7 Skills to Look For While Hiring Laravel Programmers

When you plan to make a modern web application, you may need to look for somebody with exceptional Laravel developer skills. Why only Laravel developers, and what are the skills required for a Laravel developer? Laravel is a compelling and feature-rich framework, and PHP developers prefer to use Laravel over other technologies when building various web applications. Proper use of Laravel can push the boundaries of possibilities and open multiple development opportunities.

However, technologies like Laravel, which can put you ahead of the competition, can also impose challenges when you head out to find the right talent. This means, at times, it can be challenging to design the overall hiring process to select the right Laravel developer.

If you want to hire an experienced Laravel developer, it may seem convenient to hire the best available developer for your budget. However, this is neither wise nor productive. With thousands of developers out there, it's essential to establish certain prerequisites that each Laravel programmer must possess to qualify for your team. Hire someone with enough experience and understanding of the language and the required Laravel developer skills.

And, if you can get these criteria selected right, the hiring process can become more convenient and efficient. This article lists the requirements and skills recruiters need to assess before hiring a Laravel programmer.

As you know, digital technology is growing at an unprecedented pace. With the invention of the new Internet of Things (IoT), such as robots cleaning homes, intelligent refrigerators, or Alexa moving homes to list a few, there’s more reliance on the Internet now than ever.

Therefore companies, in particular, need to transform their processes and adapt to the digital environment. At this point, if they continue to ignore working on their digital presence, they will not be able to keep up with the competition. Therefore, building web applications has become a basic necessity for most businesses.

The good news is that Laravel programmers who excel in building, updating, and deploying web applications can easily help you achieve this goal.

Here's a list of what Laravel programmers can help you with:

• E-commerce development
• Web solutions development
• Cloud solutions development
• CMS development
• Migration and up-gradation services

Laravel developers help build solid web applications that drive brand awareness, retain existing customers, and attract potential customers in any industry, including banking, healthcare, digital marketing, media/entertainment, and tourism.

Hiring a Laravel developer is not a piece of cake. You should research the skill set required for the project needs. However, here we are providing a general overview of the common Laravel developer skills required for your reference.

Laravel programmers must have proficient knowledge of fundamental web technologies. They must have a thorough understanding of CSS, HTML, and JavaScript to be able to build and deploy the applications.

Prepare a list of interview questions for Laravel developers, including these technologies. Here's a detailed summary of why the knowledge of these programming languages ​​is essential for not just Laravel programmers but all web developers.

• HTML: Hypertext Markup Language is the core of creating web applications. It uses tags to determine different types of elements and content. In simple words, because of HTML, one can differentiate elements such as the cover title, body text, and subheadings in a website.
• CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): Its primary function is to set how the HTML elements of your website are displayed on the front end of the page. In the website development process, HTML provides tools for structuring content, but CSS cleans it up and styles it.
• JavaScript: This logic-based programming language takes the website to the next level. One of its main features is to modify the website's content to give it a different behavior. All the CTAs or confirmation boxes that appear daily on the website are created in Javascript.
• PHP: It is a general-purpose programming language that can be used to develop interactive and high-performance websites. PHP could be embedded into HTML, making adding functionality to web pages easier without having to reference external files for data. Also, Laravel is one of the PHP frameworks, making PHP a more necessary skill for Laravel programmers.

MVC (Model View Controller) is an architectural pattern supporting rapid and parallel application development. And, as Laravel is based on MVC architecture, you need to hire a Laravel programmer who has a solid understanding of MVC architecture.

Also, as Laravel uses an object-oriented approach, a Laravel developer needs to know methods, traits, and classes.

Laravel programmers must be experts in managing database systems. This means that they must know how to manipulate data and manage database structure, making it easier for end-users to share data quickly and effectively across the organization. For example, if you have an organized database, you can understand the performance of your business. Therefore, when interviewing Laravel candidates, make sure they know it well.

MySQL, Oracle 12c, and Microsoft SQL are popular database management systems.

Project management frameworks are instrumental in technology. They focus on the tools, processes, and tasks needed to build a project from start to finish, providing a methodology that leads to successful results. Agile and Waterfall are some of the most used and popular project management frameworks.

Knowledge of these is critical if you are looking for a Laravel developer to collaborate with other team members while building your next project.

