As a JavaScript developer looking at startups a few months ago I noticed the hiring pains were largely self-inflicted.
The primary problem is that nobody knows what quality looks like. As a result everything is extremely beginner, based on the framework flavor of the moment, and then qualified against leet code nonsense or use of a million different tools. If that is the path you were taking the failure is predictable as the desired target is somebody too immature for writing a product and you not understanding why or caring for the difference.
You, as the hiring manager of the startup have to overcome biases if you want to be successful. Frontend stuff is still software. Treat it as such and look for maturity first before quibbling over technical minutiae. Can the candidate write software? Can they even write at all? Only then evaluate if they have frontend skills.
Only once your startup gets bigger and revenue is both certain and predictable can you relax and hiring the more commonly available immature developers.
The primary problem is that nobody knows what quality looks like. As a result everything is extremely beginner, based on the framework flavor of the moment, and then qualified against leet code nonsense or use of a million different tools. If that is the path you were taking the failure is predictable as the desired target is somebody too immature for writing a product and you not understanding why or caring for the difference.
You, as the hiring manager of the startup have to overcome biases if you want to be successful. Frontend stuff is still software. Treat it as such and look for maturity first before quibbling over technical minutiae. Can the candidate write software? Can they even write at all? Only then evaluate if they have frontend skills.
Only once your startup gets bigger and revenue is both certain and predictable can you relax and hiring the more commonly available immature developers.