JavaScript is the most popular programming language in the world. The fact that it is used by 95% of all the websites only proves that this language rules the web. Both client-side and server-side, it has enormous potential as thousands of engineers use it for building myriads of projects across the world.
Meanwhile, JavaScript frameworks are the most in-demand ones. According to 2018 Developer Skills Report by HackerRank, both the demand and the supply of Angular developers are higher than for any other framework.
Source: HackerRank
Still, well-qualified software engineers including JavaScript developers are not easy to find. For example, in the USA, there are more job openings for software developers than qualified professionals to fill them. That is why many companies choose to hire the engineers in an offshore location with a vibrant IT industry and a large tech talent pool. One such popular outsourcing destination is Ukraine. The country has a plethora of companies providing software development services, a lot of skilled software engineers, and strong tech education.
Hiring Angular developers in Ukraine
As the demand for the projects written in JavaScript grows, the number of Angular developers in Ukraine also rises. The statistics by DOU.ua, the largest development community in Ukraine, shows that the number of job postings for front-end developers has been continually increasing for the last 3 years.
Also, DOU.ua regularly surveys Ukrainian IT specialists and publishes insightful findings of the Ukrainian IT market and its trends. According to the survey about the programming languages in 2018, JavaScript is in the top 3 programming languages Ukrainian software developers use. It goes right after Java surpassing such wide-spread back-end languages as C#, Python, and C++. Javascript has a 16.54% share on the Ukrainian programming languages market.
Source: DOU.ua
Moreover, JavaScript has demonstrated the most dramatic growth compared to other languages in Ukraine since 2012. It is the only programming language on the Ukrainian IT market that has been getting more popular every year for the last 6 years. Although JavaScript growth rate in the last year slowed down, TypeScript, a superset of JavaScript, has shown a great boost. The reason behind such a sharp rise is the fact that Angular is written in TypeScript and there are multiple Angular-based projects in Ukraine that require the knowledge of this language.
Source: DOU.ua
Moreover, next to Python and Go, JavaScript is in the top 3 programming languages which Ukrainian developers want to start learning next year. In addition, JavaScript is most widely used as an additional programming language among Ukrainian developers. Therefore, JavaScript is definitely in the mainstream among Ukrainian software developers.
As LinkedIn shows, there are more than 62,000 JavaScript developers in Ukraine. According to Indeed, React and Angular engineers are in the highest demand comparing to other development frameworks.
Source: Indeed.com
According to Clutch, Ukraine has the largest number of Angular development companies in the CEE region. There are 160+ software companies providing Angular development teams in Ukraine.
Companies from across the world that face the shortage of skilled JavaScript programmers in their locations often hire Angular developers in Ukraine. For instance, at N-iX we provide Angular development on many projects we deliver to our clients. They include the development of multiple web applications for Schibsted – a large media group, Vable – a UK information management company, Spotzer – a Dutch digital marketing firm, and others.
Moreover, Ukraine has a robust JavaScript development community. There are a lot of JavaScript meetups for learning and knowledge sharing, conferences such as JS Fest and JavaScript framework days in Kyiv, and other events all over Ukraine.
So how to hire Angular developers?
When hiring a development team for your project, you need to be specific about your requirements. Your software developers have to understand your vision and how the project must look and feel. Ideally, your programmers need to have experience in building similar projects. It is essential to check their portfolio, the delivered projects, references from clients and previous employers.
When it comes to the technical skills set, it depends on the tasks complexity and the desired level of your Angular developers – junior, middle or senior.
Main requirements for Angular developers
- A clear understanding of Core JavaScipt;
- Solid knowledge of the Angular framework;
- Excellent knowledge of web markup, HTML, and CSS;
- Experience in building high-class single page applications and web solutions;
- Experience with RESTful API integration;
- Knowledge of adjacent technologies such as Node, Webpack, Babel (for middle+ engineers);
- At least intermediate English level;
- Attention to detail (for writing a high-quality code and identifying mistakes immediately).
If you want to identify the technical knowledge of your Angular developer, you need to ask a number of questions in different knowledge areas.
What to ask your Angular developers
- Core JavaScript
Grammar and types, control flow and error handling, loops and iteration, functions, OOP, expressions and operators, numbers and dates, indexed collections, working with objects, details of the object model, regular expressions. - Frameworks
Angular, jQuery, jQuery mobile, Ionic, React.js/Vue.js if needed. - Design (for middle+ engineers)
Design patterns, anti-patterns, MV* patterns, dependency injection, dependency loaders. - HTML
XHTML, HTML4, HTML5, HAML, Doctype, block vs inline, mobile web development, HTML5 input types, HTML5 custom data, HTML5 APIs, semantic tags, VCS, web workers, web storage, web optimization. - CSS
Responsive layout, CSS grids, CSS selectors, media query, box model, positioning, floating, CSS frameworks, cross-browser bugs and inconsistencies, CSS3 features, OOCSS / BEM / SMACSS (modular coding methodologies). - Web-services
HTTP methods, Ajax, web services (Rest, Restful), WebSockets, MIME type, CORS. - Testing (usually for middle+ engineers)
Unit tests, integration tests, UI testing, TDD/BDD, unit testing tools and frameworks (Karma, PhantomJS, Jasmine, Mocha, etc.) - Infrastracture (for senior engineers)
Automation tools (Grunt/Gulp/Yeoman), version control (Git), package managers (npm, Bower, etc.). - Code quality (from middle+ engineers)
Refactoring (what/when/why), code review, linters and code quality tools (JSLint, JSHint, etc.). - Methodology
SCRUM/Agile, XP, pair programming, Kanban, estimation techniques (WBS), SDLC, issue tracking.
Despite the massive popularity of Angular and an increasing number of Angular developers, finding good programmers for your project is always challenging. That is why many companies choose to outsource their software projects to the locations with a plentiful supply of competent engineers. A perfect example of such location is Ukraine with its rapidly growing number of JavaScript developers, booming IT market, and reasonable rates.
Hiring professional Angular developers requires thorough research and preparation – from checking candidates’ CVs and experience to setting proper requirements and asking the right questions at the interview. Moreover, it is crucial that you hire not just highly qualified Angular engineers, but a strong engineering team able to collaborate effectively.
Here at N-iX, we put much focus on building strong development teams with skilful Angular developers. If you have any questions you can contact our experts at any time and get the answers you need.
