Last Updated on 2024-10-11
As a free and open-source PHP framework, Laravel is a popular choice among developers when building dynamic web applications. If youโre planning to build a website using a Laravel framework, a Laravel developer can help move your software project from point A to point B. Let this article serve as your guide to finding the right one in the market.
If youโre searching for a guide to hiring developers, who can provide world-class Laravel services, youโve come to the right place. Essentially, hiring just any web developer wonโt be sufficient. You might need a software expert who can transform complicated APIs into simple, well-structured web applications. Before hiring one, letโs first understand what Laravel is and what makes it a great development platform for your business.
What is Laravel?
Laravel is a massively popular, open-source PHP web framework developed by Taylor Otwell in 2011. It creates web applications using Symfony and MVC (Model-View-Controller) architectural pattern. The Laravel 7 version upgrade was released on March 2020.
Otwell built Laravel to provide a better alternative to the CodeIgniter framework since the latter doesnโt offer user authentication and authorization features.
Additionally, Laravel provides a clean architecture with a decent amount of packages to answer your needs during the development process. Generally, developers consider Laravel to be an easy-to-use, lightweight, and responsive type of web framework.
Skills Needed to be Laravel Developer
The world is filled with all kinds of developers. They are constantly innovating on different technologies. A Laravel developer can help you create dynamic web applications and websites using the Laravel platform. It can improve both the development and user experience once these websites or apps go live.
While Laravel experts are expected to have a strong mastery of the Laravel framework, they need to be skilled in different areas, too. Hereโs a rundown of skills to take note of the next time you hire Laravel developers.
Web Development Skills
Your Laravel developer must be skilled in fundamental web technologies such as CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. A competent Laravel developer has a strong experience in PHP and Laravel framework.
They know how to use project management frameworks such as Scrum, Agile, Waterfall, and others. They have expertise in managing APIs, RESTful or SOAP, OOP, and Model-View-Controller.
Itโs a great advantage for them if they have a working knowledge of cloud servers (AWS, Digital Ocean, Linode, Heroku/Rackspace, etc.) and server administration tools (Nginx, Apache, PHP-FPM, etc).
Database Management Skills
Part of being a Laravel developer is knowing how to manage database systems. They are knowledgeable about relational database queries. A highly-skilled Laravel talent has a solid background working with various SQL management systems such as MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server.
Soft Skills
Aside from technical skills, a Laravel developer should have the right attitude and mindset to work on projects that require collaboration within a team. Here are the basic Laravel Developer traits to look out for:
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work independently and with a team
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
- Highly creative and adaptable to changes in tech trends
- Ability to take criticisms with humility
Factors to Consider Before Hiring Laravel Developer
When hiring Laravel developers, most companies opt to go with either in-house, freelance, and remote setup, or through an offshore web development firm. Whatever decisions you make will depend on these factors:
- How much is your budget for a Laravel developer?
- Do you need to hire your developer later or ASAP?
- Do you have the time and skills to screen, provide tests, interview, and facilitate job contracts?
- Are values such as output quality, performance, team cohesion, and consistency integral aspects of achieving your business goals?
- Do you have the proper skills, motivations, and mentorship to manage and lead development projects and teams?
Where do you find Laravel Developers?
Whether you need someone to work on a full-time, contractual, or freelance basis, there are great places you can use to find the right talent you need.
Online Job Sites
Here are some of the best websites to search for experts in Laravel development:
- Hired
- GitHub Jobs
- Toptal
- Extract
- Clutch
- Gun.io
- Upwork
- Guru
- Freelancer
- Find Bacon
- People per Hour
- SimplyHired
- Glassdoor
- Craigslist
- Monster
Social Media
Most developers are active online. You may be lucky enough to find a Laravel developer prowling around popular social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.
Check their career profile, portfolio, and testimonials from past clients or employers. If youโre a LinkedIn premium user, you can send an InMail (LinkedInโs email messaging feature) even if youโre not connected.
Forum Sites
Developers hang out on forum communities for different reasons. Some want to learn how to code, keep up with the latest technology trends, answer questions from other forum visitors, and many more.
While most donโt go to forums looking for jobs, itโs still a great place to connect with different developers and interact on the projects that theyโre doing. Build that relationship and transform the discussion towards an open position they might take an interest in.
Writing a Job Ad Description
Weโre finally at the fun partโwriting a job ad. When writing descriptions for this position, you need to focus on the basics. You can start with: who are you looking for, what type of project will the candidate be working on, skills and experience they should possess to accomplish the job, and the tasks you need them to do.
Being clear and concise about your job description allows you to sort out the right Laravel developer. Additionally, this allows potential candidates to give you a realistic proposal.
Consider these things when writing for a Laravel developer job ad:
- Level of competence and years of industry experience
- The solutions you are looking for when building your website or application
- Different people or teams that the candidate will collaborate with (developers, project managers, web designers, stakeholders, etc.)
- Development tools, frameworks, libraries, equipment, and project management principles to use
- Project deadlines and expected results
Find Laravel Developers for your Software Project
While hiring a top-tier Laravel talent can be challenging. The great news is that it can be done. By following the key points shared in this article, youโll find the right Laravel expert for your team.
Best of all, you donโt have to do it alone. You can get all the support you need to get things done faster and simpler.
Here at Full Scale, we connect you to highly skilled Laravel developers that understand your business needs. We provide a holistic approach from recruitment, project management to deployment so you can focus on what matters mostโgrowing your startup.
We are an offshore software development company in Kansas City, USA with a wide pool of expert skills and experience to work on your project.
Get your FREE consultation today.ย
Matt Watson is a serial tech entrepreneur who has started four companies and had a nine-figure exit. He was the founder and CTO of VinSolutions, the #1 CRM software used in today’s automotive industry. He has over twenty years of experience working as a tech CTO and building cutting-edge SaaS solutions.
As the CEO of Full Scale, he has helped over 100 tech companies build their software services and development teams. Full Scale specializes in helping tech companies grow by augmenting their in-house teams with software development talent from the Philippines.
Matt hosts Startup Hustle, a top podcast about entrepreneurship with over 6 million downloads. He has a wealth of knowledge about startups and business from his personal experience and from interviewing hundreds of other entrepreneurs.