PHP Developer Resume Examples (With Template and Tips)

You are about to create your very own PHP Developer resume that will blow your expectations out of the water.

But hold on there for just a second. You’re a script-writing genius. You practically make websites spring up from your keyboard at a moment’s notice with just your fingertips. You’re fast, effective, flexible, and practical. And PHP dev jobs are absolutely in demand. You’ve got everything going for you!

Except—

If you believe all of the above means you can put zero effort into your resume writing, you’re dead wrong. True, your resume doesn’t need to shine, sparkle, and make coffee at the same time to land you somePHP developer job.

But to get one you’d actually like, you have to put the work in.

This guide will show you:

• A PHP developer resume example better than 9 out of 10 others.
• How to write a PHP developer resume that will guarantee more interviews.
• Tips on how to put skills and technical abilities on a PHP resume.
• How to describe your work experience to start swimming in job offers.

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And if it’s something else you’re after, we got you covered, too:

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Sample PHP Developer Resume

This is how you can write an amazing PHP developer resume:

1. Choose the Correct Format for a PHP Developer Resume

PHP developers write scripts and code, implementing these elements to create a functional and easy-to-use website. A great PHP developer resume should say exactly that, plus show you’re capable of delivering your projects on time, thinking creatively, and adhering to client needs and desires. 

And since that’s a lot to dig through, your best bet is to serve up the juicy details right away—instead of tangling them up in fluff, like a poorly designed website. 

Plus, even though PHP developers are in high demand, your resume still needs to be a cut above the rest if you want to get hired. 

So, follow these resume formatting tips to create a user-friendly experience for the recruiter: 

• Start by picking the chronological resume format. It strategically places your best and freshest accomplishments right at the top, meaning the recruiter won’t have to trudge through everything else to get to the good stuff.
• In your resume heading, remember to include your current contact information.
• Remember that user-friendliness? That’s the effect we’re going for, so a clear, legible resume font is an absolute must.
• Use plenty of white space and bold text for the headings of your resume sections for a clear structure. 
• Save your resume as a PDF file—it helps avoid a multitude of problems and preserves your resume layout intact. 

Read more: How to Make a Resume: Full Guide, Examples & Tips

2. Write a PHP Developer Resume Objective or Resume Summary

Each resume begins (and also lives or dies by) a heading statement at the top, also called a resume profile. It’s a quick, condensed paragraph briefly describing your experience and skills, meant to grab the recruiter’s attention and invite them to read further.

They likely won’t do that if it’s not crafted properly, though.

Here’s a quick breakdown: got experience? Great, write a resume summary. Talk yourself up, bring up a web design achievement or two. Use numbers to prove you’re not making stuff up. Boom, done, next section.

Don’t have much experience to show for yourself? Are you changing careers? Don’t worry, you’re not out of luck—it’s a resume objective for you. Explain what it is that you know and how that knowledge would transfer to coding in PHP.

Read more: How to Write a Resume with No Experience

3. Describe Your Past Work Experience on a PHP Developer Resume

This is the resume section that makes or breaks the whole thing. Let me show you how to do it right.

First, compile all your previous jobs and think of every praise-worthy achievement or task you did. Doesn’t matter how small.

Once you’re there, align your past jobs in reverse chronological order, with the freshest one at the top.

Provide the company name, job title, and your tenure. Then, list up to 5 or 6 of those achievements and duties in a bullet list.

Repeat that for the next job, but this time, write only 3 bullet points. Don’t overdo it.

Here are a few key takeaways to also keep in mind:

• You want to provide some numbers next to your resume achievements. “Wrote script” and “Helped optimize website” doesn’t sound nearly as nice as “Increased website load times by up to 25%”.
• Use action words. They make for a way more engaging read, meaning the recruiter is less likely to give up halfway through your resume.
• Write in a way that’s compliant with  Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Scan the job ad and select the right keywords to put on your resume: the system will detect and approve your application instead of discarding it. 

Read more: How to Tailor Your Resume to any Job Posting

4. Include a Neatly Presented Education Section for PHP Developer Jobs

For PHP development, your employer will likely require you to present, at minimum, a shining bachelor’s degree. This may go against your initial intuition that education hardly matters on a resume.

Spoiler alert: it does, so you better take good care of your education section. The only time you really need to provide the basics is when you’ve got 5 or more years of experience.

In other cases, on top of the school name, years and degree obtained, think about adding some of the following:

• Relevant coursework
• Your GPA (if it was exceptionally high)
• Scholarships you received
• Club memberships
• Extracurricular activities
• Honors on your degree

Also, if you happen not to have any PHP dev experience, swap the positions of your education and work sections, to keep the most important content higher up.

Read more: Listing Minors and Majors on a Resume: How-To Guide with Examples

5. Show Off Your PHP Developer Skills on a Resume

Generic resumes don’t go far in the recruitment process. One of the most common crimes of the humble resume writer is an offensively generic skills section.

Truth is, if you were to put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes and had to read the same list of computer science skills and programming languages for each applicant, would you be thrilled?

Probably not.

On the other hand, you most definitely would be excited to see a candidate whose skills section seems a match made in heaven for your company. Almost like it was crafted deliberately. Huh…

Well, that’s because it was. Believe me, just because over 80% of websites are written using PHP, doesn’t mean listing PHP in your skills section equals a free pass to a cushy job. 

Here’s how:

• Create one large list or spreadsheet of your skills, all of them. Hard skills, soft skills, technical skills, and programming languages.
• Then, refer back to the job description one more time. Look for resume keywords, they should tell you exactly what kind of employee the company is searching for.
• Once you have those picked out, simply fill in your list of skills based on that description. Make sure these skills correlate to what you wrote in the work experience section. They’ll be practically begging to hire you by the end.

Sample PHP Developer Resume Skills

Read more: What Skills to Put on a Resume

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add Miscellaneous Sections to Your PHP Developer Resume

A good resume is one that overflows with character, passion, and commitment. Who would you rather hire, a Full Stack developer passionate about his job, who keeps up with the latest industry trends and visits web dev conferences? Or the guy who always looks like he’d rather be home binging on Netflix?

Adding extra elements to wow the recruiter is key. Take a minute to consider tiny details about you. You’re bound to come up with something that shows you’re passionate.

Try compiling some of your hobbies, interests, special achievements or projects, volunteer work, awards, or special certifications or licenses. The recruiter will know they’re dealing with someone who’s crazy passionate, and that can only be good!

7. Attach a Cover Letter Together With Your PHP Developer Resume

And that’s it! You just finished writing your PHP developer resume! Pat yourself on the back, pop open a bottle of beer, send the application, and kick your feet up. The phone will ring any minute.

Any minute now.

Why’s it not ringing?

I’ll tell you why: you didn’t include a cover letter.

Although about half of recruiterssay they don’t care, the other half certainly do. They care so much, in fact, that if you don’t include a cover letter, they straight up won’t even bother to read your resume.

Here’s how to write a cover letter for PHP developers:

• Pick the right format for your cover letter to kick things off.
• Start the cover letter in a compelling way to make it an instant hit with HR.
• Add some context about your programming skills and expertise. Using numbers comes highly recommended.
• Finish off with a strong cover letter ending and include an enticing offer.

Once you’re done, save it as a PDF file, and give it a professional name. Then, and only then, can you finally press “Send”.

Pro Tip: What’s the ideal cover letter length? For 99% of cases, it shouldn’t exceed 4 paragraphs.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

And that’s (really) it!

How to write a PHP developer resume in a nutshell.

Hopefully you found this advice useful. Did we leave any crucial details out? Maybe you have your own PHP developer gold star tips to share? Give us a shout in the comments below!