For years, I was on one side of the table giving frontend interviews.
Recently, I moved to the other side and started taking interviews as well.
That shift changed how I look at frontend hiring entirely.
A pattern kept repeating.
Candidates could confidently explain closures, promises, and array methods.
But when asked to build a real UI, things often started to fall apart.
Not because they were bad engineers.
But because we were testing the wrong things.
What Frontend Interviews Commonly Get Wrong
Most frontend interviews still heavily focus on:
- Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA)
- Abstract algorithmic puzzles
- Problems that rarely appear in everyday frontend work
These questions do test logical thinking.
But they fail to measure UI engineering skills, which is where frontend engineers spend most of their time.
What Frontend Engineers Actually Do Day-to-Day
In real product teams, frontend engineers typically spend their time on:
- Building clean, accessible, and responsive user interfaces
- Managing state and asynchronous flows
- Integrating APIs and handling imperfect, real-world data
- Debugging tricky production issues
- Thinking deeply about UX, performance, and edge cases
These are the skills that separate an average frontend developer from a great one.
Not how fast someone can reverse a linked list.
Why UI / Machine Rounds Are So Effective
This is where UI-focused or machine coding rounds shine.
Even a small task — such as building a form, a card layout, or an interactive component — reveals a lot:
- How a candidate structures components
- Their approach to state and data flow
- Code readability and organization
- Debugging mindset
- Attention to UX and small details
In my experience, a 45-minute UI task often provides more signal than a 60-minute algorithm round.
DSA vs UI Rounds: Finding the Right Balance
DSA is not useless.
It helps assess:
- Logical thinking
- Problem-solving fundamentals
- Backend-heavy or system-oriented roles
However, for UI-heavy frontend roles, DSA should support the hiring process, not lead it.
UI and machine coding rounds should be the primary filter.
Real-world frontend scenarios should drive hiring decisions.
Rethinking Frontend Hiring
If we want better frontend engineers, we need better frontend interviews.
That means:
- Evaluating real UI skills
- Simulating actual frontend work
- Measuring how candidates think about UX, performance, and maintainability
Not just how well they perform in algorithm puzzles.
Final Thoughts
Frontend engineering is not “just JavaScript.”
It’s UI architecture, state management, user experience, performance, and product thinking — all working together.
Our interview processes should reflect that reality.
How does your team evaluate frontend engineers today?
I’d love to hear different perspectives in the comments.
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