Hiring Laravel developers is an important and challenging decision for any business, mainly because of the requirement of specific skills and the competitive hiring landscape. It is no doubt that Laravel is a popular framework for developing web and mobile apps. This eventually means there is often a high demand for skilled Laravel professionals. 

Indeed, it is challenging to hire Laravel developers, mainly because of the vast pool of Laravel talent out there. So, in this blog, we will explore the qualities you should look for when hiring Laravel experts. With the comprehension of these attributes, you will be better prepared to identify the best Laravel expert who can fulfill all your project needs—helping you to achieve the growth and customer base you have always desired. 

It’s time for you to become a pro in onboarding Larvel developers, and this piece right here will be your secret key to screening and hiring the best Laravel developers. Let’s discuss the essential and critical skills!

Critical Skills In Laravel Developers To Look For

If you are interviewing Laravel developers or have upcoming interviews, note these points on your sticky notes. Keep them with you, and don’t forget to assess your candidates on these points. 

• Skilled in web development and MVC architecture.
• Complete comprehension of data management skills.
• Understanding of Project management methodologies.

When hiring Laravel developers, you must ensure that your desired candidate has soft skills, like problem-solving & communication skills. We will discuss this further, but for better understanding, let’s divide the qualities into hard and soft skills. And start with hard skills, which essentially means technical skills.

5 Top Qualities In Laravel Developers: Hard & Soft Skills

The hard skills point towards the technical skills the Laravel developers should have, like knowledge of programming languages, frontend technologies, Larvel features, etc. We have jotted down some skills for you below:

• Solid Understanding Of Programming Languages

The Laravel programming language is diverse, but the developer must have a robust understanding of several programming languages and web technologies. Such as:

• Robust knowledge of CSS, HTML, and JavaScript.
• Solid understanding of PHP to build high-performance web apps.

Remember, every Laravel developer should know about PHP and HTML, especially. Because coupled together, they can provide your app with the best and most unique capabilities. Also, look for a Laravel developer who knows about PHP programming because Laravel is a powerful PHP framework.

    2. Well-versed In Laravel Features

Every Laravel developer must be adept in Laravel features and best practices. Some of the features they should be proficient in are:

• Laravel Eloquent Routing System (ORM) allows Laravel developers to determine the application routes and handle HTTP requests.
• Laravel’s Blade Templating Engine helps build dynamic and reusable views, improving the frontend functionality.

• Laravel Authentication & Authorization are essential to implement security, authentication & access mechanisms.
• Use Of Caching systems to optimize application performance by frequently caching the accessed data to minimize the server response times.

• MVC architecture

Last but not least, a strong familiarity with Laravel’s testing suite helps the developers write comprehensive tests to ensure the solution’s stability.

     3. Understanding Of Laravel Tools

An understanding of Laravel tools is necessary for Laravel developers to ensure the smooth functioning of solutions. Some of the famous Laravel tools that are necessary to be used are:

• Laravel Tinker enables access to all the events and objects. Using the command line, you can interact with any project with the Laravel framework. 

• Laravel Passport helps in the efficient and straightforward authentication of APIs with this extension.

• Laravel Dusk simplifies the whole process of maintaining and writing browser tests for Laravel apps. It automates the testing process, improving the quality & reliability of web apps.

Above are just some of the tools; the other tools the Laravel developers should be proficient in are Laravel tenancy, Laravel web sockets, Laracasts, etc.

4. Database Management

Another hard skill that is essential for Laravel developers is database management. Developers must know how to design, implement, optimize, and maintain the database. These skills allow the developers to work efficiently with Laravel’s database features to ensure their apps' security, performance, and reliability.

5. Knowledge Of RESTful APIs

The Laravel developers should have expertise in RESTful APIs using packages like Laravel Passport. This ensures efficient, secure, and standard-compliant API development within Laravel apps. Also, understanding RESTful principles helps developers build robust backend services that can effectively communicate with frontend apps and other services, such as integrating payment gateways, social media platforms, and cloud storage solutions.

Laravel also contains built-in support for deploying authentication and authorization of APIs. 

Now that you know the technical skills, it's time to move towards soft skills. 

Soft skills are essential qualities like communication abilities and problem-solving capabilities, which can set a person apart. Of course, technical skills are necessary, but if a person needs to improve at managing his workload and handling pressure, then technical skills are useless.

So, let’s start!

• Problem-Solving Skills

Hire Laravel developers who know the ins and outs of Laravel and have good problem-solving skills. This helps them overcome challenges, enhance code quality, and provide the best software solutions.

• Management Skills

This may seem easy, but management skills are necessary as they help the Laravel developers effectively manage their workload. As well as, set milestones for the successful completion of the project within the given time frame.

• Communication & Collaboration

Most of the time, as a recruiter, you might ignore it. Still, it is an essential skill for the developer. The developer you hire should know how to communicate & collaborate with the team members & stakeholders, etc. This helps in resolving conflicts as well as effectively communicating project information.

Wrapping Up

Indeed, Laravel is difficult, but with the right Laravel developer, you can maximize its utility for your project, as the experienced Laravel developer will know how to utilize its tools and features at their best to develop top web and mobile applications. So, the key to your success is to hire Laravel developers as per your needs and assess the hard and soft skills mentioned above to make the best hire.