How to Hire the Best PHP Developer?

Introduction

PHP developers can help design, create, and implement a range of advanced, customizable, robust, and scalable software and web applications with PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) programming language. However, since there are more than 5 million PHP developers around the world, it may be a little challenging to choose the best one.

It can be incredibly daunting if you are a non-technical person. In that case, refer to this guide, which will help you hire the best PHP developer based on your requirements, developer skills, and your budget. With this guide, you’ll understand the skills to look for in a PHP developer, hiring options to choose from, a few of the best questions you can ask during an interview, and more tips on hiring the best PHP developer possible.

Getting the services of a PHP developer will help make your project more successful. Hopefully, you’ll be an expert at hiring a PHP developer.

Who is a PHP Developer?

PHP developers are the experts who create applications, software, and websites with the help of Hypertext Preprocessor or PHP, a popular open-source general-purpose scripting language specially used for web development and can be effectively embedded into HTML. A PHP developer is any software developer holding skills and expertise in PHP. Since PHP is one of the most important and omnipresent computer languages in web and software development, it would be a good idea to hire contract developers for your project. They can also execute PHP in combination with SQL for specific databases.

Different Scopes to Find PHP Developer

It’s impossible to hire a good PHP developer or a freelancer if you are unaware of the right place to look.

In-House Experts

You can easily hire full-time PHP developers who will cater to the PHP needs of your project. To hire the best PHP expert, follow the hiring tips and technical questions listed below. Alternatively, to reduce costs you can consider freelancers or outsourcing agencies.

Freelancers

Hiring a freelancer can be beneficial for companies looking to work on a particular technology for a short span of time. Hiring a freelancer can also help you with cost-cutting. Freelancers are the professionals who work on your project for specific hours to finish up your project. They can be paid either on an hourly basis or a fixed price for the entire project (or a part of it). However, they can work with whoever they choose when not working on your project. Their only obligation would be to complete and deliver the project by a certain deadline. These traditional job portals would also help if you have limited time to hire a good PHP developer:

• Upwork: Upwork is an American hiring agency that can help you connect with freelancer professionals around the globe.
• Career Builder: Career Builder is one of the trusted agencies for freelancers and full-time employees.
• Indeed: Indeed is a career website to connect with full-time and part-time employees and freelancers.
• LinkedIn Jobs: Although counted among social media platforms, LinkedIn can help freelancers and full-time employees get in touch with the best companies. You can hire freelancers and in-house employees for PHP development.
• GitHub Jobs: This website can help you find expert PHP developers.
• Toptal: Toptal is a platform that can help you find remote experts for PHP developments and other services.
• Stack Overflow: Although it is an IT enthusiast website, Stack Overflow can also help you connect with expert PHP developers

Outsourcing Agencies

Outsourcing agencies from Asia, especially India, are popular among Western companies for their PHP development needs as they have high-quality developers and other IT professionals available at affordable prices. You can get in touch with these PHP development agencies in India with the specifications and pay them to complete your project needs with the help of their skilled PHP developers. With outsourcing agencies, you won’t have to be concerned about hiring your own professionals or spending additional resources for PHP development. You only need to describe what you expect from the project and pay them accordingly. The developers and their management teams in these outsourcing agencies are in constant touch with you and provide you with updates about your project. However, you can also hire a near-shore agency if you are concerned about the communication challenges related to the time zone. If you are looking for skilled and experienced PHP developers, the following outsourcing web development companies could add value to your project,

1. WPWeb Infotech 

WPWeb Infotech is the best PHP development company in India & USA. They have some of the best PHP developers who can help you with your website and application development needs. Their client portfolio is impressive and they provide services like CMS & eCommerce Development, Open Source Development, Digital Marketing, Web Development, UI/UX Designing, QA & Testing Services, etc. 

2. IndiaNIC 

IndiaNIC is also one of the best PHP development companies in India and the USA. They have skilled professionals with expertise in PHP web and application development. They can help you with network solutions, back-end systems, business apps, and CMS. 

3. CSSChopper 

CSSChopper can help you create, update and maintain excellent websites and applications. Their services include CMS & Migration Services, Custom Web Development, Frontend Development, Web Development, eCommerce Development, etc. 

4. Iflexion 

Iflexion is one of the top PHP development companies with a team of experienced designers, developers, and IT experts. Their services include front-end development, back-end development, MVP development, UI/UX design service, enterprise software, mobile app development, web development, eCommerce development, software testing, etc. 

5. TatvaSoft 

TatvaSoft is one of the biggest PHP web development agencies in India. Their experts can help you grow your business with services like eCommerce development, UI/UX designing, testing & QA, web development, mobile app development, custom software development, etc. These web development companies have some of the best PHP developers in India. All of these companies let you hire the developers hourly, monthly, or for the entire project.

How Much Does Hiring a Good PHP Developer Cost?

The salary or fees of hiring any PHP developer usually depends on their skill sets, experience level, portfolio, communication skills, and ability to deliver the project on the deadline.

The level of seniority also affects the range of payscale for PHP developers in India.

The Hourly rate for these developers is mentioned as follows:

Make sure you browse all the outlets for freelance PHP developers or outsourcing agencies to ensure you are getting the best price for the services.

