Interview Questions for a Frontend Developer
To interview a frontend developer, test CSS and layout fluency, JavaScript and framework depth, accessibility, and rendering performance. This set covers the box model, reactivity and state, semantic HTML and ARIA, Core Web Vitals, and how a candidate builds responsive, accessible interfaces that stay fast as they grow.
Last updated
Run a frontend interview with at least one hands-on UI task in the browser so you can watch real CSS, DOM, and component decisions, then probe accessibility and performance, which weaker candidates often skip. Score craft, not just whether it works.
Technical & Role-Specific
What to look for: Flexbox for one-dimensional flow, grid for two-dimensional layout; can articulate real cases rather than reciting that 'grid is newer.'
What to look for: Reserving space with width and height or aspect-ratio for images and embeds, avoiding inserting content above existing content, and font-loading strategy.
What to look for: Distinguishes the call stack, microtasks (promises), and the task queue; explains why promise callbacks run before timers.
What to look for: Keyboard navigation, focus trapping and return, correct ARIA roles, aria-modal, and Escape to close; knows native elements first.
What to look for: Controlled state lives in the framework for predictability; uncontrolled defers to the DOM for simple or performance-sensitive inputs.
What to look for: Profiles renders, identifies unnecessary re-renders, applies memoization, stable keys, and virtualization for long lists rather than guessing.
What to look for: Optimizing the hero image and critical CSS, preloading key resources, reducing render-blocking JS, and right-sizing fonts.
What to look for: srcset and sizes, modern formats like WebP or AVIF, explicit dimensions, and lazy-loading below the fold.
Behavioral
What to look for: Advocates for users, communicates trade-offs to designers, and finds a solution that satisfies both intent and constraints.
What to look for: Cross-browser testing discipline, isolating the difference, and using progressive enhancement rather than user-agent hacks.
What to look for: Focuses on fundamentals over chasing every library, evaluates tools critically, and avoids resume-driven development.
What to look for: Respect for design intent, ability to flag technical constraints early, and pride in pixel-level and interaction craft.
Situational / Problem-Solving
What to look for: Field data versus lab data, network throttling, device CPU, third-party scripts, and bundle size on real connections.
What to look for: Loads it on interaction or lazily, isolates it, measures the cost, and negotiates with stakeholders using data.
What to look for: Tokens, shared components, documentation, and visual regression testing rather than copy-pasted CSS.
What to look for: Weighs state-management choices, isolates the messy parts behind tests, and avoids a risky full rewrite when incremental works.
Frontend Developer interview scorecard
Score every candidate on the same criteria, immediately after the interview, using evidence you actually heard rather than an overall impression. Agree the criteria with the panel before the first interview — deciding what counts after you have met people is how the loudest interviewer wins the debrief.
| Criterion | Evidence to record | Score 1-5 |
|---|---|---|
| Technical & Role-Specific | What the candidate actually said or did, in their own example — not your impression of it | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| Behavioral | What the candidate actually said or did, in their own example — not your impression of it | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| Situational / Problem-Solving | What the candidate actually said or did, in their own example — not your impression of it | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| Overall recommendation | Strong no / no / mixed / yes / strong yes, with the single reason that decided it | - |
Want this as a reusable document? Use the interview scorecard template.
Questions to avoid asking a Frontend Developer
Exactly which questions are unlawful depends on where you are hiring, and the rules change — so treat this as the list of topics to route through your own employment counsel, not as a legal standard. The practical test that holds everywhere: if the answer could not change how the person does this job, you have no reason to ask it.
Recruiting terms explained
Related roles to hire
Frequently asked questions
How many interview rounds for a Frontend Developer?
Should frontend interviews include accessibility questions?
How important is CSS depth versus JavaScript framework knowledge?
What is the best way to test a frontend developer's real skills?
Run these interviews structured, and compare candidates fairly
Pitch N Hire is an applicant tracking system with built-in interview scorecards. Load these questions into a scorecard so every interviewer assesses the same criteria and you can compare candidates side by side.
Free for 1 user · No credit card · Talk to a real hiring expert
See how much faster your team could hire
Get a personalized walkthrough of Pitch N Hire on your own roles and workflow. No slides, no obligation.
Prefer to talk? Book a demo Talk to sales View pricing
Free 1-user plan · No credit card · Talk to a real hiring expert
