Front-end web app development, in essence, is a mixture of programming languages, libraries, and frameworks. However, when selecting the optimal web tech stack, the obvious question arises: “What is the best technology tool for financial resource-result quality ratio?”. AngularJS is ranked among the top five leading languages for front-end development. In this regard, I’ve prepared a guide to help you find top AngularJS developers, including their roles, responsibilities, and hiring options. 

Roles and Responsibilities

Frontend developers aim to ensure that the user-side is delivered. But what should Angular dev do, and what are they responsible for? You’ll find the answers in the section below.

Angular Developer Role

Angular developers focus on creating interactive User interface service, ensuring outstanding performance across all platforms. 

Angular stands for JS framework utilized to create scalable web apps. It’s a collection of well-integrated libraries that cover a bunch of features. 

Front-end engineers need to be also proficient in other software development tools along with Angular language. 

Angular is primarily used to develop one-page apps, and it utilizes HTML’s syntax to express your app’s elements clearly. This framework enables you to build your own custom components that can pack functionality and render logic into reusable pieces. Moreover, Angular allows you to effortlessly move your data from your Javascript code to the view and react to user events without writing any code by yourself. 

Angular Developer Responsibilities

Angular developers are quite diversified specialists. Apart from front-end development, they’re responsible for bug testing, API integration, database management, and so on.

Fast front-end creation. Capability to build scalable, dynamic, and cost-effective web and mobile apps, particularly one-page applications. Moreover, the Angular framework applies multiple out-of-the-box components, which reduce the development time. Their main goal is to develop high-efficiency software.

Deal with JavaScript, HTML, CSS Angular UI developers should write logical JavaScript code while applying HTML and CSS languages.

Designing. Capability to create minimalist web app modern design applying latest techniques and approaches.

RESTful APIs creation. Capability to interpret the API documentation and employ it efficiently. It’s vital to ensure smooth communication with backend services. 

Testing. Angular devs are also in control of conducting three different tests to ensure the application works as expected. Some of them are unit testing, integration testing, and end-to-end testing.

External data sources and APIs. Angular UI developers should be proficient in external databases and APIs implementation when necessary to obtain the information from 3-party services.

Bug fixing. Angular engineers should keep up with modern Angular libraries releases and upgrade them regularly to fix defects detected in previous versions.

Things to Know Before Finding Angular Developer

It’s vital to know about requirements before hiring an Angular programmer. You can’t just message the potential candidates, tell them that you need a front end developer, and share a link to a job site. Most likely, they don’t accept your job offer. All specialists appreciate their time. Any developers will wait for a detailed and strict description of their project’s responsibilities. Hence, you’ll need to draw up the list of requirements, define the deadlines by which the project should be completed, and what tech stack should be applied during product development.

Angular developer skills

Angularjs developers’ skills vary depending on the qualification level: junior, middle, or senior. 

Basic skills:

• Great understanding of typescript languages like JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS to build light-weight and well-optimized code
• Be familiar with Angular best practices and modules.
• Creating independent, testable modules
• Experience working with AJAX and DOM manipulation techniques
• Capability to write a cross-browser compatible code
• Deep knowledge of REST services
• Enhanced understanding of database, web APIs, and other web services employed in the system

Middle and senior skills:

• Expert-level of the Angular framework. As this framework is regularly upgraded and renewed versions are released, it’s vital to sustain the required knowledge and skills.
• Proficiency in web markup, mainly understanding of HTML and CSS. A programmer who knows how to employ web markup has a correct understanding of all correlation elements, including UX principles.
• Monitoring how users interact with the software on the client-side of the software and giving conscious feedback.
• Ability to write asynchronous code, utilizing state-of-the-art techniques such as RxJs Observables, if it’s required
• Writing complete unit tests employing automated Test Driven Development tasks.
• Hands-on experience with RESTful API integration applying HTTP queries to receive, deploy and delete information.

This is not a complete list of required skills. For example, you may need a specialist who has a deep knowledge of Typescript functionalities, browser APIs, or REST architecture. The final choice will depend on the complexity of the project. 

Interview Questions 

I covered basic interview questions that can assist you in evaluating the candidate’s level of experience. 

Hard Skills Questions

• What is the use of Angular?
• What is data binding in  AngularJS?
• What are the controllers in Angular?
• What stands behind Angular directives?
• What are the different types of Angular directives? 
• Explain the importance of the NPM and Node_Modules folder.
• What is Typescript, and why do we need it?
• Explain the architecture of Angular.
• Explain the significance of Components and Modules
• What is the Package.json file in Angular, and why is it essential?
• What do Annotations and MetaData mean?

