What the ideal Gatsby code test assignment should look like

Gatsby code tests are a great way to assess a developer’s knowledge of Gatsby and for them to practice their coding skills on real-world problems.

The code test assignments are usually simple to write and are a remarkable technical indicator of whether prospective Gatsby developers have a practical, hands-on understanding of using the framework. Before hiring a Gatsby developer, knowing if the person can build a functional site in the Gatsby framework is essential.

In this article, we'll highlight some key aspects of writing Gatsby code tests, so you can ensure you're testing for the right skills in a Gatsby developer.

Before we get into the nitty gritty of coding tests, let’s first unpack why assessing is vital.

Why is it essential to include code test assignments in the hiring process for Gatsby developers?

Including code test assignments as part of the hiring process for Gatsby developers is vital for several reasons:

• Assessing technical skills: Code test assignments effectively evaluate a candidate's technical skills in a real-world scenario. The hiring team can gauge their problem-solving ability and produce clean, efficient code by assigning them a specific task.

• Validating experience: Code tests allow hiring teams to validate a candidate's previous experience with Gatsby. It's one thing for a candidate to claim expertise in a particular technology or framework, but a code test assignment provides concrete evidence of their skills.

• Ensuring a great fit: They can help identify candidates who best fit the role and the company culture. How a candidate approaches a problem, and also their communication during the process, can reveal much about their work style and how they interact with others.

• Example: A code test assignment for a Gatsby developer position could involve building a simple blog site using Gatsby and GraphQL. The task could include requirements such as responsive design, optimized loading times, and integration with a headless CMS.

“The hiring team could evaluate the candidate's code quality, adherence to best practices, and ability to meet the requirements within a given timeframe. Overall, including code test assignments as part of the hiring process can help ensure that the best candidates are selected for the Gatsby developer role and have the technical skills and experience required to succeed in the position.”

Rami Sweyri

What goals should the test aim to achieve?

A Gatsby code test assignment should have the following goals:

• Assess the candidate's understanding of Gatsby: The test should evaluate the candidate's proficiency in Gatsby and ability to work with its core features and functionalities.

• Evaluate the candidate's coding skills: It should assess their coding abilities, including writing clean, efficient, well-documented code.

• Test the candidate's problem-solving skills: It should challenge the candidate to solve real-world problems they may encounter while working on a Gatsby engagement.

Food for thought: A Gatsby code test assignment might include creating a blog site using Gatsby, optimizing site performance, integrating third-party APIs, and implementing responsive design. These tasks require candidates to demonstrate their proficiency in Gatsby and ability to solve real-world problems using the framework.

How can you structure a Gatsby code test assignment to evaluate a candidate's skills?

A Gatsby code test assignment can be used to evaluate a candidate's skills in developing web applications using the Gatsby framework. The test assignment should assess the candidate's proficiency in various areas such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, and GraphQL.

• React proficiency: The candidate should understand React concepts such as components, state management, and lifecycle methods. They should be able to develop React components that can be easily integrated into Gatsby applications.

• Gatsby configuration: They should also be able to configure Gatsby to optimize website performance, add plugins for functionality, and handle dynamic data using GraphQL.

• Responsive design: They must know how to develop responsive designs that work seamlessly across different devices and screen sizes using CSS media queries.

• Code organization: The candidate should be able to write clean, organized, and maintainable code. They must follow best practices such as using meaningful variable and function names, commenting code and separating concerns.

• Example: The following is an example of a Gatsby code test assignment that can evaluate a candidate's skills:

Task

Develop a Gatsby website that displays a list of products. The website should have the following features:

• A home page that displays a list of products
• A product detail page that displays the details of a selected product
• A search function that allows users to search for products by name
• A filter functionality that enables users to filter products by category
• A responsive design that works on desktop and mobile devices
• Use GraphQL to fetch product data from a sample data source
• Use CSS to style the website

Evaluation criteria

• Code organization and cleanliness
• Use of React components and state management
• Use of GraphQL to fetch data
• Use of Gatsby configuration to optimize website performance
• Responsive design and use of CSS media queries
• Implementation of search and filter functionality

“A candidate's ability to complete this assignment will demonstrate their proficiency in developing Gatsby applications and their ability to implement various features using React, GraphQL, and CSS.”

Rami Sweyri

What are some great examples of Gatsby code test assignments?

Code test assignments for Gatsby can range from simple tasks like implementing a new feature or fixing a bug to more complex tasks like optimizing website performance or building a custom plugin.

1. Implement a new Gatsby plugin that adds social sharing buttons to blog posts.

2. Fix a bug in a Gatsby website where images are not displaying correctly.

3. Optimize a Gatsby website for faster load times using lazy loading or code splitting techniques.

4. Build a custom Gatsby starter that includes specific packages and configuration options.

5. Refactor the code of a Gatsby website to use a different CSS framework.

Food for thought: A Gatsby code test assignment could be to build a custom Gatsby starter that includes Tailwind CSS, a specific set of plugins, and a pre-configured layout. The assignment might require the candidate to create a new Gatsby engagement, install the necessary packages and dependencies, configure the starter's layout and styles, and test the starter by creating a new blog post. The assignment could include additional requirements, such as using a specific GraphQL query or integrating with a headless CMS.”

How can you evaluate a candidate's code test assignment?

The goal is to assess the candidate's coding skills, problem-solving abilities, and adherence to coding standards.

