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PHP Developer CV Template

PHP Developers in 2026 are almost always Laravel or Symfony shops on modern PHP 8.x with types, because legacy-only roles dry up fast. This template helps you build a CV that shows your framework, real load and PHPUnit coverage instead of generic 'experienced web dev' lines.

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What recruiters look for

Top signals on a PHP Developer CV

  • PHP 8.x with types in bullets, not legacy 7.x only
  • A specific framework: Laravel or Symfony
  • PHPUnit coverage as a default, not a bonus
  • MySQL or PostgreSQL work with real query optimisation
  • Redis for cache and queues
  • Composer and package work, not just plain PHP
  • GitHub with real projects, not tutorial CRUD apps
Key skills

Skills to feature on a PHP Developer CV

Hard skills
PHP 8.1 / 8.2 / 8.3Laravel, SymfonyPHPUnit, PestMySQL, PostgreSQLRedis, MemcachedREST API, OpenAPIEloquent, Doctrine ORMComposer, PackagistDocker, docker-composeNginx, PHP-FPMCI/CD (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI)System design and architecture
Soft skills
Autonomy on tickets and featuresMentoring juniors via code reviewBreaking down complex featuresWorking with product and frontendJustifying technical decisions
Sample bullets

Ready-to-use lines for your CV

Copy these as starting points and swap in your own numbers.

  1. 01Designed a Laravel backend for an e-commerce site with 90k MAU, holding 160ms p95 latency at 600 RPS peak.
  2. 02Migrated a PHP 7.2 monolith to PHP 8.2 with types and strict mode, cutting critical bugs in half.
  3. 03Optimised Eloquent queries with eager loading and composite indexes, dropping API response time from 1.3s to 220ms.
  4. 04Raised PHPUnit coverage on the payments module from 36% to 82%, reducing billing regressions by 3x.
  5. 05Moved heavy jobs to Redis-backed Laravel queues, eliminating timeout failures on the main API during peak hours.
  6. 06Designed a Symfony REST API with an OpenAPI spec, cutting the frontend team's integration time in half.
  7. 07Containerised 5 PHP services in Docker and wired GitHub Actions, bringing deploy from merge to prod down to 8 minutes.
  8. 08Set up Redis caching on the top 15 endpoints, dropping MySQL load by 55%.
  9. 09Mentored 2 juniors over a year; both were promoted to middle and took ownership of full modules.
Salary ranges

What PHP Developer earn

2024-2025 estimates. Wide ranges by experience and seniority.

Market
Junior
Mid
Senior
Ukraine
$1,000-1,800 USD/mo
$2,000-3,500 USD/mo
$3,800-6,500 USD/mo
EU
2,500-3,800 EUR/mo
4,000-6,200 EUR/mo
6,500-9,800 EUR/mo
USA
$80,000-115,000 USD/yr
$115,000-160,000 USD/yr
$165,000-230,000 USD/yr
Interview prep

5 questions PHP Developer candidates hear

  1. Q1Explain how PHP 8 attributes and readonly properties work, and where you've actually used them.
  2. Q2What's the difference between Eloquent and Doctrine ORM, and when do you pick each?
  3. Q3Walk me through a Laravel or Symfony service you built from scratch. How did you structure it and split responsibility?
  4. Q4How do you tune a slow ORM query? What's your first step and which tools do you use?
  5. Q5Describe the worst production incident on a PHP service and what you took away from it.
FAQ

Common questions about this CV

Is PHP still worth picking in 2026, or should I move to Node or Python?

PHP still powers a huge slice of e-commerce, media and small-to-mid business, and Laravel salaries have caught up with Node in many markets. Fewer openings than Node, less competition too. If the ecosystem clicks for you, it's a stable bet.

Laravel or Symfony, which one should I pick?

Laravel gets you into projects faster and offers more junior roles. Symfony shows up more in enterprise and agency work with stricter architecture. Know both at a conversational level; go deep on Symfony at mid and beyond.

Can I build a PHP career without WordPress?

Yes, and often you should. Pure Laravel or Symfony product roles pay noticeably better than WordPress customisation. If you want CMS work, look at Strapi or headless architectures instead.

How long does the junior-to-mid path take in PHP?

Usually 1.5 to 2.5 years of solid commercial work with Laravel or Symfony, real databases and background jobs. If you haven't covered those after a year, find a team with strong code review or a mentor.

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