Product Launch Platform
Real-time product launches with custom configurators, multi-region content management, and editorial workflow approval for campaigns reaching millions of customers globally.
Documentation & Community Hub
Plugin documentation, community resource showcase, help center with structured search, and release notes management serving millions of designers and developers.
Technical Documentation Platform
Developer documentation with versioning by product release, code examples, interactive tutorials, and marketing pages with content variants for A/B testing.
Marketing & Integration Showcase
Integration partner content management, case study library with custom structures, feature documentation, and event content powering the marketing site.
What Sanity Developers Actually Build
Before adding Sanity to your job requirements, understand what working with Sanity actually involves:
Content-Heavy Marketing Sites
Nike uses Sanity for their marketing and product launch pages:
- Custom product configurators with real-time content updates
- Multi-region content management with localization
- Campaign landing pages with editorial workflow approval
- Asset management for high-volume product imagery
Cloudflare built their documentation and marketing infrastructure with Sanity:
- Technical documentation with versioning by product release
- Developer-focused content with code blocks and interactive examples
- Marketing pages with A/B testing content variants
- Blog platform with multi-author workflows
Product Documentation & Developer Platforms
Figma uses Sanity for their community and documentation content:
- Plugin documentation with structured content types
- Community resource management and showcase galleries
- Help center with searchable structured content
- Release notes and changelog management
Netlify powers their marketing site with Sanity:
- Integration showcase with partner content management
- Case study library with custom content structures
- Feature documentation with visual blocks
- Event and webinar content management
E-Commerce & Retail
PUMA and other retail brands use Sanity for:
- Product catalog management with rich media
- Promotional content with scheduled publishing
- Store locator and inventory content
- Multi-channel content delivery (web, app, in-store)
Sanity vs Contentful vs Strapi: What Recruiters Need to Know
Understanding headless CMS differences helps you evaluate candidates:
Sanity
- Model: SaaS with open-source Studio
- Querying: GROQ (Sanity's query language) + GraphQL
- Editing: Highly customizable React-based Studio
- Pricing: Pay-per-usage (bandwidth + storage)
- Strength: Real-time collaboration, custom workflows
Contentful
- Model: Pure SaaS (enterprise focus)
- Querying: GraphQL + REST APIs
- Editing: Fixed UI with some customization
- Pricing: Per-seat licensing (expensive at scale)
- Strength: Enterprise features, established ecosystem
Strapi
- Model: Open-source, self-hosted
- Querying: REST + GraphQL
- Editing: Plugin-based customization
- Pricing: Free (hosting costs apply)
- Strength: Full control, no vendor lock-in
| Aspect | Sanity | Contentful | Strapi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learning Curve | Moderate | Easy | Easy |
| Customization | Very High | Limited | High |
| Real-time Collab | Native | Limited | None |
| Self-Hosting | No | No | Yes |
| Best For | Custom workflows | Enterprise content | Full control |
What this means for hiring:
- Developers who know one headless CMS can learn another in days
- "Must have Sanity experience" eliminates candidates with Contentful or Strapi expertise
- Content modeling concepts transfer across all platforms
- Ask about structured content principles, not specific CMS APIs
When Sanity Experience Actually Matters
Situations Where Sanity-Specific Knowledge Helps
1. Maintaining an Existing Sanity Codebase
If you have a large Sanity Studio with custom components, input types, and workflows, someone with Sanity experience will be productive faster. But any strong React developer can learn Sanity Studio in 1-2 weeks.
2. GROQ Query Optimization
Sanity's GROQ query language is unique. Complex queries with joins, projections, and filters require learning. However, developers familiar with GraphQL or SQL pick up GROQ quickly—it's a query language, not a paradigm shift.
3. Real-Time Collaboration Features
Building collaborative editing features (like Google Docs-style editing) with Sanity requires understanding their real-time APIs. This is specialized knowledge worth identifying in candidates.
Situations Where General Skills Transfer
1. Content Modeling
Designing schemas, defining relationships, handling localization—these are universal content architecture skills. A developer who modeled content in Contentful applies the same thinking in Sanity.
2. API Integration
Fetching content from Sanity APIs and displaying it in React, Next.js, or other frontends uses standard data-fetching patterns. Any developer who's built API-driven applications handles this.