Here is a list of ways to evaluate a candidate's code:

• Accuracy: The first and foremost criterion for evaluating a code test assignment is whether it meets the requirements specified in the assignment. The code should work as intended and produce the expected output.

• Efficiency: The code should be optimized for performance and memory usage. It should be efficient and not use excessive resources.

• Readability: It should be easy to read, understand, and maintain. It should follow established coding conventions and use meaningful variable names.

• Modularity: It should be well-organized and modular. It should be divided into smaller functions or modules that perform specific tasks.

• Testability: The code should be easy to test. It should include unit tests covering all the code's essential aspects.

• Scalability: It should be scalable and handle larger datasets or higher loads.

• Security: The code should be secure and free from vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit.

• Example: Suppose a candidate was given a coding assignment to implement a simple login system for a website using Python. Here are some ways to evaluate the candidate's code:

• Correctness: Does the login system work as intended? Does it authenticate users correctly and prevent unauthorized access?

• Efficiency: Is the code optimized for performance? Does it use excessive resources?

• Readability: Is the code easy to read and understand? Does it follow established coding conventions?

• Modularity: Is the code well-organized and modular? Are there smaller functions or modules that perform specific tasks?

• Testability: Is the code easy to test? Are there unit tests that cover all the essential aspects of the code?

• Scalability: Is the code scalable? Can it handle larger datasets or higher loads?

• Security: Is the code secure? Are there any vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit?

Based on the evaluation, you can determine whether the candidate meets the requirements for the position and make an informed hiring decision.

What are some important factors to consider when providing feedback on a Gatsby developer's code test assignment?

Giving constructive and actionable feedback is crucial to help candidates improve their skills and help the hiring team make informed decisions.

• Example: Suppose a candidate has submitted a code test assignment for a software engineering role, and you are responsible for providing feedback.

You review the code and notice that the candidate has used descriptive variable names, followed proper indentation, and added comments to explain tricky sections.

However, you also see that the code does not handle exceptions, which could lead to runtime errors. You provide constructive feedback, recommending the candidate add appropriate exception handling and suggesting resources for learning about best practices for exception handling.

This feedback helps the candidate understand their mistake and improve their code for future assignments.

How can you use a code test assignment to improve your hiring process for Gatsby developers?

Code test assignments can be an effective tool to evaluate the skills and abilities of Gatsby developers during the hiring process. These assignments can help you identify candidates with the necessary technical skills and experience to excel in the Gatsby developer role. Additionally, they can help you understand how candidates approach problem-solving and their level of creativity in implementing solutions.

• Clearly define the scope and requirements of the assignment: Before creating a code test assignment, it's essential to clearly understand what you're looking for in a Gatsby developer. Define the scope and requirements of the assignment, including the programming languages, tools, and frameworks that candidates should be familiar with.

• Design the assignment to reflect real-world scenarios: Make sure the code test assignment reflects real-world scenarios the developer will encounter. This can include tasks like building a custom Gatsby plugin or optimizing the performance of a Gatsby site.

• Set a reasonable time limit for completing the code test assignment. This can help ensure that candidates don't spend excessive time on the assignment while giving them enough time to showcase their skills.

• Provide clear instructions and documentation for the code test assignment, including any necessary setup instructions, sample data, or reference materials.

• Evaluate the code test assignment objectively: When evaluating the code test assignment, focus on the candidate's ability to solve problems, write clean code, and follow best practices. Avoid assessing candidates based on minor stylistic preferences or minor errors.

• Food for thought: For a Gatsby developer position, a code test assignment might involve building a custom plugin that retrieves data from a third-party API and displays it on a Gatsby site. The assignment could include handling errors, caching data, and optimizing performance. The time limit for completing the assignment could be set to last between four to six hours. Candidates could be evaluated based on their ability to write clean, maintainable code, familiarity with Gatsby and third-party APIs, and ability to solve problems creatively.

“Using a code test assignment like this, you can identify candidates with the technical skills and problem-solving abilities needed for the role.”

Rami Sweyri

What are some benefits of using Gatsby to build websites?

A: Gatsby is a popular static site generator that offers several benefits to developers looking to build high-performance websites.

Some benefits include:

• Faster website speed: Gatsby generates static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files for your website, which can be served directly from a content delivery network (CDN). This results in faster page load times and improved performance, especially on slower internet connections.

• Improved SEO: Gatsby uses React to render pages on the server side, which allows search engines to crawl and index your site more easily. Additionally, Gatsby has built-in support for schema.org structured data, which can help improve your site's search engine rankings.

• Simplified development process: Gatsby provides many plugins and starters to help developers get up and running quickly. For example, Gatsby's plugin ecosystem includes plugins for integrating with popular CMSs like WordPress and Contentful to optimize images and improve website accessibility.

• Example: One example of a website built using Gatsby is the popular eCommerce site, Nike. The Nike website uses Gatsby to generate static content, resulting in a fast and responsive user experience for shoppers.

The Gatsby code test assignments should give you a better look at how well Gatsby developers understand React and Node.js concepts and their aptitude for building a Gatsby site. Keeping these suggestions on file can help make the interview process smoother when hiring new candidates. And it helps keep a consistent standard for future Gatsby devs to follow as they continue to build upon the foundation that you've laid.

For the candidates who progress to the interview stage, you probably don't need to go further than the most basic questions to weed out those who aren't qualified. However, you can find better candidates by asking more advanced questions requiring in-depth knowledge about Gatsby. Read our extensive Gatsby hiring guide for more tips, insights, and interview questions to ask in your following interview.