When you interview for a job of a programmer, or for a job of a software developer, good knowledge of PHP will often be one the main requirements. Can you demonstrate your knowledge in an interview?
The HR managers will ask you some technical questions related to PHP, and their difficulty will depend on the position you apply for, and on their own technical skills.
Obviously the CTO will ask you more technical questions than the HR generalist–a person who knows little about PHP.
Keep in mind though, that the interviewers want to evaluate much much more than just your technical skills, or your knowledge of PHP.
Special Tip: Download a full list of technical PHP interview questions in a simple, one page long PDF document, and practice your interview answers anytime later:
Personal and behavioral questions – you have to handle them to succeed
Would you fit into the team of developers? Do you have the right attitude to work? How would you handle the pressure in your job? What motivates you to work hard? Can they count with you in a long run?
Interviewers will ask you many personal and behavioral questions (besides the technical questions), trying to find the answers, and understand more about your personality, motivation, and attitude to various situations from the workplace. Check our article about behavioral interview questions to see the list, and learn how to answer them.
In this article, however, we will focus on technical questions that relate to PHP.
List of common PHP interview questions
- Does PHP have support for Unicode? If it does not not, can we somehow bypass this limitation?
- Is PHP naturally compatible with 64-bit Windows platform? If not, is it possible to use PHP on these operating systems, and what is the trick to do that?
- What is the current version of PHP, and how does it differ to older versions?
- Can you define LAMP architecture?
- If you should asses the security level of PHP application and dynamic websites, how many points on a scale from 0 to 10 would you give them? What solutions are more, and less secure than dynamic websites?
- If you should pick three most important PHP functions, what functions would you pick?
- PHP source code is compiled “on the fly”. Can you explain this sentence in a way that someone who has never worked with the code before will understand what you are saying?
- Do you know what is Phalanger and what is it function in PHP?
- Try to compare PHP and c++. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each language?
- What is the command to create MySQL database using PHP and MySWL?
- Define the difference between mysql_fetch_object and mysql_fetch_array.
- Is there any way to submit a form in php without using the submit button?
- Header(). For what is this function used in PHP language?
- Is there any way to configure PayPal checkout on a dynamic website? Try to describe the process step by step.
- Can you write a code of a very simple dynamic web page? Try to write the code in 10 minutes.
- Can you name the advantages of object oriented programming?
- Name at least three types of errors in PHP.
- Is there any way to convert different time zones of final users in PHP?
- What is the command to increase the execution time in PHP?
- What is the difference between ereg_replace() and eregi_replace()?
- Is there any way to make a script that supports both English and Spanish in PHP?
- What is Revoke command use for in PHP? Can you write a syntax of this command?
- In terms of new GDPR legislative, how would you address the data security issues on a dynamic website coded with PHP?
Conclusion and next steps
Knowledge of PHP belongs to the basic arsenal of every good software developer.
To demonstrate your readiness for the job with good answers to technical questions is a must, and you won’t succeed if you fail to demonstrate your skills.
However, keep in mind that success or failure in an interview depends on many other factors, such as the impression you make on the interviewers, your answers to the non-technical questions, and also the quality of other people who compete with you for the job–their interview answers, and their skills.
The better you prepare for the meeting with the employer, the more likely will outclass your competitors, and sign a new job contract at the end.
Ready to deliver your best on a big day?
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