3. Studio Customization
Sanity Studio is built with React. Custom input components, preview panes, and workflow tools are React development—a skill that transfers directly.
The Modern Content Developer (2024-2026)
Content platforms have evolved. Understanding what "modern" means helps you ask the right questions.
Headless Architecture Fluency
Modern content developers understand:
- Separation of content from presentation
- API-first content delivery
- Multi-channel publishing (web, mobile, voice)
- Structured content vs unstructured content
Content Modeling as a Skill
This is the most transferable skill across CMS platforms:
- Designing reusable content types
- Modeling relationships (references, arrays, nested objects)
- Planning for localization and variants
- Balancing flexibility with editorial constraints
Frontend Integration Patterns
Content developers often bridge CMS and frontend:
- Fetching and caching content efficiently
- Handling preview modes and draft content
- Building dynamic pages from structured content
- Optimizing for SEO and performance
Recruiter's Cheat Sheet: Evaluating Content Platform Skills
Conversation Starters That Reveal Skill Level
| Question | Junior Answer | Senior Answer |
|---|---|---|
| "How would you model a blog with authors and categories?" | "I'd create three content types" | "I'd define references for authors and categories, consider if categories need hierarchy, and plan for multiple authors per post with ordering" |
| "When would you use a reference vs embedding content?" | "References keep things organized" | "References for reusable content (authors, categories), embedded for content that only makes sense in context (image captions, CTA buttons). Consider query performance—references require joins" |
| "How do you handle content preview in a headless CMS setup?" | "Use the CMS preview feature" | "Preview tokens for draft content, preview API routes in the frontend, consider caching implications, and handle preview for scheduled content" |
Resume Signals That Matter
✅ Look for:
- Specific products shipped with structured content (not just "Built CMS")
- Content modeling decisions ("Designed schema for 15 content types")
- Frontend framework experience (React, Next.js, Vue)
- API integration patterns (REST, GraphQL, GROQ)
- Multi-language or multi-region content experience
🚫 Be skeptical of:
- Only static site generators with minimal CMS interaction
- No mention of content types or schemas
- CMS-only without frontend context
- Tutorial-only projects (blog starter templates)
GitHub Portfolio Signals
Strong indicators:
- Custom Sanity Studio components or plugins
- Content schemas with thoughtful relationships
- Frontend projects fetching from headless CMS
- Handling of preview modes and draft content
Red flags:
- Only default Sanity starter templates
- No TypeScript for content types (unusual for production)
- Hardcoded content mixed with CMS content
- No evidence of schema iteration or migration
Common Hiring Mistakes for Content Platform Roles
1. Requiring Specific CMS Experience
The mistake: "5 years Sanity experience required"
Reality: Sanity gained mainstream adoption around 2018-2019. Few developers have 5 years of experience. More importantly, CMS skills transfer directly—a Contentful expert becomes a Sanity expert in weeks.
Better approach: Require "headless CMS experience" and test content modeling skills in interviews.
2. Confusing CMS Work with Frontend Work
The mistake: Expecting a "Sanity Developer" to also be a senior frontend architect.
Reality: Content platform work ranges from simple schema definitions to complex Studio customization. Clarify whether you need content architecture skills, frontend integration skills, or both.
Better approach: Be specific about the split. "60% Studio customization, 40% frontend integration" is clearer than "Sanity Developer."
3. Overlooking Content Modeling Skills
The mistake: Technical interviews focused on CMS APIs without testing content architecture thinking.
Reality: The hardest part of content work is designing schemas that serve editors AND developers. A developer who writes efficient GROQ but models content poorly creates long-term problems.
Better approach: Give a content modeling exercise: "Design schemas for a multi-brand e-commerce site with products, categories, and campaigns."
4. Ignoring Editorial Experience
The mistake: Hiring developers without considering how they'll work with content editors.
Reality: Content platforms serve non-technical users. The best content developers understand editorial workflows, not just code. They design Studios that editors love to use.
Better approach: Ask: "Tell me about a time you improved an editing experience based on user feedback."
5. Over-indexing on Real-Time Features
The mistake: Requiring real-time collaboration experience for every role.
Reality: Most Sanity implementations don't heavily use real-time features. Basic content fetching and display covers 80% of use cases.
Better approach: Only require real-time experience if you're building collaborative editing features.