Skills and Abilities for Software QA jobs

If you’re an analytical person with in-depth technical knowledge, software quality assurance might be the right field for you. In the industry of software engineering, quality assurance is a deceptively complex position that requires an extensive array of both hard skills and soft skills. Software QA engineers are required to test software during every phase of the development process, ensuring that the software fulfills the stated goals and standards. Throughout the process, QA testers and engineers will need to be clear and direct about any protect failures, shortcomings, or bugs.

Understanding the Process of Bug Tracking, Ticketing, and Testing

QA testing is a unique discipline that has processes unto its own. When looking for QA testers, most companies look for testers that are already familiar with the process of bug tracking, ticketing, and testing. This could range from knowledge of specific, specialized testing tools, to simply being aware of how to open and track tickets. As always, though, the more knowledge the better: being able to display direct and specialized knowledge regarding a company’s tools is usually preferred.

Technical Knowledge Regarding Software Engineering

The better your technical knowledge is, the more information you’re going to be able to provide to the software programmers and engineers. There are certain issues that you will know to test, such as SQL overflow, that someone without technical knowledge isn’t going to be able to. On a whole, the goal for a QA tester is to have at least some basic knowledge of software programming.

Analytical, Logical Thinking Along With Creativity

QA testers need to be able to use both sides of their brain. QA testing is often a very logical, systematic process… but it can be creative as well. In fact, the more creative and out-of-the-box you are, the more likely you are to capture obscure issues or identify user experience problems. The best QA testers will be creative, curious, and also analytical, which can be a very rare blend.

Superior and Diverse Communication Skills

There are a number of communication skills that are very important for QA testers:

  • The ability to ask the right questions. Before you begin your QA testing, you need to understand the goal of the product and the desired user experience. This means that you need to ask the right questions about what you are testing and how the end result needs to be presented.
  • The ability to listen to answers when given. QA testers only see a very small spectrum of the final product. Many times, a QA tester is going to have to listen to the software engineers regarding why something is a certain way, and will need to make a determination regarding whether that way truly still suits the product standards.
  • The ability to thoroughly explain issues. A QA tester needs to be able to identify an issue and very thoroughly explain what this issue is, how it can be replicated, and sometimes even what the potential cause could be. The more thorough a QA tester is, the more reliably a software engineer will be able to replicate and fix the problem.
  • The ability to interact calmly during times of stress. Software development is stressful enough, but a QA tester or QA engineer is going to be bringing up further issues for the developer. That means they will need to be able to play well with their team, even when the project is swiftly approaching its deadline.

From entry-level QA testers to project leads and engineers, it is these skills that will make an individual competitive on the market. QA testing can be an excellent way to break into the software field, as QA testers are always needed by virtually any company. If you’re looking for a job in QA testing, the Software Specialists may have some listings perfect for you.

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