Do you know how can you find a really good software tester for your QA software testing requirements? Besides the desirable technical skills, what are the traits of a brilliant software tester?
Some people say that a good tester has inborn skills while others quote that it is with experience that a good tester is able to stand out from the crowd. Let’s try to analyze the characteristics that qualify a talented software tester.
Curiosity
This trait is obviously on top of the list. A good tester will always question everything that is ambiguous. They seek clarity for everything, for example, they ask more questions like ‘What will happen if I click on ‘Learn more’ button twice?’, ‘What will happen if one doesn’t enter any text in the comments box?’ and similar questions. If a tester is curious, he or she will ask a lot of questions related to the application or software.
Attention to details
Is a tester is meticulous and pays attention to small details, it is a great quality for a tester. The software tester should have the ability to look deeper to search for quality issues and bugs. Also, it is a good practice for the software tester to relook at the issue if no bugs have been found in the first instance. If a software tester doesn’t have this trait, it is a good habit to build it over a period of time.
Logical thinking
Though it seems obvious for any software tester to have this but it’s an important trait to possess. Every stage of software development like requirement gathering, brainstorming the features, thinking of an appropriate test strategy, developing test cases, and validating steps are the key stages which will be benefited if the software tester has a logical thinking.
Discipline
One of the key traits that make a software tester different is the ability to identify current and future risks. This will help the entire team not to miss anything critical in the project. If you have a disciplined approach, you can detect all risks, human errors, scenarios, bugs, etc. It is a good practice for a brilliant tester to develop a checklist. It is the duty of a good tester never to ignore even the smallest bugs.
Excellent communication
It helps if a tester has excellent communication skills, which start with good listening skills (to understand the requirements clearly), rehearse the perfect response, decide the tone and give a confident response. The primary job of a tester is to find faults and suggest areas of improvement.
The reason we say that listening is a key skill for every tester because each of them should be careful of feedback and suggestions. Any developer, client or user might be sharing a valuable feedback or suggestion that the tester must carefully listen, understand and incorporate. What they might add is also something that the tester or anyone else in the team might not have thought of.
Prioritize
Ability to prioritize is something that is desirable in all the key resources on a project. It is an asset for a tester as he/ she will be able to prioritize what needs to be tested manually and which module should be tested first and what can come later. It will also be indicative of the tester’s ability to decide and spend time on a particular functionality. Testing becomes easier for a testing resource who is well versed with prioritization of tasks.
Ability to learn fast
If a tester makes mistakes and is able to learn fast from those mistakes, such a resource is expected to go a long way. The tester should be willing to learn and quickly adapt to client requirements and perform better in the next testing cycle or software testing project.
Ability to think like end users
As a tester, if you can think like the end users, you are likely to become a successful software tester. Software testers cannot think like developers but if they build the ability to think like end users, they can uncover the way end users think and use the software.
Ability to make excellent reports
A good software tester is able to prepare a detailed testing report for the client with details such as the number of test cases and the status of each, and the number of test cases executed. Writing status reports for the clients is a special skill that each tester must have.
The above skills are critical and are something that identifies a good and qualified software tester. If you are searching for a suitable and skillful software tester or a team of testers, you can speak to us today.
