Frontend Developer skills

Essential skills

• HTML and semantic markup — Employers may check whether you can structure content clearly and use appropriate elements.
• CSS and responsive design — They may review a page you built at different screen sizes or ask how you handle layouts.
• JavaScript fundamentals — They may use coding questions or a practical task to assess how you work with data, events, and browser features.
• A frontend framework — They may ask you to build or explain a small feature using a framework relevant to the role.
• Accessibility basics — They may check keyboard navigation, labels, contrast, and other accessibility choices in your work.
• Browser debugging — They may ask you to investigate a bug using browser developer tools.

Technical and specialised skills

• TypeScript — Employers may review how you use types to make code clearer and catch errors.
• API integration — They may ask you to connect a frontend to an API and handle loading, error, and empty states.
• Testing — They may assess whether you can write or maintain tests for components and user interactions.
• Performance optimisation — They may ask how you would identify and improve slow loading or rendering.
• Version control with Git — They may review your commit history or ask you to work with branches and code reviews.
• Build tools and deployment — They may ask how you run, build, and release a frontend application.
• Design systems and component libraries — They may look at how you create reusable components that follow shared design patterns.
• Security awareness — They may check whether you recognise risks such as unsafe handling of user input.

Soft skills

• Communication — Employers may assess how clearly you explain your choices and ask questions during interviews.
• Collaboration — They may ask for examples of working with designers, backend developers, or other teammates.
• Problem-solving — They may observe how you break down a task and respond when your first approach does not work.
• Adaptability — They may ask how you handle changing requirements or unfamiliar tools.
• Attention to detail — They may review your work for consistency, usability, and small visual or functional issues.
• Time management — They may ask how you prioritise tasks and communicate when work is at risk of running late.

How to show these skills on your resume

• Built responsive pages with semantic HTML and CSS, adapting layouts for mobile and desktop screens.
• Integrated an API into a frontend feature, including loading, error, and empty states.
• Worked with designers and developers to turn interface requirements into reusable, accessible components.

How to build them

• Build small projects that solve a clear problem, and practise finishing them rather than only starting them.
• Recreate a simple interface from a design or screenshot, then check it across screen sizes and with keyboard navigation.
• Add tests to a project and practise debugging issues with browser developer tools.
• Use Git regularly, including branches, clear commits, and code review where possible.
• Ask for feedback on your code and explain your decisions to strengthen both technical communication and collaboration.
• Review job descriptions for roles you want, then choose one skill at a time to practise through a focused project.