How to Hire PHP Developers: All You Need to Know

The comprehensive capabilities and easy adaptability of PHP make PHP developers high in demand. According to Stack Overflow, it takes 8th place as the most popular technology in 2020. So, how to hire PHP developers for your web development project?

It’s crucial to understand everything related to hiring the right PHP developers to meet your needs. In our article, we’ll look into reasons why to hire PHP developers, their key roles and responsibilities, skills required, as well as where to find them. 

1. Why Should You Hire PHP Developers?

A website plays a significant part in any business, be it a corporation, a mid-sized business, or a startup. The way it functions is crucial for any company.

This is why companies are looking for PHP developers who can create a website to achieve business goals. So what are the other reasons why you should hire a dedicated PHP developer?

a. Top-Level Skills at Affordable Costs

Since PHP is not a young programming language, there are multiple courses and training materials on the Internet and within the community.

You can easily find highly qualified PHP developers, which allows you to save on training and onboarding. So, even small companies and startups can afford to hire PHP developers. 

b. PHP is used by 79% of All Websites

As per W3Techs’ data, PHP is used by 79% of all websites, so about 8 out of 10 websites are built with this back-end programming language. Though some may think that PHP is dead, the statistics prove it’s still on the go. Since PHP is so famous for web app development of a server-side part, it wouldn’t be challenging to find PHP developers, even experienced specialists. 

c. Large PHP Developer Community

One of the most important advantages of hiring PHP developers lies in its large community of developers. This may not only help you find skilled PHP programmers but also let them get assistance from professionals for free.

Compared to programming languages with a relatively small community, it’s an excellent opportunity for developers to keep up with updates and contribute to the development of the PHP language. 

d. What Does a PHP Developer Do?

It’s crucial to understand PHP developers’ roles and critical responsibilities before hiring them for your web development project. Generally, PHP developers are back-end developers who are in charge of building server-side web app logic. They write, test, and maintain the source code of applications based on the PHP programming language. 

When working on the project, they may take several job responsibilities correlated to other software tasks. Here is what a PHP developer typically does on a custom PHP application development project:

• Analyzing requirements for the new or existing web app;
• Developing and optimizing the website database;
• Analyzing and debugging of software;
• Troubleshooting and fixing issues related to PHP development;
• Creating documentation for PHP-based software;
• Maintaining and updating the website after its release.

e. What Skills to Look for in a PHP Developer?

The PHP developer’s proficiency level depends on whether you plan to hire a junior, middle, or senior specialist. Among the essential hard skills of a PHP developer are:

• Bachelor’s degree or courses in IT-related fields;
• Knowledge of PHP-coding and web-based apps;
• Understanding of website integration and software creation;
• Knowledge of Ajax, jQuery, and MySQL;
• Fundamental understanding of front-end technologies, such as JavaScript, CSS, and HTML (for full-stack developers)
• Knowledge of PHP web frameworks;
• Understanding of MVC design patterns;

Here’s just an essential skillset, so you need to analyze your web development project scope to work out hard and soft skills for this position.

2. What to Know to Hire PHP Developers?

Ensure you know the answers to the questions below when hiring a PHP development team:

a. Hiring in-house PHP developers or outsource?

First, you need to understand whether you are looking to hire an in-house PHP developer or augmenting your project team with a freelancer or a specialist from an outsourcing company.

In-house PHP developers make the permanent part of your project so that they may cost you more than freelancers or outsourcing. Freelancers may be a good option for small businesses or startups or when you need PHP developers for short-term web services. 

b. What pricing model works for you?

Then it’s worth deciding on the preferred pricing model to hire a PHP developer: dedicated or fixed cost. The former is based on hours spent on development. The latter is based on a fixed quote following well-documented requirements.

c. What is the proficiency level required for your project?

Before hiring a PHP developer, define the requirements for the skills to categorize the level of expertise. Depending on the level of proficiency, there are three categories of PHP developers, including junior, middle, and senior specialists. 

d. What are the project goals?

Accurate project goals define the success of your web development project. They will attract the right specialists that will determine the project scope and budget. Once you define the project goals, add the technology stack to design and build the required functionality. 

3. Where to Hire a PHP Developer?

Once your project goals are well-defined, you need to know where to find PHP developers. Here is whereby you can find and hire the required specialists:

• Reach out to outsourcing software development companies to hire dedicated PHP developers who will work on your project full-time while the outsourcing company will take responsibility for administrative issues.
• Find freelance PHP developers on such job-boarding websites as Toptal, Upwork, Fiverr, or Github Jobs.
• Research on potential candidates in the PHP development community.

4. Conclusion

Having understood the reasons why you should hire PHP developers, now you have a checklist for hiring them for your website development:

• Define the essential responsibilities and skills.
• Decide on hiring and pricing models.
• Categorize PHP developers for your project.
• Clarify technical requirements for your web app.
• Find appropriate specialists by one of the ways: outsourcing, freelancers, or in-house developers.