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How to hire the best PHP developers for your web development

Author: Kevin Haynes
by Kevin Haynes
Posted: May 31, 2021

PHP is one of the oldest yet most popular server-side scripting languages. The popularity of PHP stems from the fact that nearly 378 million web applications running on 21 million web servers developed using PHP.

Now, such numbers make sense when we consider the number of frameworks that use PHP. One other thing is that the use of PHP gives way to dynamic websites, which is always better than the advanced static web pages.

So, if you are looking to give that idea a shape of a highly functional dynamic website, you need to hire the best developers in the business for php web application development. So, let us look at the skills that an adept PHP developer must-have.

Important skills for a PHP developer Skills on the technical front
  • A stronghold over multiple frameworks: Codeigniter/Laravel/Symfony/Zend/CakePHP

  • Basic knowledge of database methodologies to integrate PHP with DBMS tools like Oracle

  • A solid grasp over object-oriented programming to leverage benefits if and when required

  • When you are looking for PHP developers, everybody will have PHP skills on their resume, but knowing other scripting languages completes a professional developer.

Skill on the non-technical front
  • Conversant with communicating and absorbing new ideas

  • Must have the business acumen required to understand the time and profit goals.

Now, it's time to address the question at hand: How to hire the best PHP developers for your web development? We have mentioned below some of the tips that might come in handy.

Ask questions that matter

You have gone through the preliminary screening of the profiles for applied candidates. Now, you are ready to invite them for an interview. Here's the deal, you need to have the questions handy that tests the conceptual prowess of the candidates and not just dig on the surface knowledge.

Here are some that you must ask and you must not ask:

Must Ask

  • What are the different types of errors in PHP?

  • Differentiate between unset() and unlink()?

  • What is the output of the following code?

$a = '1';

$b = &$a;

$b = "2$b";

echo $a.", ".$b;

Must not ask?

  • What is PHP?

  • Who is the man behind PHP?

  • Why is PHP popular?

Past Experience

Enquire the candidate about the previous work experience, the nature of clients served, and the type of web platform created. Go through the companies’ testimonials and reviews that the candidate has worked for. This gives a sense of the effectiveness of the employee in terms of meeting the deadlines and turn-around-time.

Now, if you are hiring a freelance PHP developer as a full-time employee, experience changes to past projects.

Knowledge base

When we mention the knowledge base, the scope goes beyond having the technical acumen to deliver performance in a static environment. Here, we are more concerned to know the kind of training or classes that the candidate has gone through in his previous company.

Basically, you need to find the true standing of the candidate about the grasp over changing scenarios for the use-case of PHP. It gives you an idea about what extent of effort you need to put in candidates to make them project ready.

Response to new scenarios

Through the course of project development, there will be various instances where new problems will show up. In such a situation, the response route taken by PHP developers will be a game-changer.

You need to test the composure and responsiveness of the candidate by throwing in scenarios that he is least likely to face but has a considerable impact on the overall output. A caveat, recourse to rarest cases, only after you have quizzed the candidate on usual scenarios.

Communication skill

Open up any piece of content describing tips about hiring the right PHP developer folk, you will inevitably find the mention of communication skills. Tech skill is a must-have, there is no question about that, but the mistake of assigning a low-key value to communication skill can cost you your dream project.

A PHP developer must be proficient in communicating via any medium, be it mail, call, or personal meeting.

Conclusion

It is crucial to understand that the image of your company directly depends on the quality of service that your employees provide. So, it would not harm to do a thorough background check and be meticulous about every single detail. Cross-check the details the reference provides in the resume. Once you are satisfied, it is time to introduce the candidate with terms & agreement, alongside larger goal & company ethics.

About the Author

Kevin is a content strategist in Brainvire InfoTech Inc. He provides wordpress development services to small and mid-sized businesses. He enjoys web development, ecommerce programming, and plugin development.

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Author: Kevin Haynes

Kevin Haynes

Member since: Jun 16, 2019
Published articles: 4

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