PhP Developer CV Examples & Guide for 2025

One specific CV challenge you might encounter as a PHP developer is effectively showcasing your backend expertise and contributions to projects that heavily feature frontend components. Our guide provides tailored strategies to highlight your skills and the value you bring to complex developments, allowing employers to see your seamless integration into multi-faceted teams.

Structuring your php developer CV layout: four factors to keep in mind

There are plenty of best practices out there for your CV layout and design. At the end of the day, a clear format and concise CV message should be your top priority. Use your CV design to enhance separate sections, bringing them to the forefront of recruiters' attention. At the same time, you can write content that:

• Follows the reverse chronological order in the experience section by first listing your most recent jobs;
• Incorporates your contact information in the header, but do skip out on the CV photo for roles in the UK;
• Is spotlighted in the most important sections of your CV, e.g. the summary or objective, experience, education, etc. to show just how you meet the job requirements;
• Is no longer than two-pages. Often, the one-page format can be optimal for your php developer CV.

Before submitting your CV, you may wonder whether to export it in Doc or PDF. With the PDF format, your information and layout stay intact. This is quite useful when your CV is assessed by the Applicant Tracker System (or the ATS) . The ATS is a software that scans your profile for all relevant information and can easily understand latest study on the ATS , which looks at your CV columns, design, and so much more.

How to present your contact details and job keywords in your php developer CV header

Located at the top of your php developer CV, the header presents recruiters with your key personal information, headline, and professional photo. When creating your CV header, include your:

• Contact details - avoid listing your work email or telephone number and, also, email addresses that sound unprofessional (e.g. koolKittyCat$3@gmail.com is definitely a big no);
• Headline - it should be relevant, concise, and specific to the role you're applying for, integrating keywords and action verbs;
• Photo - instead of including a photograph from your family reunion, select one that shows you in a more professional light. It's also good to note that in some countries (e.g. the UK and US), it's best to avoid photos on your CV as they may serve as bias.

What do other industry professionals include in their CV header? Make sure to check out the next bit of your guide to see real-life examples:

Opting between a php developer CV summary or objective

Within the top one third of your php developer CV, you have the opportunity to briefly summarise your best achievements or present your professional goals and dreams. Those two functions are met by either the CV summary or the objective.

• The summary is three-to-five sentences long and should narrate your best successes, while answering key requirements for the role. Select up to three skills which you can feature in your summary. Always aim to present what the actual outcomes were of using your particular skill set. The summary is an excellent choice for more experienced professionals.
• The objective is more focused on showcasing your unique value as a candidate and defining your dreams and ambitions. Think about highlighting how this current opportunity would answer your career vision. Also, about how you could help your potential employers grow. The objective matches the needs of less experienced candidates, who need to prove their skill set and, in particular, their soft skills.

Still not sure about how to write your CV opening statement? Use some best industry examples as inspiration:

How to meet job requirements with your php developer CV experience

We've now reached the essence of your actual CV - your experience section. This is the space where you can list your career roles and on-the-job successes. Many candidates tend to underestimate just how much time and effort they should put into writing this CV section. Your experience shouldn't be a random list of your responsibilities, but instead:

• Match the job description with your skills, values, and accomplishments;
• Start each bullet with a strong action verb, followed up with one key skill and your outcome of applying this skill;
• Spotlight parts of your career history that are relevant to the job you're applying for.

Before we move on, make sure to check out some professional CV experience sections.

Lacking professional expertise: how to write your CV to highlight your best talents

Don't count on your lucky stars when you're applying for a role, where you happen to have less (or almost none) professional experience. Recruiters sometimes do hire inexperienced candidates if they're able to present their unique value from the get-go. So, instead of opting for the traditional, CV experience section:

• List any applicable expertise you happen to have - no matter if it's a part-time job, internship, or volunteer work. This would hint to recruiters that your profile is relevant;
• Focus your CV on your transferrable skills or talents you've obtained thanks to your whole life and work experience. In effect, you'll be spotlighting your value as a candidate;
• Separate more space for your applicable academic background and certificates to show you have the technical know-how;
• Ensure that within your objective, you've defined why you'll like the job and how you'll be the perfect match for it. Always ensure you've tailored your CV to individual applications.

Looking for more good examples for your first job? We'll show you how other candidates, with less professional experience, have created their job-winning CVs.

Hard skills and soft skills to showcase your unique skill set on your php developer CV

Did you know that your CV will mostly likely be assessed by recruiters based on skill alignment? And that means that the way you feature your key skills across different CV sections will play a crucial role in landing you that first interview. We recommend you add your:

• technical capabilities or hard skills in your CV experience, certificates, projects, etc. Use your past accomplishments to prove your technical capabilities. List up to a dozen different software or hardware in your dedicated skills section to match the job keywords;
• personal and communication skills or soft skills in your CV strengths, achievements, summary/ objective, etc. Soft skills are a bit more difficult to prove. How do you define your aptitude in active listening? So, instead of just listing the skill name, include a tangible metric to show your success.

On a final note, when you're in a hurry to create your profile, you may misspell a particular technology or soft skill. That's why we suggest you copy and paste the particular skill name (or keyword), directly from the job advert. This would also help you to pass any initial Applicant Tracker System (ATS) tests.

Your university degree and certificates: an integral part of your php developer CV

Let's take you back to your uni days and decide what information will be relevant for your php developer CV. Once more, when discussing your higher education, select only information that is pertinent to the job (e.g. degrees and projects in the same industry, etc.). Ultimately, you should:

• List only your higher education degrees, alongside start and graduation dates, and the university name;
• Include that you obtained a first degree for diplomas that are relevant to the role, and you believe will impress recruiters;
• Showcase relevant coursework, projects, or publications, if you happen to have less experience or will need to fill in gaps in your professional history.

Key takeaways

What matters most in your php developer CV-writing process is for you to create a personalised application. One that matches the role and also showcases your unique qualities and talents.

• Use the format to supplement the actual content, to stand out, and to ensure your CV experience is easy to comprehend and follows a logic;
• Invest time in building a succinct CV top one third. One that includes a header (with your contact details and headline), a summary or an objective statement (select the one that best fits your experience), and - potentially - a dedicated skills section or achievements (to fit both hard skills and soft skills requirements);
• Prioritise your most relevant (and senior) experience closer to the top of your CV. Always ensure you're following the "power verb, skill, and achievement" format for your bullets;
• Integrate both your technical and communication background across different sections of your CV to meet the job requirements;
• List your relevant education and certificates to fill in gaps in your CV history and prove to recrutiers you have relevant technical know-how.