How to source and screen Web Developer candidates

Title variants to search

Cover all 4 when searching boards and your own database.

• Web Developer
• Front End Web Developer
• Website Developer
• Web Application Developer

Starter Boolean search string

Paste into a job board or resume database, then add location and work authorization.

("Web Developer" OR "Front End Web Developer" OR "Website Developer" OR "Web Application Developer") AND ("HTML, CSS and JavaScript" AND "A front-end framework" AND "Responsive design")

Google resume X-ray string

Replace City and ST with your target location.

(intitle:resume OR intitle:cv) ("Web Developer" OR "Front End Web Developer" OR "Website Developer" OR "Web Application Developer") ("HTML, CSS and JavaScript" OR "A front-end framework" OR "Responsive design") ("City" OR "ST") -job -jobs -sample -template -hiring

LinkedIn Recruiter variant

Operators in uppercase; the NOT group removes junior and recruiter profiles.

("Web Developer" OR "Front End Web Developer" OR "Website Developer" OR "Web Application Developer") AND ("HTML, CSS and JavaScript" OR "A front-end framework" OR "Responsive design") AND NOT (intern OR trainee OR recruiter)

Demand in the job feed

MatchWire's job feed (snapshot, November 1, 2026) holds 56 postings under these titles, and W2 is the most common job type (32.1% of postings that state one). States with the most, counting only state and title pairs with at least 5 postings:

• California: 7 postings
• Texas: 7 postings
• New Jersey: 5 postings

Must-have skills

For Web developer roles, a candidate who cannot speak to these is rarely a fit.

• HTML, CSS and JavaScript
• A front-end framework (React, Angular or Vue)
• Responsive design
• Accessibility basics
• Git

Nice-to-have skills

Rank candidates who already meet the must-haves.

• TypeScript
• Node.js
• CMS platforms (WordPress)
• Performance tuning
• Testing tools

Screening questions

Hands-on experience versus keyword matching.

• Show me a site you built and what you owned.
• How do you make a page load faster?
• How do you test a layout on mobile?

Before you run these strings

Test each string on a small result set first. Operator rules are in the Boolean search cheat sheet and the Dice Boolean search guide.

Where automation helps

MatchWire matches each new Web developer posting to your consultants by rule and drafts a tailored resume for the matches you queue. Try the free match test.

Frequently asked questions