Why pre-screen PHP developers before the technical interview
Most PHP work is not building something new. It is a codebase that has been running for eight years, where half the logic sits in files nobody wants to open and the framework version is three behind. Developers worth hiring can work in that without breaking it, and know where the security holes usually are. A short screen asks about the worst code they inherited and what they did with it.
What actually matters when screening PHP Developer candidates
- 01
Technical proficiency
Probe depth in PHP 8 features (enums, readonly properties, attributes), Composer dependency handling, and framework specifics: Laravel Eloquent, Symfony services, or legacy procedural codebases they modernised.
- 02
Systems and trade-offs
Test how they handle MySQL query performance, caching layers (Redis, OPcache), queue workers, and choices between monolith and API-first structure under real traffic.
- 03
Evidence and rigour
Assess testing habits: PHPUnit or Pest coverage, static analysis with PHPStan or Psalm, PSR-12 linting, and how they verify migrations before production deploys.
- 04
Collaboration and communication
Look for evidence of code review practice, working from tickets in Jira or Linear, and explaining technical debt or refactor cost to product owners and designers.
Pre-screening questions to ask PHP Developer candidates
12 questions grouped by what they test. Ask the same set in every screen and score answers on a consistent scale, or send them as an async video screen and compare answers side by side.
Applications they shipped
3 questions01Have you worked on large PHP projects, and what was your role?
Listen forApplications running in production with real traffic, and their own components rather than the team's overall work.
Projects described at team level only, or nothing that ran with real users behind it.
02Can you describe a challenging problem you hit in PHP and how you solved it?
Listen forA genuine technical difficulty with the investigation described, including what they ruled out along the way.
Challenges described as deadlines or requirements, with no technical content behind the answer.
03Do you have experience with PHP performance optimisation?
Listen forProfiling used to find the actual bottleneck, with before and after numbers rather than assumed improvements.
Caching added without measuring, or performance work based on guesses about what is slow.
Framework understood
4 questions04Do you have experience with PHP frameworks, and which ones?
Listen forOne framework known well enough to explain what it does underneath rather than just its conventions.
Framework knowledge limited to following documentation, or no idea what the framework does behind a helper.
05What is your understanding of object-oriented programming in PHP?
Listen forDesign decisions justified by the problem, with a preference for simple structures over deep inheritance chains.
Patterns recited by name, or abstraction added long before a second use case exists.
06Can you explain your experience with model view controller architecture?
Listen forA clear view of where business logic should live, with controllers kept thin and models doing real work.
Business logic accumulated in controllers, or no opinion on where logic belongs in an application.
07Have you built RESTful APIs in PHP?
Listen forInterfaces designed for the consumer, with versioning, error responses and authentication handled deliberately.
Breaking changes shipped without versioning, or error handling that returns the same response for everything.
Secure by habit
2 questions08How do you ensure the PHP code you write is secure?
Listen forInput sanitised and output escaped automatically, with prepared statements used for every database query.
Security described as a library or plugin, or any suggestion that user input can be trusted.
09Can you explain your experience with SQL and databases in relation to PHP?
Listen forQuery plans read and indexes reasoned about, with a slow query they diagnosed under real data volume.
Database work entirely through an object mapper, with no idea what queries it actually produces.
Tested and versioned
3 questions10Do you have experience with testing in PHP, and what tools have you used?
Listen forTests written where they earn their keep, with a clear view of what is worth testing and what is not.
Coverage targets treated as the objective, or tests that only exercise framework behaviour.
11Have you used version control on PHP projects?
Listen forVersion control used as normal practice with branching and review, and deployments that are repeatable.
Files edited over a file transfer connection, or no version history for production code.
12Have you used dependency management tools in PHP?
Listen forDependencies managed properly, with a habit of reviewing what a package pulls in before adding it.
Libraries copied into the repository by hand, or dependencies never updated after installation.
How to score responses
Score every candidate on the same four criteria immediately after the screen. At this stage you are shortlisting for panel interviews, not making the final call.
Technical proficiency
35%5Names PHP 8 language features in context, explains Eloquent eager loading versus raw queries, and shows real Composer and autoload knowledge.
Systems and trade-offs
25%5Describes a specific N+1 or slow query they profiled, the index or cache they added, and the latency numbers before and after.
Evidence and rigour
25%5Cites PHPStan levels reached, meaningful test suites they wrote, and a rollback or migration failure they caught before release.
Collaboration and communication
15%5Gives concrete review comments they gave or received, and shows they negotiated scope with product rather than silently accumulating debt.
Most PHP work is an eight-year-old codebase with logic nobody wants to open. A one-way video screen asks how they handled the last one.
Try it on HirevireScreening FAQ
Process basics
How long should a pre-screening round for this role take?
Fifteen minutes across eight to ten questions, answered async. Enough to establish what they shipped, test their understanding of the framework and security habits, and check their workflow.
Should I include a coding task in the screen?
No. Keep the screen to experience and reasoning, then use a short focused exercise later. A take-home attached to a first-stage screen loses good candidates and adds no extra signal.
Evaluating answers
What is the strongest signal when screening this role?
How they handled inherited code. Developers with real experience describe understanding it before changing it. Anyone whose instinct is to rewrite will break something you depend on.
How do I judge their security habits?
Ask how they handle user input and database queries. Real answers describe prepared statements and escaping as automatic. Anyone who mentions a security plugin has not thought about it at the code level.
Go deeper on this role
Sanat has been hiring since 2012 and watching the recruitment industry change up close ever since, and turned that screening process into Hirevire's video screening platform. LinkedIn
