PHP is a widely used, general purpose scripting language. This is especially suited to server side web development. You can easily find PHP interview questions on the internet. The interview tips given here will give you a framework for preparing for a PHP job interview.
- Research
To properly prepare for any interview some research is necessary. You should find out about the company, the job and the interview.
You should know some basic things about the company such as its mission statement, major products or projects, clients, competitors, role in the market etc.
The second and even more important part is the Job. This includes your actual job description, the project or projects you'll likely be working on, future growth prospects etc.
Last but not the least is the interview itself. Find out who'll be conducting the interview, what types of questions are expected, are personal and technical rounds of interviews combined or separate etc.
- Revise Resume
Rewrite your resume keeping the job in mind. Emphasize the skills and experiences that are more relevant to the job in question. Remove the skills that are not relevant to the job if you think your command of them may not be good enough.
- Basics
Technical interview would most likely be the major part of your job selection process. In order to clear the technical interview you must have the basic knowledge of the PHP language. You should refer to some text book for this and go through interview questions available on line as well for refreshing and complementing the textbook knowledge.
- MySQL
PHP is most widely used for web development and whether the platform is Linux, Windows or Mac it is almost certain that you'll also be working with MySQL. You should be familiar with MySQL and able to create dynamic web pages using both PHP and MySQL DBMS. It is likely the interviewer would not go very deep but at the very least you should be able to connect to a database using PHP and fire a select query.
- HTML
As the job would likely be concerned with web development you should be familiar with the HTML and preferably CSS and XML as well.
- Frame Work
Depending on the company, your experience and the job you are applying for you may also be asked questions about the PHP framework, its features, advantages, disadvantages etc.
- Practices
These questions would be about the best practices when using PHP and would primarily concern security, efficiency, architecture etc.
- Behavioral Questions
Interview questions would like include behavioral questions as well. Search the internet for general behavioral questions and prepare your answers for them. Whenever possible be truthful when answering such question. You may present the fact in a way that is favorable to you but avoid outright lying or making incidents out of whole cloth.
- Personal Questions
The objective of personal questions is to judge your willingness and interest in the job as well as whether you can work well in company environment. Prepare for expected questions but take time to think before answering in the interview and answer in a spontaneous and personalized manner. Avoid readymade or generic answers as they don't tell interviewers anything about you and can only help to annoy them.
- Make Notes
When preparing for PHP interview make notes of the important points. These notes will help you refresh your memory and would be useful for future interview and can work as a quick reference as well.
- Prepare Questions
You would like be asked if you have any questions. Never say that you don't have any questions. No questions indicate either your lack of interest or just plain old laziness. Have some questions prepared in advance. Make sure that they are focused on the company, details of the job, technologies, platforms and procedures used. Avoid topics of money or other benefits at this point. This interview is about the company and what you can do for them. If the interviewer brings the topic of money say that it is negotiable and give a reasonable and wide enough range. It is good to have questions prepared but when asking make them sound spontaneous and unrehearsed.
- Practice
Only way to master or even learn a language, programming, scripting or otherwise is to use it. Try solving practice problems and once you are proficient enough in it create some sample applications as well. They'll fine tune your understanding of the language as well as provide valuable practical experience with the language.
The tips above are by no means comprehensive but they provide a good general guideline for your PHP job interview preparation. As the job you are applying for most likely be a technical one, the personal interview should be comparatively easy, as long as you follow the general interview rule. Be professionally dressed and groomed. Arrive on time. Listen carefully to the interviewer and be sure that you fully understand the question or problem before answering. Keep your answers short and simple. Don't answer in yes or no, as the interviewer would like to know your level of knowledge and thought process, but, at the same time, don't elaborate unnecessarily. It's best to give the high points and ask the interviewer if they want a detailed answer. If asked to solve a relatively complex problem talk while solving so the interviewers know how you are solving the problem and how you think.
