Who is an Ideal PHP Developer?

The frequent changes in the choices and demands of users have made web application development process both complex and complicated. Most companies, nowadays, look for innovative ways to design websites that can attract, impress and captivate the visitors. As a server side scripting language, PHP is hugely popular among developers to provide a distinct look and feel to a variety of websites.

A php development company planning to hire a PHP web developer can easily receive CVs from a large number of jobseekers. But each organization finds it a daunting challenge to find an ideal PHP developer. When you are looking for a professional PHP developer, the applicant is surely expected to be theoretically and practically sound in PHP development. Also, he must understand the key features of different versions of PHP, and be able to differentiate between PHP 4 and PHP 5.

However, most of the websites, nowadays, are being designed using multiple languages. So a professional, who has minimum knowledge on other languages, can easily integrate the codes in PHP. For instance, if the PHP developer knows HTML, CSS and Flash, he can optimize the look and feel of all web applications. At the same time, he must possess some additional qualities that make the PHP developer ideal and more efficient.

5 Important Qualities of an Ideal PHP Web Developer

• Good Understanding of Object Oriented Programming: A developer with good understanding of Object Oriented Programming (OOP) can learn and use other programming languages without putting any extra time and effort. So you must ask certain OOP-related questions to the applicant to test his understanding. For instance, you can ask several questions to the applicant to check his knowledge on important concepts like inheritance, polymorphism, constructors and interfaces. Also, he must be able to clearly differentiate between private, public, protected and static methods and functions.
• Knowledge of Major Databases: A successful web application must be effective in gathering and synchronizing information from several data sources. Also, the choice of databases varies from one organization to another based on the nature and volume of their data. So an ideal PHP developer must have knowledge regarding both SQL and non-SQL databases. Along with a clear understanding of primary and foreign keys, he also needs to know the database design patterns. It is also important for the developer to at least know one commonly used source control system, along with the importance of CVS.
• Must Know Various Aspects of Web Application Testing: Most companies, nowadays, opt for test driven web application design to save time and resources. So you must hire a PHP developer who has a clear understanding of important web application testing concepts and techniques. The professional also need to know what unit testing is, why unit testing is important, how to unit test JavaScript, and how to use Selenium to check the compatibility of the application with major web browsers. You should also determine if he knows appendChild, removeChild, nextSibling, and other methods to manipulate DOM. The additional web application testing knowledge will further contribute towards controlling the overall project cost.
• Interested in Learning Latest Technologies: Despite being a powerful language PHP cannot be used exclusively to build an entire website. Most web application interfaces are designed using HTML and CSS. Similarly, many web pages used client side scripting languages like DOM Programming and JavaScript to reduce the load on web server. Also, most web applications are designed using open source scripts and templates. Often the open source codes are integrated with PHP script to customize the websites. So an ideal PHP developer must know these languages and technologies, in addition to possessing good PHP programming skills.
• Ability to Connect with Other Professionals: Often companies want to impress their customers by offering innovative and distinct features. So the PHP developer has to face constant challenges to boost the look and feel of various web applications. If the develop is good in communication with other developers, he can easily avail their assistance whenever the need arises. The good communication skill will further make it easier for you to handle clients and other stakeholders in the project. Also, the developer will work as part of a team consisting of other developers and project managers. If he can communicate with other professionals smoothly, it will optimize the overall productivity of your web application development team.

We provide php web development services. If you would like to know more about our certified php developers, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.