The main responsibility of a QA engineer is to test a product but the job role may include other duties depending on the specific needs, size, and structure of the organization. The list of technical skills that are expected from the candidate can be quite long and you need to understand which of them are important to focus on in the assessment process.
QA engineers are expected to form and implement test strategies and plans according to the specifications and requirements. Because of their work, we can rely on bug-free software and apps – since testers have created and executed numerous test scenarios to find and eradicate the bugs.
A QA engineer may have different job titles, such as software test engineer, test analyst, QA analyst, test architect, test automation engineer, test manager, or QA team coordinator.
When recruiting a QA engineer, you have to define the skillset on which you will base the assessment test. You need to include not only technical skills but soft skills as well, to make sure that it is comprehensive. The QA engineer assessment test needs to include several questions on problem-solving skills, EQ, creativity, decision-making skills, etc.
QA Engineer technical skills:
- Product knowledge: the most important aspect since the tester is responsible for the smooth user-experience of the end product. They need to know how the product is designed and what are its parameters to know how to test properly the product. QA engineers should know that the design can influence the testing and should be familiar with automation and scripting.
- Software development knowledge: the candidate needs to know how to code so that they would be able to code automated tests and know what could cause threats to the code.
- Database and SQL: the background data is stored in databases such as Oracle or MySQL and the candidate should know SQL to be able to check the data if needed.
- Linux commands: this is required because most of the applications use Linux.
- Test management: the candidate needs to know how to use test management tools such as QC or Jira, and knowledge of performance testing tools is an advantage.
QA Engineer non-technical skills:
- Creativity: QA engineers need to be able to use creative methods to detect bugs because relying only on regular testing will not be enough. Also, they should be passionate to do the job accurately.
- Time-management: being able to organize and plan the work process is important because testers need to stay on top of important things such as updating regression tests or building test scenarios.
- Communication skills: being a good listener can help to get a deeper knowledge of the product by gaining insights from the developer. Also, QA engineers work in teams so interpersonal skills are required to maintain open communication and work efficiently to find and remove the bugs.
To assess a QA engineer effectively, you can use an online skills assessment. These tests are based on expertise and suitable for all levels, from beginners to experts.
