How to Successfully Find and Hire the Best React Native Developer in 2023

Companies are actively looking for excellent React Native developers to complete their projects. This is because React is the most popular framework for developing interactive mobile applications. With high demand, companies find it challenging to onboard React Native engineers. Our how-to-hire React Native developers guide can help you get the perfect React Native engineer your company needs.

What is React Native?

Based on Meta’s ReactJS, React Native is a JavaScript framework that helps developers create mobile applications for iOS and Android. React Native utilizes a combination of JavaScript and JSX, XML-esque markup. React Native applications use native rendering APIs in Java for Android and Objective C for iOS. By exposing JavaScript interfaces to platform APIs, React Native mobile applications can access the user's location, phone's camera, and other things on the device. Thus, React Native developers can create excellent mobile applications from web-based JavaScript.

Why does your company need React Native engineers?

The use of mobile devices has grown in the last decade. According to Statista, 83.96 percent of people have a smartphone. The increase in mobile usage has also led to a rise in the number of mobile applications, thereby creating demand for React Native developers. We rely on mobile applications for every aspect of our lives, from banking to grocery shopping. Moreover, the mobile application industry is estimated to generate $935 billion worth of revenue by 2023. Companies can get a significant share of this revenue by hiring experienced and professional React Native developers.

Designing professional mobile applications requires a lot of skill and time. Also, there are different types of mobile applications like cross-platform, hybrid, native, and web apps. React Native developers can support all these applications without affecting user experience. React Native is one of the best frameworks for developing iOS and Android apps. React Native developers can create dynamic applications in a budget-friendly manner. Also, these applications are easy to maintain, update, and support.

React Native developers have to create code only once for Android and iOS applications, thereby saving the company time and money. Also, developers familiar with React JS and other JavaScript frameworks can easily learn React native.

Responsibilities of React Native developers

• Seamless UI: Developers need to create seamless UI for iOS and Android. They must develop components from different wireframes and prototypes.
• Code conversion: The React Native developer’s job is to generate clean and maintainable code as per client requirements. Also, the code should be reusable.
• Quality check: React Native developers need to run performance tests and fix any errors they discover in the process.
• Native modules and APIs: Developers need to integrate native modules and APIs for iOS and Android when required. They must also work with third-party dependencies like entypo, FontAwesome, Andesign, etc.
• Cross-functional coordination: React Native developers must coordinate with cross-functional teams to build apps within the given timeline.

Benefits of hiring React Native developers

• Large community: React Native developer community offers a lot of support, training material, and help to developers.
• Hot reloading support: React Native provides a hot reloading plugin that allows React components to load live without any loss of state.
• Third-party plugins support: React Native developers can easily use third-party plugins, enjoying greater flexibility and customization for their framework.
• Less development time: React Native developers can reuse up to 90 percent of their code. Companies do not have to create two separate apps, thereby saving a lot of development time.
• Real-time feedback and preview: React Native developers enjoy the benefit of seeing the changes they have made to their code live. By looking at the changes, they can take into account real-time feedback and make the best decision.
• Flexible architecture: Developers of React Native can easily rope in their team on their code. The flexible architecture allows other React Native engineers to make suggestions and facilitates easy updates too.
• SEO friendly: React Native developers can create applications with fast loading time. This helps them get a better SEO ranking and higher traffic.

How to screen React Native developers?

At times, companies can find it challenging to screen candidates applying for the job. This can occur when the recruiter is unfamiliar with the job role. Here is a list of questions interviewers should consider asking during the interview.

1. What is your JavaScript proficiency level?

Answer- It should be JS6 or higher for React Native developers.

2. How familiar are you with React Native components?

Answer- JSX, virtual DOM, customizable props, and component lifecycle are some React Native components that candidates must know.

3. Out of technologies like redux, mobX, bower, gulp, enzyme, and hockeyapp, how many are you familiar with?

Answer- Recruiters must prefer to hire React Native developers familiar with the technologies mentioned above. Redux and Mobx are state management libraries that help apps run as expected by giving operational control over app logic. Other tools like enzyme, hockeyapp, bower, and gulp make full-stack development and testing faster.

Some common questions can help you assess candidates' familiarity with React Native. Also, they can help recruiters ask technical questions that the recruiters otherwise wouldn’t know. Most importantly, we have also listed the soft skills and technical skills developers must have experience-wise when applying for the job of a React Native developer or engineer.

What skills should you evaluate React Native developers on?

Before hiring a React Native developer, it is important to check their soft skills and technical skills. Apart from working as a React Native developer with your software team, they will also be present at client meetings. By having the necessary soft and technical skills, React Native developers will be able to answer all the queries that your clients may have. At the same time, they will also be able to guide other React Native developers in the right direction.

