A unique idea realized as a product can yield mind-blowing benefits for you, whether it is an app, website, or social media page. However, there are many people out there who might have a similar idea as you. The key thing that matters here is who is going to realize the product first.

As the market is proactive and competition is cut-throat, the product that reaches the market first somehow rules it. If you have an app idea and want to make big bucks with it, you need a good development framework.

Laravel is one of many frameworks that streamlines the app and website development process. It can be a perfect choice for you if you want to give a tough competition to your competitors.

However, the framework is not enough; you are also required to hire Laravel developers for your project. As Laravel is a bit complex, only expert-level developers would be best for that. If you are up for using Laravel, here is an extensive guide to hiring Laravel developers for your project!

A Brief overview of Laravel!

Laravel is a utilitarian, PHP-based framework that helps web and app developers make top-end products with limited hassle. It follows a simple MVC architecture that keeps the application logic separate from the interface. Thus, making it simple for developers to manage every part of the application.

The PHP-based framework helps developers in templating HTML, routing, verification, authentication, and whatnot. As it is a server-side framework, you can just imagine the features of Laravel.

Working of Laravel

Laravel takes the MVC architecture as its base where there are three modules, namely,

Model: The shape of data is known as a model. For example, a list can be a model.
View: This is the front end of the application. A UI view is generated based on the data stored in the model.
Controller: The logical part of the app or website is the controller. It communicates with both model and view and does everything the user requires.

The above process may seem easy, but it is actually not. Laravel is a complex framework that requires a special set of expertise. Therefore, you need to be careful while hiring developers for Laravel web development.

Skills to look for while hiring a Laravel Developer?

One of the key elements of shortlisting a developer is to see if he has the required skill set. Here are some of the indispensable skills required in a Laravel developer!

Database management

Websites and apps have a lot of data. Therefore, one of the key skills of a trusted Laravel developer is the ability to manage databases. If a developer is good at Laravel, they must be efficient at organizing, managing, and sharing data.

As there are many database systems today, make sure they have experience using them. Look for proficiency in MySQL, Microsoft SQL, Oracle, etc.

Coding skills

As Laravel is ideal for developing custom web apps, you need to look for some basic yet crucial coding skills in a developer. The hired personnel should be efficient at coding with HTML, CSS, Javascript, etc.

The expertise in these technologies is not just required for Laravel developers but for all those who work in the web development industry.

Knowledge about the latest updates

Frameworks do not remain the same. The makers keep on introducing new updates and features to improve the developer experience. Laravel is just like this. If you are planning to hire Laravel programmers, ensure they like to be knowledgeable about the new features.

In the recent update, Laravel introduced some cool new features for the developers. You can pose questions to the candidates to check if they are aware of them.

Web development tools

Anyone appearing for an interview will prepare for everything related to Laravel. However, the one who is skilled will know additional things too. Other than Laravel, you also need to check the web development skills of the developer. Here are some things they should be good at:

• Your developer should be good at cloud computing software such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, etc.
• Check for knowledge about server administration tools like Nginx, Apache, etc.
• The developer should be experienced in handling various APIs like RESTful. Apart from that, they should be well versed with concepts like OOP, SOAP, and MVC.

Soft skills

Technical skills are not the only necessary arrows in the quiver for a developer. He or she should also possess some soft skills.

Communication skills: When you hire a dedicated Laravel developer, you have to see if they have the required communication skills. As programming can be tricky to convey to each other, your developer should be able to make others understand his perspective clearly.

Team player: One man cannot handle a complex project. Therefore, if you are calling in some new developers, make sure they are good team players. As per CBInsights, around 7% of startups fail because of disharmony among team members. Hence, this skill is crucial.

Problem-solving and creative thinking: Coding is not easy. It demands a lot of creative thinking to make a website look unique. Your developer should be able to think out of the box and solve issues while working on a website project.

On top of these, a Laravel developer should have confidence in his work and assist team members in making critical decisions.

What type of developers should you hire?

As Laravel is one of the top PHP frameworks, there are countless developers who are getting proficient at this. Laravel developers are of various types based on the location from where they work.

If you are looking for developers for your Laravel development company, you can go for either in-house developers or freelance developers.

Freelance developers: Freelance developers are best suited for low and medium-scale projects. At one time, they could take up multiple projects from around the world. The best thing about freelance developers is that they are a cost-effective choice. They usually charge less as compared to other developers.

In-house developers: In-house developers are one of the best choices for you. Why? Well, first off, they work from the office. You can have direct communication with them at any time regarding the project status. Further, if they have any queries related to the project, you can directly contact them and get them resolved. The only con about in-house developers is that they can be a bit pricey as compared to freelance developers.

Therefore, if you have a good budget and your development project is big, go for in-house Laravel developers. On the other hand, if you have a limited budget, go for freelance developers. Make sure you check the portfolio and reviews of freelance developers online. The quality factor is a bit dicey in the case of these developers.

The Hiring Process!

As you are aware of the skills and the type of developers, let’s understand the hiring process!

Analyze your project and mention your requirements

The initial thing you have to do is analyze your project. Whether it is a big, medium, or small one. Based on your project, make the requirements list and make it clear. Laravel is used for making web apps as well as websites. So, listing the requirements clearly will attract the right candidate for you.

Shortlist the resumes

There will be many CVs in your inbox after a day or two. Once you have collected a fixed number of resumes, shortlist the ones that seem appropriate to you. Scan the skillset of the candidates and align them for the next step. If they have relevant past experience, it will be a cherry on the cake.

Interview and testing

The concluding stage of the hiring process is to call in the candidates and interview them. A face-to-face interaction discloses a lot about the candidate. Therefore, it is necessary. On top of this, you can also make a short test for testing the candidate’s skills.

Where to find Laravel developers?

Today, there is no one way to hire talent for your company but many. You can begin searching for Laravel developers on social media, job forums, or community websites.

Facebook and LinkedIn are two social networking sites where you can easily find the required talent for your next project. Other than that, you can scout for developers on:

Laravel is a great choice for web development firms. Some key reasons include top-edge security, Blade templating engine, immense scalability, a bunch of full-stack tools, and whatnot. So, the tool has everything you need. All you need is a team of professional developers. This guide will serve as a benchmark for you to hire the best developers for your dream project.