What is the Process for Hiring a PHP Developer?

Follow these steps to hire the best PHP developer for your project:

• Step 1: Define the project requirements and specifications.
• Step 2: Next, create a comprehensive job description.
• Step 3: Visit the hiring or outsourcing agencies, or reach out to the PHP development companies.
• Step 4: Check their websites and portfolios, and ask for their client reviews.
• Step 5: Finalize a list of potential candidates for your requirements.
• Step 6: Schedule face-to-face or video interviews with all of them. During the interview, ask relevant questions about their technical experience, soft skills, past projects, client reviews, etc. Also, ask them for their service charges for the whole project or on an hourly and monthly basis.
• Step 7: Choose a PHP developer or development company based on the impressions from the interview.
• Step 8: Explain to them your expectations from the project and set a deadline.

Following these steps will help you hire the best PHP developer for your requirements and rest easy with your commitments.

Technical Questions to Ask the PHP Developer During the Interview

Before hiring, ask the PHP developers the following questions to test their skills and capabilities: 

1. How is a session in PHP different from cookies? Where are sessions and cookies stored? 

Sessions help store users’ data against unique session IDs, which are sent to the browser through session cookies and are later used to retrieve the session data. They are stored in the session record of the user on the server. On the other hand, cookies are used to track the user by storing their information on the browser. 

2. What are the different types of errors in PHP? 

PHP has four types of errors:

Parse errors: You will observe parse errors when there is an error in the script related to syntax. It stops the code from executing. There are several reasons for these errors, common among which are:

Fatal errors: When PHP understands your code, but it can’t be fulfilled, it results in fatal errors. These errors stop the script from executing. If you are trying to access undefined functions, it may result in fatal errors.

Notice errors: If you are trying to access undefined variables, it will result in notice errors. These errors don’t stop the script from executing.

Warning errors: Warning errors occur when you are missing a file or have entered an incorrect number of parameters in a function. Similar to notice errors, they don’t stop the script from executing.

A good PHP developer should be aware of these errors. 

3. What is the difference between unlink() and unset() functions? 

In PHP, unset() is a variable management function, which makes the variable undefined. On the other hand, the unlink() function is used for file handling. It is used to delete files. If you want to remove a file from your code, enter the unlink() function. 

4. What is the difference between include() and require() ?

require() and include() are almost identical. They only handle the errors differently. In case of an error, include() generates a warning, and the code continues executing. On the other hand, when the require() generates a warning, the code stops executing. 

5. What are Constructors and Destructors in PHP? 

In PHP, the Constructor function is called automatically whenever an object is formed from a class. On the other hand, Destructor is a special function that is called automatically when an object is deleted or goes out of scope. Furthermore, if you want to ensure you are hiring a good PHP developer, subject them to a technical test and pay a closer look at their portfolio. But if you are outsourcing your needs to an offshore PHP development company, delve deeper into the process they go through when hiring their developers.

Tips to Hire the Best PHP Developer

The above questions can help you assess the candidate’s skills and capabilities. But if you are looking for a more senior person, they are bound to have these skills. In that case, it’s imperative you keep these tips in mind when hiring the right developer for your PHP needs:

Avoid the Obvious Questions

You are obviously doing quite a lot of research into the experienced candidates. So it would be unwise to ask obvious questions like what PHP is, when it was released, and who invented it. Instead, ask the questions that will help you gauge their skillsets, like

• What’s the best way to encrypt data with PHP?
• How to set cookies in PHP?
• What kind of experience do you have in web services?

Not only will these questions help you take a better look at their technical strengths and weaknesses, but will also make you understand their thought process when it comes to PHP.

Ask them About their Past Projects

Whether hiring a freelance PHP developer or outsourcing your needs to a PHP development company, you must ask them about their past projects. Check what they have worked on and how significant their role in those projects was. You can also take a look at their portfolio, client testimonials, and case studies to determine their strengths and weaknesses. It will help you avoid the developers or companies with a history of quality issues during the development and down the line.

Take a Look at their Learning Skills and Knowledge Base

Technology is constantly and rapidly changing. So it is crucial to hire a PHP developer who can not only create your applications according to the latest trends but also be able to update them with new skills. Your chosen developer should be open to learning new skills and be good at them.

Analyze the Communication Skills

Although not the most significant, communication is an important skill when hiring a PHP developer. They don’t need to be fluent in English. But they should be able to effectively communicate with you regarding the project’s status and updates. That’s why communication is a must-have skill in any good PHP developer. It will be a significant setback if the developer fails to communicate properly about the project and their budget requirements. Moreover, they should be able to communicate on several modes, including AV (video call), mail, and phone. Keep these tips in mind when hiring a PHP developer. It will help you get in touch with a freelancer or development company with the best skills and experience.

Conclusion

If you want to develop a new website or application but don’t have the necessary skills or resources, you may hire the best PHP developers to help with your requirements. There are thousands of PHP developers and companies offering web development services. But it’s crucial to choose the most suitable one. So keep these tips and tricks in mind before making your decision. If you want the best PHP development services, get in touch to discuss your requirements. Experts will ensure the best solutions and services for you and your company.