With JavaScript being the world’s most famous programming language, and React being one of it’s more popular frameworks, it’s only natural that you want to hire React developers for yourself. 

Like with anything related to JavaScript, what a React developer does likely involves the internet and web development in general. But the specifics of web development tend to carry a bit more nuance. 

To find more answers related to “What does a developer do?”, don’t scurry away. Today, you’ll take a deep dive into learning what a React developer can do for your business, as well as the cost and skills associated with the profession. 

What Is a React Developer?

To understand what a React developer is, you must first know what React is. React is an open-source technology, owing its initial release to Facebook who maintains React along with a passionate community of developers.

While most believe that React is a framework, this is probably the biggest misconception where React is involved. This mix-up occurs so regularly that it is entirely socially acceptable to call React a framework, and hardly a software developer would turn their head. 

Rather, React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces (UIs) and UI components. A component combines JavaScript and HyperText Markup Language (HTML) to display a small piece of the larger UI. 

For reference’s sake, JavaScript’s primary purpose as a front-end scripting language is to handle most or all of the interactivity that goes on in a web page from button clicks to scrolling bars. HTML, on the other hand, uses tags to structure the text content on a web page. 

At some point, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) also comes into play so React developers can design the aesthetic elements of a page from fonts to color choices. 

React developers are software professionals who work with React to build UIs. By association, React developers are also front-end developers as well as JavaScript developers.

What Are the Roles and Responsibilities of a React Developer?

React developers are front-end JavaScript developers responsible for creating and maintaining UIs for web apps and websites. Front-end development describes software development that affects what the user sees and interacts with.  

On the more technical side, front-end developers also oversee purely functional items related to UIs like buttons, scroll bars, text boxes, and so on. To do this, React developers need experience programming functionality into the UIs they build.

The first step in how to hire a React developer is making sure your potential hires have a proficient grasp of React and what’s required of them for front-end development in general. 

The day-to-day activities of a React developer can be quite diverse. Here’s a snippet of what you might expect from a React developer:

• Developing responsive interactive technology for dynamic web pages such as menu buttons, online forms, gesture-driven actions, etc.
• Testing and debugging interface software before the application goes live
• Working with the client to better understand how to manifest their vision for the app via software development
• Consulting with back-end engineers and developers to ensure that collaborative user-facing and server-side interactions run without error

The 2020 State of JavaScript Survey shows that React places highly for both usage and satisfaction. 

What Are the Main Skills of a React Developer?

As established, there are three principal technologies needed for any endeavor towards front-end development: JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.

HTML and CSS are not exactly programming languages, but any front-end developer must know how to reliably navigate through the syntax of these technologies to build a comprehensive UI.

JavaScript will do the brunt of the work when it comes to building your website or web application. Any developer who claims to be proficient in React should have a reasonable background developing in JavaScript to back their story. 

This JavaScript background should include familiarity with DOM manipulation and the latest version of ECMAScript, an enhanced version of JavaScript which supports many expedient features. 

And while React is a JavaScript framework it also exists as its own ecosystem with data structure libraries and popular workflows like Redux or Flux. React developers should recognize these tools as well. 

Being a JavaScript developer alone will not suffice. React developers must have an acute familiarity with the React library.

Where To Find React Developers?

Knowing how to hire React developers is of no value if you don’t know where to look for them. There are quite a few resources where you can find developers of any kind.

Have a look below. 

Freelance Marketplaces

You should look to freelance marketplaces if you don’t need your React developer to commit fully to your project. Freelance React developers advertise their skills on marketplaces like Upwork or Fiverr.

You’ll have the opportunity to choose from a long list of profiles based on the qualifications you’re seeking out. The only catch is that since these developers are freelance, they’re entitled to some legroom in how they manage their schedules.

They have the freedom to work on multiple projects at once and that’s their right. On your end, you won’t have to tie yourself down to a full-time employee nor the legal culpabilities of such.

Job Boards 

You’re probably most familiar with using job boards to find potential hires. Indeed is a great example of a job board where you can post a detailed job description and interested job seekers can apply accordingly. 

Bear in mind that many of the candidates you’ll see on job boards want a full-time job with benefits and have salary expectations to match.

Outsourcing Companies

By utilizing an outsourcing agency you can let another company deal with all your software development needs. In turn, you won’t really need to know how to hire a React developer or where to find one.

The gist of it is that you pay a price, tell the agency what you want, and get it done for you. Outsourcing agencies are reasonably priced and this is because they tend to reside outside of the United States.

The cost of this convenience, however, is often communication difficulties – whether this has to do with language barriers or simply not being clear about what you need.

That said, like with any remote team, there are always solutions to these problems. And Trio has content to show you how too!

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a React Developer?

 In the United States, the average salary for a React developer is $108,175 or $52 an hour. This data was collected from ZipRecruiter which compiles information from employer job postings and other third-party sources. 

React developers can make as low as $14,500. Often this is because they live in a low-income area or are not particularly specialized in React. React developers who make as much as $163,000 are usually senior developers in their field. 

Many tech companies look to nearshore and offshore countries to find React developers at a lower rate. Outsourcing can be a convenient way for small and medium-sized companies (SMBs) to meet their needs while reducing the damage to their wallet. 

Senior developers who are based in Latin America, for instance, make about $100,000. While this is a great value considering the cost of living in South America, this is relatively inexpensive compared to developer rates in the United States. 

React Developer Job Description Template

Job descriptions do most of the work when it comes to making sure people actually want to apply to your listing. 

Thus, it is your responsibility to write a job description that gives an accurate portrayal of what your company can offer and what potential candidates should expect from the role.

About the Job

To start, you should leave a brief summary about the job and what you’re looking for. For a React developer, such a section might look like this:

We are seeking a front-end developer who is proficient with React and web development as a whole. This is a great opportunity to join a team of communicative, enthusiastic, and highly skilled developers. You will solve complex problems by building and using cutting-edge technology!

Company Description

If the potential job candidate is enticed by your starting job description, then they will want to know more about your company. 

When your employees believe in your mission, they’re often better motivated to do their work day in and day out. A Trio company description is as follows:

Trio helps small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) achieve their goals by providing them with hand-selected, qualified software engineers to complete your project on time and on budget. We believe SMBs should have the same access to great software as big name firms. 

Responsibilities

At this point, you want to list the daily work expectations that come with the job. This mirrors the “What Are the Roles and Responsibilities of a React Developer?” segment above. 

Although feel free to be more specific about what you want and technologies your React developer should be fluent in. 

Requirements

This is where you will go into detail about the qualification you’ll be looking for as you narrow down candidates. Most companies look for experience, formal education, and/or distinct technical skills. 

See below:

• 3+ years of experience in software development
• Strong proficiency in JavaScript and with DOM manipulation
• Familiarity with RESTful APIs
• Knowledge of isomorphic React
• Experience with performance testing frameworks such as Mocha and Jest

Conclusion

What does a React developer do? React developers use the React JavaScript library to build UIs for web applications and websites. They are well-equipped with all the skills necessary to fulfill a front-end web development project. 

Hiring the right React developer for your next software project at a reasonable price can be difficult. Luckily, Trio is on your side to make sure you don’t overexert yourself doing something that Trio would love to do for you. Contact Trio to Freelance Marketplaces hire qualified React developers now!