In this article, we will identify the essential qualities of the role in IT and explain who the software tester is. To begin, a tester is responsible for understanding the software product, assessing the acceptance criteria, building test cases and documentation, running tests and producing clear, detailed reports based on test findings. Furthermore, the tester retains responsibility for all test operations within the SDTC (Software Development Test Cycle).
You need to understand what to consider a career in this sphere. The specific description of the role may vary from company to company, although a career path may be broadly described as follows:
- QA Engineer (0-2 years of experience)
- Senior Quality Assurance Engineer (2-5 years of experience)
- Coordinator of the QA Team (5-8 years of experience)
- QA or Test Manager (8-14 years of experience)
- Senior Test Manager (14+ years of experience)
A tester may potentially pursue other positions or switch to Product Management, Software Development, Business Analysis, Consulting, DevOps, or IT Management.
Required abilities and traits for testers differ but may be classified into non-technical and technical skills. Let us list and quickly characterize each of the important tester’s non-technical skills.
- Analytical Skills. How a tester thinks about and tackles complicated challenges is crucial. Most of the time, particularly when evaluating acceptance criteria, the tester must separate complicated occurrences into smaller pieces and construct test cases for each point; analytical thinking comes in help here.
- Communication Skills. Good verbal and written communication skills are crucial for a tester and the whole team since the quality of the supplied work would be better with high-quality communication. Communication skills assist the tester in writing clearer test cases, producing better reports, and communicating more effectively and smoothly with the rest of the team.
- Time Management Skills. Time is a critical component in the IT sphere. There are potentially a lot of areas to cover in terms of testing, especially during release times. Good time management skills are required when evaluating requirements, writing test documentation, and running tests.
- Passion For Studying. A tester should be willing to acquire and improve skills. Furthermore, applying new knowledge and skills to everyday duties is critical.
Lastly, becoming a professional tester is impossible if you do not like your job. This role demands constant attention and a learning curve, therefore, without a passion, the quality of work you provide can suffer. Now, let’s look at a set of necessary hard skills:
- Basic Client-Server-DB Architecture Knowledge. Nowadays, most applications function on web services, which requires the tester to grasp its structure. To deal with databases, a tester must be able to explain Client-Server Architecture, API (Application Programming Interface), DBMS (Database Management Systems), and basic SQL details.
- Knowledge of Test Management Tools. Because building and managing all test processes might be difficult most of the time, IT businesses or test teams are likely to employ specific Test Management Tools to ensure smooth and stable test processes. This enables teams to develop, monitor, and distribute test documentation. In this sense, a tester must be familiar with Test Management Tools. For example, some prominent Test Management Tools include Testlink, JIRA, TestCollab, and others. There are Defect Tracking tools in addition to Test Management Tools, although most Test Management Applications now include numerous capabilities inside the app to manage problems.
- Automation Tools Knowledge and Experience. It is not uncommon to see many QA engineers in the business shift from manual testing to automated testing. In addition to manual testing, many firms may request or require automation testing skills. As a consequence, it is critical for a tester to master automation testing principles such as API automation and web UI automation, as well as to expand their knowledge of automation technologies. This will guarantee that the tester makes significant strides forward in their profession. Furthermore, knowing an automation tool necessitates learning a language in order to utilize the tool. Hence, it is critical for a tester to have an understanding and experience with the most often-used languages, such as VBScript, JavaScript, JAVA, C#, and so on.
Suppose you decided to pursue a tester job and are one step away from becoming a certified Software Tester. In that case, applying for Test Pro courses is highly recommended. This foundation has a set of required knowledge to help you to demonstrate your knowledge and testing skills.
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