Framework versions do not remain the same. Creators constantly roll out new updates and features to improve the development experience. Laravel framework is no different regarding the same. Therefore, before hiring a Laravel developer, ensure they enjoy learning about new features and updates.

Simultaneously, you can ask the Laravel candidate about any new features added to Laravel at that point in time.

One who is well-versed with Laravel must also understand the following skills:

• Expertise in cloud computing technologies such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, etc.
• Knowledge of server administration tools like Nginx, Apache, etc.
• Experienced in handling various APIs like RESTful and well-versed with concepts like SOAP, MVC, and OOP.

Technical skills aren't the only Laravel skills needed to evaluate the caliber of a Laravel developer. They also need to have some soft skills as follows.

• Communication skills:

When hiring an excellent Laravel developer, you must ensure that their communication skills are appropriate to work in a team. Explaining technical details to non-technical team members or stakeholders can be difficult, so your developers should be able to explain their points of view to others.

• Team player:

One person cannot manage complex projects. Therefore, if you bring in some new developers, ensure they are good team players. According to CBInsights, about 7% of startups fail due to a lack of communication among team members, making this skill vital.

• Problem-solving and creative thinking:

Programming for a website is quite difficult as it takes a lot of creative thinking to make a website look unique. The developer should think out of the box and solve issues while working on a website project.

Above all, hire Laravel programmers who have confidence in their work and can assist other team members in making critical decisions.

Now that you’re aware of why you need to hire a Laravel developer with the adequate skills to look for, the most important question is how to hire a Laravel developer.

Here are the top strategies to implement when hiring a Laravel developer:

1. Define your project and its requirements

The first thing you have to do is define your project and its requirements. Based on that, make the skill-requirements list and start with the hiring process.

As Laravel is famous for developing cross-functional web applications and websites, defining the requirements clearly will attract the right programmers for the position.

2. Shortlist resumes

Once you have collected a certain number of resumes, choose the one that suits you best. Scan the candidate's skill set and plan the next step. Check if they have relevant experience or have previously worked on similar projects.

3. Setup a solid recruitment process

If the above two approaches aren’t helping you, you would need to build a solid recruiting process.

Recruiting for IT positions is probably one of the most difficult challenges due to fierce competition in the market. Therefore, do not assume you can reach a Laravel programmer just by following the basic steps such as writing and posting a job description. You have to go beyond what headhunting means.

Simultaneously, try searching for and contacting potential candidates on LinkedIn or job boards. While they may already be happy with their current job, you can entice them with great benefits they cannot refuse.

4. Choose the type of developer

Depending upon the need, you can also choose from an in-house developer, a freelancer, or a dedicated remote programmer.

• Freelance programmers: Freelance Laravel programmers are ideal for small and medium-sized projects. At the same time, they can undertake several projects from all over the world. The best thing about freelance developers is that they are an affordable option. They usually charge less than other developers, but they might not be a good pick for long-term projects or projects that need continuous development and a long-standing development team.
• In-house programmers: In-house Laravel programmers can be a good choice for companies as the project's status can be exchanged directly with them at any time. You can contact them directly for a resolution if you have any questions about the project. The only downside to in-house developers is that they can be more expensive than freelance developers.
• Dedicated remote developers: Dedicated remote Laravel programmers can provide the best of both worlds as they are affordable and provide continuous support and information on the project. So, it is highly recommended to hire dedicated remote Laravel programmers for increased efficiency and support.

Therefore, if you have a reasonable budget and your development project is big, you can hire an in-house Laravel programmer. On the other hand, if you have a limited budget, hire a freelance Laravel developer, and if you want budget-friendly developers who can provide dedicated support to your project, go for remote Laravel programmers.

For remote, you can hire from Turing’s planetary pool of pre-vetted Silicon Valley caliber Laravel developers. Our Intelligent Talent Cloud matches companies with qualified software engineers within three days. Besides, our AI-driven sourcing, vetting, matching and managing process provides quick hiring and onboarding of elite software engineers in the industry.

5. Interview candidates

The final step in the hiring process is to invite and interview candidates. A one-on-one interaction discloses a lot about the candidate's potential. Therefore, it is necessary. On top of this, there can also be a short test to evaluate their skills.

