Complete hiring guide for Magento developers

In the world of e-commerce, Magento is a king.

It's one of the most widely used platforms in the industry and one of the most flexible. That's why it's essential to hire a developer who knows how to make it work for you—and, even more importantly, knows how to do it well.

What is Magento?

Magento is an open-source eCommerce platform that helps businesses grow by selling products and services online. It was first released in 2008 and has been used by some of the most recognizable brands in the world.

In addition to providing a powerful platform for online retailers, Magento also offers a robust set of tools that can be used to create custom solutions for specific business needs. A skilled Magento developer can help you build a custom solution that combines out-of-the-box functionality with your unique requirements.

Its features include:

• A multi-vendor marketplace
• A customizable catalog with unlimited products and categories
• Advanced search capabilities
• Integrated payment processing solutions

These web developers are tasked with building websites and applications using the Magento platform. They are responsible for setting up and configuring new stores and upgrading existing ones. They also help maintain and troubleshoot issues that may arise from time to time.

With Magento, you can create a professional online e-commerce store that works for you—and your customers will love it!

The popularity of Magento doesn’t cease – it is in the top most wanted in 2022, with promising prospects that this will continue onward as well.

Brands that use Magento

Magento developers are among the most sought-after programmers in the world, and the platform is used by some of the biggest brands out there.

Here are some examples of companies that use Magento:

• Amazon
• eBay
• Walmart
• Target

Benefits of using Magento

The following are just some of the benefits of using Magento:

• Flexibility and scalability: Magento is built on PHP and MySQL, so it's easy to scale your e-commerce business and update as your needs change over time. You have complete control over what gets added or removed, which means you don't have to worry about whether or not there'll be a compatibility issue when updating your website.
• Security: Magento stores data securely in an encrypted format, but it also allows you to set up multiple levels of access control (for example, only admins can see specific pages). This makes it easy to keep sensitive data safe from prying eyes.
• Easy-to-use interface: The user interface of Magento is easy to use, making it ideal for people who aren't very familiar with e-commerce platforms.
• Multiple language support: You can choose from several programming languages when designing your online store. This makes it easier to reach an international audience and expand your business internationally.
• Extensive functionality: Magento offers more functionality than many other eCommerce websites, such as Woocommerce or Shopify.

What does a Magento developer do?

A Magento developer creates, maintains and improves e-commerce websites built with the Magento platform. We asked Ergys Sahatcija, a Magento developer, to highlight the main task list of a Magento developer. He lists the below:

• Install and configure a Magento e-commerce store
• Customize Magento’s default theme based on a client’s need
• Create custom functionalities based on a client’s need
• Configure the store, including shipping and payment methods such as Paypal, Authorize.net, Klarna, etc.
• Configuration of stores based on language, for example, French, Spanish, English, etc.
• Integration with other external systems like CRM and ERP (if requested from a client)
• Loading speed optimization
• Providing maintenance for issues that occurred for a better user experience

What should you know before hiring a Magento developer?

If you're looking for a Magento developer, there are several things you should consider before hiring.

A Magento developer mainly works in a specific field. As a frontend developer, backend developer or Q&A. Some fullstack developers work with all technologies.

Ergys Sahatcija

Magento developers are in high demand, but it's not as easy to find them as it seems.

When looking for a new developer, you must ask yourself what you want from your site.

The first step is to ensure you have a clear idea of what you need and what kind of person will fit into your team. This can be done by answering these questions:

• What is the nature of your business?
• What are your business goals?
• Do you want to sell products online?
• Do you want shoppers to be able to sign up for an account and make purchases without having an account?
• Do you want them to be able to check out using PayPal?
• Do you want to hire someone who knows how to code in PHP?
• What are your budget and timeline constraints?
• Do you need help with marketing campaigns or SEO optimization?
• What kind of experience do you need?
• Are you looking for someone who has worked with Magento before?

These things will affect how much work will go into making sure your site works well with Magento and what type of developer you need to ensure the job gets done.

What are the specific skills to look for?

Magento developers must have a strong grasp of PHP, HTML, MySQL and Apache.

They must have experience with eCommerce platforms, including Amazon, eBay, Shopify, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, WordPress, etc. They should also be familiar with web frameworks such as Laravel or CodeIgniter.

They should have experience using Google Maps API to allow customers to find local stores through Google Maps.

They should also have experience with testing tools like Selenium or Behat to write automated tests for their codebase.

Some of the top skills that would be beneficial for a frontend developer are CSS, less, as well as knowledge of JavaScript, jQuery and knockout.js libraries to help them build interactive features on their site. Strong expertise in PHP, XML and Q&A is recommended for a backend developer.

Ergys Sahatcija

Non-technical skills required of a Magento developer

Technical knowledge is vital to being successful in this role. However, other soft skills are essential to have as a Magento developer. These include:

The ability to work independently: Magento developers must be able to work alone and not require constant oversight. They must be able to manage their own time, work independently, and make decisions without much input from managers or other team members.