Soft skills you must look for in a React Native developer

• Time Management:

Most React Native developers have to work on tight deadlines. This is why you must look for a React Native engineer who manages his time well. A good test of this would be to give a small project to the React Native developer with a strict timeline. If they can submit the same within the timeframe of the project, then they will be a good fit for the organization. With remote work being the norm, many companies are also using time tracking tools to track the productivity and output of their React Native developers. They can see exactly how much time a React Native developer takes to complete a specific project. Also, it helps them inform the clients about the time it will take beforehand and thus build a strong relationship with them. Therefore, you must hire React Native developers with excellent time-management skills.

• Communication skills:

Understandably, a React Native developer may not be the best orator around. But, communication skills are essential for this job role. This is because they will be a part of your team interaction and even some client meetings. So, if React Native developers are not able to raise their concerns with the right choice of words, it will take longer than required to complete things. Companies that hire React Native developers with good communication skills can streamline the entire process of implementing the changes client and company wants. Also, they can cross-check with them what they understood after giving them the initial brief to ensure both of them are on the same page.

• Teamwork:

Teamwork is one of the most important traits developers must have to succeed anywhere. Software development is a team sport as it requires different inputs at different stages and simultaneous completion of tasks. Companies should hire React Native developers who are always willing to share their knowledge, take responsibility for their work, and listen to feedback. These traits help ensure good camaraderie in the team and increase overall productivity.

Technical skills you must look for in a React Native developer

While you can check software developers for above mentioned soft skills, assessing them on technical aspects is quite tricky. This is why we have segregated the skills you must look for in React Native developers into three parts, namely junior, middle, and senior React Native developers.

Technical skills to evaluate junior React Native developers:

• React Native knowledge: The level of knowledge among junior developers of React Native is not very high. However, they must know about all the main components of React Native, including APIs and libraries.
• JS6 and navigation skills: To hire React Native developers for junior roles, you must check their coding skills, preferably for JS6 or more. At the same time, they have basic app navigation skills.
• Redux: Junior React Native developers must be familiar with redux. It is a tool that helps manage the state of elements across shared components.
• Debugging, testing, and compiling: Junior React Native developers must know how to compile, debug, and test a code.

Technical skills to evaluate mid-level React Native developers:

• Mobile features: At the middle level, developers should know how to create mobile-specific features using React Native. They must also know how to integrate mobile features with the app.
• Data caching: Middle-level React Native developers should be familiar with different databases and data caching.
• App deployment: Knowledge of signup flow and application deployment is necessary for middle-level developers.
• Third-party integration: Middle-level developers must know how to integrate third-party services like Google, Paypal, and Facebook.

Technical skills to evaluate senior React Native developers:

• Native languages: Most senior developers are usually familiar with native languages like Objective-C, Kotlin, and Swift.
• Libraries integration: Senior React Native developers must be able to integrate all the frameworks and libraries into the application. They must be able to make cross-platform applications that are native.
• Continuous integration and delivery: Senior developers who can execute excellent continuous delivery and integration are worth every penny. They can develop bug-free code and real-time features in applications.
• Groom talent: Senior React Native developers must be able to groom junior developers, know multiple approaches, and have a nuanced understanding of React native.

How much should you pay to React Native developers?

There are many factors to consider when deciding the salary of React Native developers. First, the experience level is a crucial metric in salary negotiations. If a developer has previously worked on big projects, they will be looking for a salary that is certainly higher than their previous one. However, companies do not always have to select React Native developers that command a handsome salary. They can easily look for a team of junior and middle-level developers who have experience in successfully working on projects themselves. This will ensure that they are not using all their resources on a single hire and take on more projects with a bigger team. With that said, companies cannot afford to cut corners for particular projects requiring specific knowledge and prior experience of a similar kind. They should hire React Native developers who seem like the best fit.

Why hiring a React Native developer with Turing can help?

Turing allows organizations to hire React Native developers at the push of a button. Turing has an intelligent AI-based talent cloud system that sources, vets, and matches developers remotely. Turing has 1M + developers from over 140 countries around the world. Companies located anywhere in the world can hire talented silicon valley caliber React Native engineers and developers with over 100+ other skills and technologies.

Turing is trusted by some of the biggest companies in the world, including Pepsi, Johnson-Johnson, Dell, Disney, Rivian, and Coinbase. Fill any job role within 5 days with Turing, thereby saving time and money. Also, Turing has a 97 percent engagement success rate with our clients retaining the services of React Native engineers and other developers. Spin your engineering dream team with Turing.