When developing and debugging an IT product, you can’t go without a tester. His work directly affects the quality and reliability of a game, application, software, online service, or other product. But when testers are needed, companies are often faced with the problem of finding the right people. Where to start the search, how to speed it up and make it efficient, and most importantly, how to hire a QA engineer of the right level?
Before answering these questions, it is important to understand why a tester is needed at all, what specializations exist in this profession, and what functions this employee should carry out in your company. However ridiculous it may sound, many people skip this stage of analysis and immediately post a vacancy for a mythical character. In some cases, it is a kind of “testing guru”. But the question is – whether you really need him. In other cases, it is a “jack of all trades”, but a poor tester in fact. Sometimes it is a candidate with some experience, but do you really need this kind of experience?
So you get the idea. Before you look, you need to know in detail who you should be looking for. This will greatly reduce the effort, cost, and time involved in the search.
But if you don`t have enough time to find a skilled QA by yourself – you can always seek help from qualified professionals! Check here for more information.
Do you need software testers?
To begin with, it doesn’t hurt to look at the format of testing you need – manual or automated. Professionals are divided into these types as well. The manual method is used by many, but the automated – is not. When working with the web, an “automated tester” usually uses Selenium in conjunction with one of the popular programming languages. When working with mobile applications – the Calabash framework, the Appium HTTP server, and other tools. By the way, an automated tester can ask for part-time or remote employment. You should always specify the requirements playwright automation for possessing the necessary tools and extensions in your job vacancy. Clearly define the area of specialization for the test engineer – what he/she will be working with, what will be testing (games, applications, software, etc.). The list of the skills required depends on it. And more often than not, a narrow specialist is a better option than a multitasker. For example, if your project involves testing different development products, hire a specific professional for each one. Also, when looking at the resumes of a software tester or other testing professional, pay attention to the experience of the applicant. What specific products did the candidate work with? Was it a mobile version of a website or desktop application, or a complex, high-load web project? It’s simple. Choose a tester who has worked with products similar to yours before. At least he already knows what he has to work with, and is ready for it. Some specialists are not really hard to find, others on the other hand are a big catch. For example, a QA engineer who automates mobile applications is very rare. However, everything depends on the city, too. There are more applicants of this kind concentrated in megapolises. But once again, conditions, salary levels, and the size of the employing company also play a big role.
Looking for a tester
A separate mention needs to be made of the gradation of testers. This will help to offer them relevant vacancies with salaries according to the level of testers’ training.
Junior can be taken for a trainee position. In addition to being acquainted with back-tracking, and writing test cases as well as reports, such an employee can collect information about a project, develop test documentation, track defects, and interact with the team. This is an option that you can “grow” to suit your needs. But you should consider that such a person is likely to take time away from your other employees.
The middle can set up the test environment independently, participate in the review of product requirements, and be responsible for its quality. If necessary, a tester at this level can be involved in processing users’ requests.
A Senior/Team-Lead can take responsibility for the work of his/her colleagues, for the quality of the product, and for the approval of applicants.
In other words, every employee should be in his or her place. For example, it’s useless to demand from a senior/team leader that he or she be responsible for the work of his or her colleagues and for the assessment of applicants. It’s useless to demand from a junior to configure the environment by himself – he simply won’t be able to cope with it, although it will be cheaper. Make sure that your vacancy specifies the level of specialist you need. Choose the candidates according to your product testing requirements. In some cases, there is no point in spending more for a Senior. In others, a Middle can handle the tasks better than a Junior. All in all, you have to look for a tester who is quite specific. You need to start with defining the requirements for him, based on the specifics of your product.
What should I look for on a tester’s CV?
Regardless of their level, every professional in this field should possess some basic skills. Here is what they include:
- The ability to apply different types of testing;
- Errors localization and bug reports preparation;
- Skills in test-design techniques;
- Skills in working with back-tracking systems (Gira, Redmine), knowledge management tools (Confluence, etc.) as well as test cases (Testlink, Zephyr);
- Understanding the principles of client-server architecture;
- Being familiar with software development methodologies;
- Understanding how different OSs work.
Ideally, those skills should be mentioned on the CV`s resume. However, there are “advanced” testers who do not consider it to be necessary. In any case, you can always ask for all the details you need in a personal interview and accurately assess the candidate’s level.
Knowing all this information you can feel much more secure searching for the QA. But finding a professional you need still can be tricky. Besides, not all of them really possess the skills stated in a resume. So a good idea may be to delegate this job to a software testing outsourcing company. Doing that you can be sure that the work will be done properly!
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