Top 12 PHP Programmer Skills to Put on Your Resume
In today's competitive tech job market, standing out as a PHP programmer means showing a sharp, current mix of skills on your resume. This guide digs into a dozen abilities that prove you can ship reliable code and handle modern web challenges without flinching.
PHP Programmer Skills
1. Laravel
Laravel is a modern, open-source PHP framework for building web applications. It streamlines routing, authentication, sessions, caching, and more, leaning on convention over configuration to boost productivity and keep code tidy.
Why It's Important
It removes repetitive boilerplate, gives you batteries-included tooling, and lets you focus on business logic. Cleaner code. Faster delivery. Happier teams.
How to Improve Laravel Skills
Level up by mixing fundamentals with real practice and a steady eye on the ecosystem.
Follow Laravel best practices: Stick to SOLID, DRY, and clear naming. Read the official docs and treat them like a playbook.
Use the ecosystem: Forge for provisioning, Envoyer for zero-downtime deploys, Nova for admin panels, Horizon for queues. Learn when each fits.
Test deeply: Write unit, feature, and browser tests with PHPUnit and Dusk. Aim for confidence, not perfection.
Build packages: Extract reusable code into packages. You’ll sharpen boundaries and versioning discipline.
Queues and jobs: Offload slow work. Tune retry, backoff, and failures. Monitor with Horizon.
Events and listeners: Decouple flows. Keep modules speaking via events instead of tight coupling.
Stay current: Follow release notes, podcasts, and community channels. Small, regular updates beat big risky jumps.
Practice: Ship small apps, contribute on GitHub, read other people’s code. Repetition turns features into muscle memory.
Learn from experts: Laracasts and community talks are gold for patterns you won’t see in quick tutorials.
How to Display Laravel Skills on Your Resume
2. Symfony
Symfony is a robust PHP framework and a set of reusable components. It emphasizes scalability, performance, security, and long-term maintainability.
Why It's Important
When projects get complex, you need predictable structure, strong tooling, and standards-driven code. Symfony leans hard into that.
How to Improve Symfony Skills
Master the fundamentals: OOP, interfaces, services, and dependency injection. Everything else builds on that.
Learn by doing: Hands-on, project-based tutorials and SymfonyCasts speed up understanding.
Standards and quality: Embrace PSR-1 and PSR-12. Add linters and static analysis (PHP_CodeSniffer, PHPStan) to your workflow.
Know the Components: Console, HttpFoundation, EventDispatcher, Messenger—use components standalone when it makes sense.
Doctrine ORM: Model cleanly, profile queries, index wisely, and keep migrations disciplined.
Testing: PHPUnit plus Symfony’s testing tools for kernel tests, client requests, and fixtures.
Performance: Cache everything sensible, warm containers, tune autowiring, and strip unnecessary services.
Security: Understand authentication, authorization, voters, and CSRF. Lock down defaults.
Contribute: Read PRs, submit fixes, review issues. You’ll learn idioms that aren’t in docs.
Stay updated: Track releases and deprecations. Upgrade progressively.
How to Display Symfony Skills on Your Resume
3. CodeIgniter
CodeIgniter is a lightweight PHP framework for building dynamic web apps quickly. It focuses on speed, simplicity, and a small footprint, with a clear MVC structure and a handy set of libraries and helpers.
Why It's Important
It’s nimble, easy to learn, and well-documented. Great for tight timelines, smaller apps, or environments where overhead must stay lean.
How to Improve CodeIgniter Skills
Understand MVC: Keep concerns separate. Models for data, Views for output, Controllers for flow.
Follow best practices: Consistent naming, configuration hygiene, and clear folder structure.
Use libraries and helpers: Don’t reinvent sessions, validation, email, or file handling.
Database performance: Optimize queries, use the query builder where appropriate, add proper indexes.
Security first: Escape output, validate input, enable CSRF and XSS protections, rotate keys safely.
Extend CI: Write custom libraries and helpers for shared functionality the core doesn’t offer.
Stay current: Track releases and upgrade notes to pick up fixes and new features.
Engage the community: Forums and discussions help you spot patterns and pitfalls quickly.
Practice: Build small modules; refactor them as packages. Reuse and refine.
Explore advanced features: Hooks, caching, events, and package development when your app grows.
How to Display CodeIgniter Skills on Your Resume
4. PHPUnit
PHPUnit is the de facto testing framework for PHP. It lets you write automated tests that guard behavior and prevent regressions.
Why It's Important
Tests create safety nets. They accelerate refactoring and simplify debugging. Your future self will thank you.
