritize relevant variables when testing and if they have a working knowledge of automated testing platforms such as Jasmine or Karma. 

Hiring Process

Pre-step: Finish the design before you even begin:

One mistake that most people in the industry are susceptible to is underestimating the value of a clean design. In most cases, it is this mistake that creates the gulf between a highly functioning app versus a well-coded app. 

So before you go on your quest to find the most able angular developer in town, get your team to arrive at a design. If that is not possible, try to understand if your developer can also design the applications well. For this you need to enquire and analyze how they make their designs after which you need to assess whether their design allows for changes or not, if there are inputs or outputs, see if there are any reusable components, the location of state, and business logic among others. Also, note that they do not need to arrive at the final design right at the beginning because the design will evolve along with the building process but you need to understand if they can align their code with the changing design or not. 

Now that you have your bases covered, let’s begin the process of hiring the right angular developer for you: 

Step 1: Define your requirements

With the pre-step of focusing on design, you have understood the caliber of the Angular Developer you need. Ensure that you have wheedled away the skills, experience and qualifications you’re looking for so that your hiring process can be as effective as you need it to be. Also, with the above understanding of essential skills for an angular developer, you can add and assess any frameworks or tools you might need for the creation of your unique application or company vision. 

Step 2: A job description: Make it as detailed as you can

When preparing a detailed job description for an Angular developer, it’s important to provide clear and concise information about the role, responsibilities, required qualifications, and desired skills. Ensure that you mention and elucidate on essential elements of the job description. The following is a checklist you can refer to: 

• Job title

• Job Summary

• Responsibilities

• Required Qualifications

• Desired skills

• Company culture

• Application process

• Equal opportunity statement

Step 3: Are you asking in the right places?

It is essential to carry out this step carefully and consider all platforms before you start advertising the job. Post the job description on relevant platforms, such as job boards, professional networking sites, and developer communities. Additionally, consider reaching out to your professional network or utilizing recruitment agencies to expand your search. Also, consider becoming a part of the huge Angular community and attending Angular events held by Google. Usually, these events are held biannually, the first between February to May when they release a new update and the second 6 months after. These events help you reach the organic community and expose you to the most talented Angular developers out there. 

Step 4: Be meticulous while assessing portfolios

In addition to assessing the aforementioned skills for effective Angular developers, you also need to evaluate their experience so far. A key factor about open-source coding platforms like Angular is that you can review the code quality of the concerned developer independently. Through these platforms, you can also assess the kind of projects they have worked on so far and analyze if that aligns with your business scope or not, and pick the candidates that have similar relevant experience. 

Step 5: Coding assessments

Coding assessments are invaluable in the world of developers for their ease and deep assessment of the job. Again this is where having a clear requirement for your Angular code and the corresponding design comes into place. Using these already predefined parameters, you can give the potential candidates a coding assignment. Now again, you can further decide the nature of assessment based on team structures. If they are going to be leading the project, you can give an app simulation project to assess their skills of designing and leading the entire development or if your project demands several coders to work together, you can assign pair programming to analyze their collaborative skills aside from their Angular proficiency. 

Step 6: Interview them

Interviews are reliable ways to further evaluate your candidates. You have seen their coding assignment already and with interviews, you can ratify the veracity of their assessment so far through deeper platform-related questions. It’s your choice if you want these questions to be generic to the platform-based skills or if you want to understand their spirit of creativity and innovation with regards to your application. It is advisable to evaluate deeper platform-specific understanding through questions like What is the purpose of the NgModule in Angular? How does it relate to components? Or ask about their experience with testing frameworks (e.g., Jasmine, Karma) and how they ensure code quality. Also, try to understand their thought process and approach to the platform through questions about their past experiences, projects they have worked on, and their learning mindset in general. 

Step 7: Asses emotional intelligence: 

A skill that has a large play in the performance of developers but tends to get ignored is their emotional intelligence. This skill determines their empathy levels which not only affects their ability to work in harmony with the rest of your teams but also to develop applications that are attuned to the behavior and needs of your end consumer. Try to measure this skill level through deeper questions on the priority order of consumer demands or ask them to visualize an added feature in the app and their approach to it.  Highly skilled developers also possess a high understanding of human behavior and can use that knowledge to build high-performing, sophisticated applications. 

Step 8: Reference and background check

At this stage, this might seem like a customary step in the process but you must go through it because through references you can ensure the truth of the credentials and experience they have produced in front of you so far in addition to their performance at the organization in the future. Adhere to legal guidelines and get consent before you go ahead and ask pertinent questions to the concerned individuals. Try and prepare an informed questionnaire before you get in touch with the contacts presented in the references. 

Step 9: Offer them a competitive package

Remember the only way to hire and retain your choice of candidates is by offering them a fair and competitive price. The going rates for Angular developers are between $31-$73 an hour. In the USA, the average rate for developers per hour is $47. And certainly, you need to consider the skill level of the developer in addition to their technical knowledge of the platform. You also need to assess your funds and payment capacity before you commit to a certain amount. 

The process of finding the right Angular developer may appear onerous, involving meticulous screening, thorough assessments, and reference checks. Notwithstanding, the investment of time and effort is well worth it. Bear in mind the impact a skilled Angular developer can have on your business—creating dynamic, user-friendly interfaces, optimizing performance, and delivering seamless user experiences that captivate and convert.

By carefully selecting an Angular developer who possesses both technical expertise and a passion for innovation, your business can unlock new possibilities. You can address the needs of your existing customers or might even be able to expand into a different segment altogether. These developers are the key to unleashing the full potential of Angular, harnessing its capabilities to build scalable and robust applications that drive growth and customer satisfaction.

So, don’t shy away from the task of finding the perfect Angular developer. Embrace it as an opportunity to uncover a hidden gem—a passionate individual who will propel your business forward and help you achieve remarkable success in the dynamic world of web development.

We hope that we have been of help as you steer through the process of finding the right Angular developer for your business organization.