The ability to learn quickly: Magento is constantly changing, so developers need to learn new things quickly and adapt as necessary.

The ability to communicate effectively: The best way to get things done in any situation is through clear and straightforward communication with others involved in the process. A good Magento developer will be able to communicate clearly with their clients about what they need for their project to be successful.

The ability to prioritize tasks: Time management is essential for any developer who wants to stay on top of everything that needs doing on any given day (or week). It's crucial for developers who work remotely to prioritize their tasks according to their urgency.

Interviewing a Magento developer

Pre-screening interview questions

When you're looking to hire a Magento developer, you need to know that they will be able to handle the job. Here are some tips for conducting a pre-screening interview:

Be sure that your potential candidate has experience with Magento development

If they don't have it, ask them how they came up with their proposal and if they've ever worked on a similar project.

Ask them what their work process is like

Ask if they prefer working in teams or alone, and what their communication style is like (if they're more comfortable talking face-to-face or via email).

Ask about their past work experience and how it's impacted their current career path

This will give you an idea of what types of projects they enjoy working on most often (and whether or not those projects align with yours).

Technical interview questions + answers

Here are some questions, Ergys suggests would help get the best possible candidate:

1. Can you explain the EAV model and its advantages and disadvantages?

Expected answer: The EAV model stands for Entity-Attribute-Value. It is a method of storing data in a database that allows you to store multiple pieces of information about a single entity or object.

The advantage of the EAV model is that it allows you more flexibility in your data structure. For example, if you are building an online store and want to store information about each product as it is added to the store, you can use the EAV model. This would allow you to keep track of whether or not the product is on sale, what its price was before being discounted and what its original price was, plus any other attributes that make sense for your business.

The disadvantage of this model is that it can be more complex than other models for developers to work with because there are no set standards or structures that they can refer back to when they write code or try out new features on their system.

2. How can you improve the performance of Magento?

Expected answer: There are many ways to improve the performance of Magento, some of which may be more effective than others. One way to improve performance is through code optimization, which can be done using caching and profiling tools. Another way is to use a frontend framework like Vue, React, or Angular. Frontend frameworks can help you reduce page load time and increase page speed by reducing the amount of data that needs to be transferred from the server.

3. Describe the deploy modes in Magento.

Expected answer: Magento has two deployment modes: production and development. Production mode is used in the final stages of deployment; you should use this mode when you're ready to put your site online. Development mode is used for local development; you can use this mode to test code and make changes before you push them to a live site.

4. How can you make a custom module?

Expected answer: The developer has to create a new Magento extension using any of the available programming languages and then install it on a server.

To make a custom module, you need to follow these steps:

• Create a new Magento extension using any of the available programming languages.
• Install this extension on your server.
• Configure your module so that it can be used in Magento stores.

5. Name the design patterns in Magento.

Expected answer: In Magento, there are many different design patterns. Some of the most common are:

• Singleton
• Factory
• Observer
• Decorator

6. How long have you been using Magento?

Expected answer: I have been working with the Magento platform since [insert the year]. I have worked exclusively with the Magento Enterprise platform, which is a complex ecommerce solution that provides a lot of functionality for online businesses.

7. What kind of projects have you worked on in the past?

Example answer: In the past, I've worked on several projects. They include:

• E-commerce websites
• Mobile apps
• Web applications for business processes
• Cloud-based software solutions

They can also list any other technologies they’ve used in previous projects.

8. What was the most challenging part of those projects?

Example answer: The most challenging part of those projects was that we had to deal with many deadlines and changes in the requirements. We had to work continuously to ensure that we were on the same page as our clients, and it was challenging at first because we were all new to this experience. But in the end, we got a lot more experience out of it.

9. Can you show examples of your work on GitHub?

Expected answer: Absolutely! I've got a few examples of my work on GitHub, and I'd be happy to share them with you.

You can find me here: [link]

10. What would you do if you were hired by [company name] and the website wasn't performing as well as expected?

Example answer: If I were hired by [company name], I would look at the website's performance in terms of speed, load time, and accessibility. If any of these aspects were not performing as well as expected, I would look at the codebase and find ways to optimize it.

In addition to asking about their experience working with Magento and how long they've been doing so, you should also ask them about their experience working remotely (if that's something you're considering). It may seem like an obvious question, but if someone has never worked remotely before, you may need to check in regularly in the beginning as you lead a remote member of the team. This will help them ease into having more freedom and flexibility in their schedule and give you the opportunity to lay some ground rules on your way of working together.

Why and when do you need to hire a Magento developer?

Hiring a Magento developer is not a decision to make lightly. It requires careful consideration of your needs and the technical capabilities of the person or team you're considering.

Here are some of the common reasons why you might want to hire a Magento developer:

• You have a new product and need help getting it on the marketplace.
• Your current site isn't performing as well as you'd like, and you'd like to optimize it for better results.
• You need help translating your site into different languages so more people can use it.
• When your store needs an overhaul.
• You want to add new features to the website
• You want to launch a new version of your store.