Why React Hiring Is Hard
React's market dominance means there are more React developers available than for any other frontend framework. It also means the range in quality is wider. A developer who learned React from YouTube tutorials and one who has built multi-tenant enterprise platforms both call themselves React developers. The difference between them only becomes visible after they have been working on your codebase for a few months.
Here is what to look for when hiring a React or Next.js developer for work that matters.
React Skills That Actually Matter in Production
State management without over-engineering
The most common React mistake is using global state management (Redux, Zustand, Jotai) for state that belongs in a single component. A senior React developer reaches for useState and useReducer first, lifts state only when necessary, and uses a global store only for state that is genuinely shared across the application. If a candidate's first instinct is always Redux, that is a sign they are applying patterns by habit rather than judgment.
Data fetching and caching
In 2025, React Query or SWR has replaced hand-rolled fetch logic in most production React apps. A strong candidate understands cache invalidation strategies, optimistic updates, stale-while-revalidate, and when to use server-side fetching instead of client-side. In Next.js specifically, they should be able to explain when to use Server Components vs Client Components and what the trade-offs are.
Performance
React's rendering model means performance problems are easy to create and subtle to diagnose. Look for developers who can use React DevTools Profiler to identify unnecessary renders, know when to use useMemo and useCallback (and when not to), and understand code splitting and lazy loading at the route and component level.
Next.js-specific knowledge
Next.js has become the default React framework for serious production work. The App Router introduced in Next.js 13 changed how routing, layouts, and data fetching work significantly. A developer still thinking in terms of Pages Router patterns will create problems in an App Router codebase. Key things to probe: Server Components and their limitations, the difference between static and dynamic rendering, and how metadata and OG images work in the App Router.
TypeScript Is Non-Negotiable
A React developer who avoids TypeScript or uses any liberally is a liability in any codebase that will be maintained over time. TypeScript catches a class of runtime errors at compile time and makes large React codebases navigable. Require TypeScript proficiency and look for developers who write proper prop types, understand generics, and can type complex data shapes correctly.
Interview Questions That Reveal Real Depth
- Walk me through how you would implement a data table with server-side sorting, filtering, and pagination in Next.js App Router.
- How do you decide what goes in a Server Component vs a Client Component?
- A component is re-rendering more than it should. What is your diagnostic process?
- How would you structure a Next.js app where different user roles see different layouts and routes?
Red Flags
- Cannot explain the difference between useEffect and useLayoutEffect
- Has only built SPAs, no SSR or SSG experience
- Uses
anythroughout their TypeScript code - No experience with testing (React Testing Library, Playwright, or similar)
- Reaches for a third-party component library for everything without understanding what it is doing
Our React and Next.js Experience
Our largest React engagement was the frontend of a $77,240 enterprise platform for a healthcare organisation, built with React and TypeScript over 1,921 hours. The frontend used a shared type contract with the Go backend via OpenAPI code generation, meaning breaking API changes surfaced at compile time rather than in production.
This site itself is built with Next.js 15 App Router, TypeScript, and Tailwind, deployed on Vercel with dynamic OG images, static generation, and a 100/100 Lighthouse score.
If you need a React or Next.js developer who has shipped production systems and can make architectural decisions that hold up, get in touch.