How to Improve PHPUnit Skills
Use modern PHPUnit: Target current versions (10/11). Embrace type hints, data providers, and stricter assertions.
Adopt testing habits: Test early and often. Keep tests fast, focused, and deterministic.
Data providers: Cover many input shapes without duplicating test code.
Mocks and stubs: Isolate units. Fake external services and flaky dependencies.
Code coverage: Measure what matters. Identify risky, untested paths—don’t chase 100% blindly.
Continuous integration: Run your test suite on each push with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or similar.
Refine structure: Organize tests by feature or layer, and keep fixtures lean.
How to Display PHPUnit Skills on Your Resume
5. MySQL
MySQL is a widely used open-source relational database. It powers structured storage, querying, and transactions for PHP-backed apps.
Why It's Important
It’s reliable, scalable, and familiar. Perfect for dynamic content, user data, and reporting needs.
How to Improve MySQL Skills
Index smartly: Add indexes on columns used in joins and WHERE clauses. Avoid over-indexing write-heavy tables.
Optimize queries: Prefer explicit columns over SELECT *. Profile with EXPLAIN. Trim nested subqueries when a join suffices.
Tune configuration (MySQL 8+): Focus on InnoDB settings like innodb_buffer_pool_size, innodb_log_file_size, and innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit. The old query cache is gone—don’t chase it.
Partition when huge: Large tables may benefit from partitioning for maintenance and some query patterns.
Maintain regularly: Analyze tables, check for fragmentation, keep stats fresh.
Add caching: Reduce DB load with Redis or Memcached for hot reads and sessions.
Pick the right engine: InnoDB is the default workhorse—ACID, row-level locking, foreign keys.
Manage connections wisely: Use persistent connections (PDO or mysqli) where appropriate, or build pools in long-running PHP workers. Classic FPM doesn’t share connections across requests.
How to Display MySQL Skills on Your Resume
6. MongoDB
MongoDB is a document-oriented NoSQL database. It stores JSON-like documents, great for flexible, evolving schemas and nested data.
Why It's Important
When your data doesn’t fit rigid tables—or changes shape frequently—MongoDB keeps you moving without costly migrations.
How to Improve MongoDB Skills
Model documents thoughtfully: Embed when reads are denormalized; reference when relations are many-to-many or documents bloat.
Use indexes: Compound, partial, TTL—choose carefully. Measure with explain plans.
Optimize queries: Project only needed fields. Avoid unbounded scans. Keep hot paths lean.
Use the official PHP driver: For stability, performance, and modern features.
Monitor: Track memory, locks, and slow operations. Tune before it hurts.
Transactions and consistency: Know when multi-document transactions help and when a single-document atomic update is enough.
Security: Enable auth, enforce roles, encrypt at rest and in transit, and lock down network access.
Backup and recovery: Test restores. Automate snapshots. Don’t wait for a bad day.
How to Display MongoDB Skills on Your Resume
7. RESTful APIs
RESTful APIs expose resources over HTTP using methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. Typically JSON. Stateless by design, client-server oriented.
Why It's Important
Interoperability. Scalable integrations. Clean contracts for web and mobile clients alike.
How to Improve RESTful APIs Skills
Use HTTP methods precisely: Stick to semantics. GET reads, POST creates, PUT replaces, PATCH updates, DELETE removes.
Cache aggressively: ETags, Cache-Control, and sensible TTLs reduce load and latency.
Secure the surface: HTTPS everywhere. OAuth 2.0 or JWTs for auth. Rate limit and throttle.
Validate input: Sanitize and validate all payloads. Never trust user input.
Prefer JSON: Consistent field names, camelCase or snake_case—pick one and stick to it.
Rate limiting: Keep abuse in check. Return helpful headers about limits and resets.
Version your API: v1, v2, or accept-version headers. Plan deprecation paths.
Document well: Use OpenAPI/Swagger. Keep examples real and error cases explicit.
Error handling: Standard status codes, structured error bodies, correlation IDs when helpful.
Lean on frameworks: Laravel, Symfony, or Slim can speed delivery and enforce patterns.
How to Display RESTful APIs Skills on Your Resume
8. JavaScript
JavaScript runs in the browser (and on servers with Node.js). It powers interactivity, async flows, and rich UIs alongside your PHP backend.
Why It's Important
Client-side behavior makes apps feel alive. It complements PHP so users get speed and responsiveness without constant page reloads.
How to Improve JavaScript Skills
Grasp the model: Async programming, the event loop, and prototypal inheritance differ from PHP—internalize them.
