Frederick Jace
Business owners looking to develop a new application, website, or platform need to hire a suitable developer who can help with PHP development. Whether you hire this programmer on staff or outsource the development task, you must keep a few factors in mind before choosing the right person or team to take up your project.
When you hire a PHP programmer, you must ensure that they have the relevant skills and experience to complete your project successfully. They must also have the right attitude towards the task and intuition that can guide your business towards success and popularity.
You will find numerous developers, agencies, and freelancers who are equipped for your PHP development project. Depending on your project scale, budget, and time limit, you must make an informed decision that will assure the most efficient results.
Without diving into the technical requirements of your PHP project, there are certain traits that you can look for in your developer, to ensure they will meet your business goals. But before elaborating on that, let us have a quick glimpse of what PHP is and how it is beneficial.
What is PHP Development?
PHP or Hypertext Preprocessor is a general open-source scripting language that is used to develop websites. It is a backend, server-side language that can be embedded into HTML, thus making it ideal for adding functionality to web pages. PHP developers work with this language to develop applications, websites, and programs.
PHP development includes designing, testing, implementing, and deploying the software using the PHP programming language. It is one of the easiest programming languages to learn as it has a huge repository of resources for beginners, and its syntax does not have a steep learning curve.
Some benefits of PHP programming include:
- Easy to learn and implement
- Flexible in integration and compatibility
- Efficient and gives more control to the developer
- Open source and cost-effective
- Fast and secure
Since PHP is so ideal for programming, it is the choice of language for many website owners. But when you hire PHP programmers, you must check if they have some essential traits.
7 Traits to Consider When Hiring PHP Programmers
Your project will have specific requirements that must be met by the developer. These general traits help you get an idea of how fit the programmer will be for your task.
Knowledge and Expertise Level
There are many expertise levels for a developer. For a simple and smaller project, a beginner-level or new programmer would do. But for projects that require extensive planning and complicated feature addition, you need a programmer who is experienced and skilled.
If you don’t find the right match in terms of knowledge and expertise level, you might be in for a struggle. For handling codes, bugs, and post-deployment errors, you need a dedicated PHP programmer whose knowledge is on point.
Apart from PHP, the programmer must also have knowledge of databases and methodologies required for PHP integration. When you study a CV for hiring a programmer, make sure you check their skill areas and concepts.
Willingness to Learn and Adapt
What is arguably more important than knowledge and experience is the willingness to learn and adapt to the demands of the project at hand. While developing a new application, the programmer might find themselves in a situation where they have to learn new things to make the project better.
Your chosen developer must dive into the project with an open mind and adapt their working style according to the features required and the time at hand. With a few smart interview questions, you will be able to figure out whether the programmer is open to new ideas and quick to learn.
The willingness to learn about new technologies and databases is important, along with the ability to work and solve problems independently. Even if the developer is a newbie and not experienced with working on a project floor, these skills can help make them worthy of being chosen.
Flexibility and Positive Attitude
Where skills cannot help, attitude can. A positive attitude is a very important trait in a developer. When you hire dedicated PHP programmers for building a website or app, you would like them to be oriented towards the goal of your project and have an optimistic outlook towards the work.
The programmer must also be willing to adjust schedules, project plans, and methodologies, based on the requirements of your project. This is where their flexibility can help. If you hire someone who refuses to budge from their preplanned schedule and has a negative attitude towards new suggestions, you will find it difficult to fit them into the team.
Solid Work Ethic
This is one of the most underrated qualities that you must consider while hiring a PHP programmer. The work ethic of the programmer would dictate whether they will be professional in their approach, adhere to the deadlines, and deliver on the agreed-upon functionalities.
It will also dictate how they interact with the development team and if they are willing to put in the hours and dedication to finish your project on time. This is something you cannot immediately gauge during an interview. But you can ask probing questions like what extra they bring to the table, what is their outlook on collaboration, and so on.
Credible Work Samples, Testimonials, and Client Reviews
It is not uncommon to exaggerate achievements and experience in the CV and interview. To find out if the programmer is actually as qualified for the job as they seem, you must look through their work samples and testimonials. Make sure to ask for varied samples, PHP as well, as any other project they might have done.
This will help you get an all-round idea of the person’s body of work. Also, follow up on testimonials and read client reviews of their previous projects. These together will give you an idea of what to expect from the programmer.
Cost-effectiveness and Time Frame
When you hire PHP coders, the goal is to get the best quality of work in your budget and time frame. For that, you must take the speed, experience, and charges of the developer into account.
If you hire a complete novice, they might end up taking much more time to complete the task. And if you are paying by the hour, it will cost you much more. On the other hand, if you hire someone with high expertise, their charges might be higher but they might take a significantly less amount of time to get the work done. Factor in all these aspects before making a hiring decision.
Reliable Post-Deployment Service
One of the major complaints of business owners while hiring PHP programmers is the lack of adequate post-deployment service. Needless to say, you get complete technical support during the development process, but once the website or app is deployed and working, the programmer might refuse to look into issues further.
Set post-deployment service terms very clearly while making the contract and ensure the programmer is available in case issues arise after deployment.
Conclusion
You can hire from among today’s top PHP developers from around the world for your project. The trick is to look at both conventional and unconventional workers and find the right fit for your company and requirements. Once the programmer falls into rhythm, your PHP project will become a piece of cake!