The question set can differ depending on the project’s requirement and individual approach.

Soft Skills Questions

Soft skills questions vary depending on corporate culture and are usually adapted to personal preferences. 

• Detail orientation 
• Communication skills
• Change management capabilities
• Creativity
• Problem-solving
• Ability to teamwork

Of course, these questions don’t guarantee a successful interview if you don’t have a technical background. But they aid you in finding the right AngularJS developers. In the section below, I disclosed the different cooperation models.

Hiring Options 

The IT market provides you with several hiring options to find Angular programmers with the skill set needed to inject life into your project concept.

You can start negotiating with independent contractors, augment your in-house team, or hire specialists from outsourcing organizations.  

Freelancers

Freelancers work remotely as independent contractors. You can use different freelance platforms to find the appropriate front end expert. You can talk with the candidate via the live video call to access their skill level and understand whether you’re both comfortable with each other.  

If you need to build an enterprise-level app, it’s better to skip this option. This approach works great for small projects and simple applications. Mind that one freelancer can’t create top-tier software all alone. You may need to form a dedicated team, including designers, front-end developers, solution architects, and others. 

However, hiring a team of freelancers can be a costly and risky idea due to team fragmentation. Besides, all the responsibilities for the project management lay on your shoulders (in case you don’t have a project manager).

Pros

• Freelancers charge less than a software development company
• Good for small-one tasks

Cons

• Impossible to check the product’s quality if you’re not a tech specialist
• Can abandon your project any time
• One freelancer can’t be in charge of the entire software development life cycle 
• Risks of deadline failure

Below you’ll see public services for finding Angular developers:

• Toptal
• Upwork
• Stack Overflow
• Angular Air

In-house Team

Looking for in-house Angular developers implies a long and tiring recruitment process that requires interviewing each candidate independently.  However, they’ll build software under the same roof, and you’ll have a high level of control. If you’re a startup, hiring local experts is recommended to establish a consistent and effective communication process. You can also cooperate with offshore programmers, but you should be ready to handle time zone and language differences. The in-house team is a convenient but costly approach. It’s associated with additional expenses like office rent, equipment, software, taxes, and so on.

Pros

• Complete control over the development process
• You can enhance communication between employees during the development
• No language issues

Cons

• Overpriced service. You’re charged to pay monthly wages taking no discern of an employee’s project contribution.
• Additional expenses.
• Difficult hiring process. You’ll need to recruit each applicant separately.

You can look for full-time employees on the following platforms:

• Indeed
• CareerBuilder
• Glassdoor

Outsourcing Agencies

Outsourcing development overseas can save you hundreds of dollars as this option doesn’t require additional expenses like rent, taxes, or equipment.

How does it work? You outsource product development to popular tech hubs like Poland, Ukraine, or Germany and cooperate with a dedicated team experienced working on various industry-specific projects. Or you can extend your in-house team with one specialist (e.g., Angularjs developer)

The main benefit of outsourcing companies is that they’re responsible for team management and project delivery. You just need to take care of money. The point is to find a reliable vendor meeting your resources and requirements. 

Pros

• Cost control. The outsourcing model doesn’t require additional expenses like rent or software. Besides, you get a custom project estimate before the project deployment.
• Diversified talent pool. You can select a competent developer from a wide variety of professionals experienced in front-end web app development with Angular.  
• Cost optimization. You can attract experienced developers globally without losing quality. Angular developers’ rates can vary depending on the country.
• Flexibility. If the product requires some changes, the team can be scaled up or down to meet changing project requirements. 
• Quality. Building up expertise in multiple fields allows outsourcing agencies to deliver high-quality products within an established timeline.

Cons

• You may encounter communication issues and language barriers
• Different time zones. It’s better to select the country with slight time differences.

I’ve compiled a list of platforms to look for outsourcing companies: 

• Clutch
• GoodFirms
• IT Firms

You can select the right vendor based on its cases, review, and clients’ feedback. Thus, you’ll get a sound understanding of what skill set your project requires, what budgetary provision should be set aside, and what software development companies meet your initial requirements. 

Wrapping Up

Finding a competent developer is challenging no matter what type of specialist you need. As a business owner, you’re responsible for the consequences of choosing and delivering a high-end product for your clients. Thus, it’s essential to consider all the nuances to hire a programmer fitting your business needs and requirements.