Modern JS: ES6+ features like modules, arrow functions, promises, and async/await clean up your code.
Build projects: Small tools, widgets, and integrations. Real problems sharpen skills.
Explore frameworks: React, Vue, or Angular on the front end; Node.js for back-end scripts and tooling.
Best practices: Keep code consistent with a style guide and linters. Write small, testable functions.
Join the community: Read threads, ask questions, and learn from others’ solutions.
How to Display JavaScript Skills on Your Resume
9. jQuery
jQuery is a small, fast JavaScript library that simplifies DOM manipulation, events, and Ajax. Still common in legacy codebases and plenty of production sites.
Why It's Important
For PHP developers who inherit older front ends, jQuery knowledge speeds fixes and incremental improvements without a full rewrite.
How to Improve jQuery Skills
Know JavaScript first: jQuery is just JavaScript. Strong JS fundamentals make jQuery trivial.
Read the API: Learn selectors, traversal, events, and Ajax patterns end to end.
Project-based practice: Add progressive enhancements to existing PHP apps. Replace inline scripts with tidy modules.
Study real code: Review open-source projects using jQuery to see practical patterns.
Performance: Cache selectors, minimize DOM writes, and avoid deep chained traversals.
Stay pragmatic: Use jQuery where it exists; prefer modern JS for new builds.
How to Display jQuery Skills on Your Resume
10. HTML5
HTML5 is the current language of the web’s structure. It adds semantic elements, better forms, media support, and APIs that tie neatly into CSS and JS.
Why It's Important
Clean markup improves accessibility, SEO, and maintainability. It’s the foundation your PHP-backed pages rest on.
How to Improve HTML5 Skills
Use semantic elements: article, section, nav, header, footer—these clarify intent for users and machines.
Modern forms: Built-in validation, new input types, and attributes like required and pattern reduce custom JS.
HTML5 APIs: Canvas, Geolocation, Web Storage—pull them in when they solve real problems.
Accessibility: Follow WCAG principles. Use ARIA only to fill gaps; prefer semantic HTML first.
Responsive layouts: Combine HTML5 with CSS3 media queries for layouts that adapt smoothly.
SEO basics: Proper headings, meta tags, alt text, and meaningful structure.
Build often: Practice beats theory. Wire up HTML5 features to your PHP endpoints.
How to Display HTML5 Skills on Your Resume
11. CSS3
CSS3 styles the web. Animations, variables, Flexbox, Grid, and responsive techniques make interfaces look sharp and feel smooth.
Why It's Important
Good design isn’t fluff. It’s clarity. CSS3 helps you craft accessible, responsive interfaces users actually enjoy.
How to Improve CSS3 Skills
Lock in fundamentals: Specificity, cascade, box model, and positioning.
Responsive design: Media queries, mobile-first thinking, fluid typography, and container queries where supported.
Flexbox and Grid: Reach for Flexbox for components; Grid for page-level layout and complex grids.
Preprocessors: Sass or Less for variables, mixins, and modular structure.
Motion with purpose: Transitions and keyframe animations that support usability, not distract.
Practice in the open: Use playgrounds like CodePen to iterate quickly and learn from others.
Stay current: Track new specs and browser support as they land.
DevTools fluency: Inspect, tweak, and debug styles live in the browser.
Organize CSS: Adopt a methodology like BEM for naming and structure.
Performance: Minify, remove dead CSS (tools like PurgeCSS), and keep critical styles inline when it helps.
How to Display CSS3 Skills on Your Resume
12. Git
Git is a distributed version control system. It tracks changes, enables branching, and lets teams collaborate without stepping on each other.
Why It's Important
You get history, safety, and fearless experimentation. Roll back, branch off, merge in—cleanly.
How to Improve Git Skills
Nail the basics: commit, push, pull, branch, merge. Clear messages, small commits.
Branching strategy: Feature branches, pull requests, and protected main branches keep history sane.
Interactive rebase: Squash, reorder, and edit to keep history readable.
Git hooks: Automate checks and tests pre-commit or pre-push.
Stash wisely: Save work-in-progress without messy commits.
.gitignore discipline: Keep vendor, build artifacts, and secrets out of version control.
Try GUIs if helpful: Tools like SourceTree or GitKraken can clarify complex histories.
Read the log: Format git log to surface what matters. Learn to bisect when hunting bugs.
Code reviews: Learn from feedback, review others’ changes, and keep discussions focused.
Practice: Contribute to open source or run personal projects to stress-test your workflow.
How to Display Git Skills on Your Resume
