How to find the best PHP specialist?


While reviewing resumes of PHP programmers and interviewing candidates for this position, HRs of even large companies sometimes miss the banal things and spend a lot of time on insignificant details. As a result, it turns out that a person successfully passes a personal interview, but is not ready for work. At the same time, you still have to pay for the hours worked and spend time looking for a new employee. How to hit the bull’s-eye the first time?

To begin with let’s discuss what is PHP

Let’s get to know him better:

  • 80% of the 10 million sites on the Internet are written on it.
  • It is popular with CMS developers – content management systems.
  • PHP evolved from Perl, and at first it was not even considered an independent programming language.
  • Facebook has made a huge contribution to the development of PHP.
  • You can learn more about the language in the article “The PHP Programming Language: From Origins to the Present”. Now let’s move on to tips and tricks.

Why lots of people Choose PHP

PHP is designed to make web development easier. It has a simple syntax, is easy to program in, and is often chosen by beginners as their first language.

PHP is actively developing – now work is underway on the eighth version. It is a very flexible and easily scalable language. It also forgives mistakes when writing code: scripts will work even with gross flaws, however, only until the first problem occurs.

PHP has one of the largest communities on the StackOverflow FAQ portal – the third largest. And this means that a beginner will quickly receive answers to any questions and easily find a mentor, as well as a tool for the specific tasks of his project.

Very detailed documentation in Russian has been created for PHP, where each function is described. The language has huge potential in terms of learning resources and prospects in the world of web development.

Here are 5 simple tips to help you find the best PHP specialist.

1. Eliminate Time Wasting Questions from PHP Frontend and Backend Developer Interviews

The interview loses its meaning in the first 2-3 seconds if you:

• list the places of work according to the resume of the PHP developer, checking whether everything is correct;

• ask questions like “Who created PHP and in what year”;

• ask how soon the candidate is ready to go to work if his candidacy is approved, and if there will be any problems with the documents…

If the general theory and questions “for life” are most likely completely irrelevant to the case, then other questions can be asked in a preliminary oral conversation by phone or Skype and do not waste time on them at a face-to-face interview. Ideally, even before meeting with a candidate, you should be sure that you will hire him.

Focus on professional technical questions on the topic of PHP. For example, “What is the fastest way to check for the existence of data” or ask for a solution to a specific problem, etc. This will help to reveal the true level of the candidate and the degree of his fit for your position.

2. Give a PHP developer a test task

A resume does not tell you how a person copes with tasks. There is a test for this. In order not to scare off the candidate, make it small (run time: 15 minutes – 4 hours), but succinct. This will help to see the applicant at work, evaluate the quality of the final product and the degree of creativity of the approach.

A test task for PHP Backend Developer and Frontend Developer is given after reviewing the resume, at a preliminary conversation or after an in-person consultation.

3. Give preference to resumes of PHP programmers with the qualities you need

A simple example. A person with solid experience as a programmer in a large financial company cannot fit into deadlines. Yes, and it can be a highly qualified specialist who is 100% suited to your requirements. But his personal qualities and the specifics of the work he is used to doing can become a stumbling block when working in your organization.

Therefore, experience is important, but you should not choose a specialist, but, first of all, a person. Is the candidate capable of multitasking, or does he prefer slow work that stretches out over time? Do you need someone with a creative approach to problem solving, or do you stick to standards? Do you need a universal specialist or do you have a narrow range of tasks? In the resume of a frontend developer or an engineer in another direction, pay attention to the item “Personal qualities”.

And in a face-to-face interview, ask the candidate 5-6 of these questions to make sure that he really suits you. Remember, an inefficient worker can harm the project.

4. Combine 3 interview levels into 1

In a good company, the interview of developers takes place in 3 stages – through HR, a technical specialist and a manager. Many people know this, but not everyone uses it correctly. And often the applicant has to come 3-4 times for an interview in the same company.

If possible, gather all 3 representatives of the organization for a consultation. This will help you make the best use of your own resources and not scare the applicant away with multiple face-to-face interviews.

If the organization has a development department, then the role of HR and a technical specialist can be performed by its head. Even without a resume, a PHP programmer engineer will understand perfectly, will reveal it better than any psychological tests.

5. Indicate real software versions in vacancies

“PHP 7.1” looks much more informative than “PHP 5-7”. A good such run-up in the latter case will bring together programmers of all stripes, but you need one.

The same applies to additional requirements, which many applicants regard as optional. Be more precise. Developers love specifics.

We wish you not to make mistakes in choosing candidates.

You can view resumes of Frontend developers and PHP programmers of other areas on our website.

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