While looking to hire experienced and well-qualified Laravel programmers, you must ask pointed questions during the interview. That's why we've put up a thorough list of 5 important Laravel interview questions that can help you with recruiting the perfect Laravel programmer that you need.

1. What is Laravel, and list down the new features in Laravel 8?

This is the most basic yet the most important question to ask a Laravel programmer. This question will give the candidate a head start and will allow them to approach the rest of the interview with a good frame of mind. This is how a good Laravel programmer should answer:

Laravel is one of the PHP web frameworks that use the Model View Controller architectural pattern to create online applications. It provides an expressive and beautiful syntax that allows Laravel developers to rapidly and easily design a robust online application.*

Additionally, if you want to assess a Laravel developer's understanding of the most recent update and make sure that they are keeping in touch with the technological advancements, this is the perfect question for that. Laravel 8 is the most current version of the framework, and it comes with a slew of interesting new features. Make sure that the Laravel developer's response covers these six most important features:

• Laravel Jetstream: Laravel Jetstream is a new application scaffolding for Laravel that includes features like login and registration, email verification, two-factor authentication (2FA), session management, and others.
• Model Directory Updates: The app/Models directory has been restored thanks to the model update in Laravel 8. Laravel developers no longer need to build the folder manually.
• Migration squashing: Developers may use migration squashing to combine many migration files into a single SQL file.
• Improved rate limitations: Laravel developers now have a better and more accessible approach to prevent APIs from becoming overloaded.
• Job batching - This feature allows Laravel developers to bundle many tasks into a batch for simultaneous execution, making it easier for them to manage multiple jobs at once.
• Improved maintenance mode - Laravel 8 has reintroduced an enhanced maintenance mode, allowing Laravel developers to shut down their applications while upgrading the system.

2. Explain what is Route and how will you use it?

The route, which is specified in the roots directory's /route folder, creates a request URL for your application. The nicest part is that these URLs are both human-readable and SEO-friendly. The following Route methods are available to Laravel developers:

• get
• post
• put
• delete
• patch
• Option

3. Is it feasible to use Laravel for full-stack development?

The creation of both the client-side and server-side of a web application is referred to as full-stack development. Finally, it entails creating the front-end and back-end, as well as database integration and application debugging.

However, when it comes to creating progressive, scalable full-stack online apps, Laravel, a server-side PHP framework, is the favored option. Developers may use Vue.js and Laravel together for back-end and front-end development.

4. List the databases that are supported by Laravel.

Laravel apps, like any other modern application, communicate with a database. To make data storage, analysis, and manipulation easier, the framework supports various database systems, including MySQL, Postgres, SQLite, and SQL Server.

5. Explain Laravel relationships.

Laravel developers can easily link the tables, thanks to the eloquent relationship. Among the various relationships accessible in Laravel are:

• One to One - Establishes a one-to-one relationship between a type A model and a type B model and vice versa.
• One to Many - Establishes a one-to-many relationship between a type A model and multiple type B models.
• Many to Many - Defines the many-to-many connection between one type A model and several types B models, as well as vice versa.
• Has One Through - Enables Laravel developers to connect models using a single intermediary relation.
• Has Many Through - Enables Laravel developers to connect models via numerous intermediary relations.

Laravel is well-suited for web development companies. This is the case mainly because of the state-of-the-art security, blade template engine, massive scalability, and a suite of full-stack tools. All you need is a team of skilled and professional Laravel programmers. Use this guide as a benchmark to find and hire the right Laravel programmer for your dream project. The above factors may not be exhaustive but cover the most important areas. If you start with clear requirements and fully agree with each other's expectations, the project will head in the right direction.

Hiring the best Laravel programmers to make all this possible is not as easy as it may seem. And therefore, we recommend companies take the time to evaluate key technical skills, communication skills, hiring terms, and costs before starting the hiring process. But assessing all of these skills can be tediously difficult if you lack technical knowledge.

But worry not, as you can still hire dedicated Laravel programmers easily with Turing.

With Turing, companies can hire remote Laravel programmers pre-vetted for a Silicon Valley bar. At Turing, we help companies to hire Laravel programmers after evaluating their coding, technical and soft skills. Turing allows businesses to quickly scale and build a team of the top Laravel programmers in just 4 days.