In today’s world the Software Testing industry is growing at a very rapid pace. Due to the increase in customer expectations and the emergence of new technologies, the current trend brings to light the importance of testers.
If you want to be in quality assurance you need to understand what it takes to be successful. In order to catch up with the ever-increasing demand of new skill sets, you got to be ready with all your weapons.
Here are 5 basic skills that every tester should possess:
Keep learning and improve your skills
Acquiring new technical skills still matters. The world of technology is not stagnant and software testers must be constantly learning. With something new coming up every day, it’s your responsibility to keep yourself up to date in this fast paced industry.
In order to keep learning and improving your skills you can attend different conferences, watch different video courses, read books or even take some classes. No matter the method you prefere, you must keep up with the new trends and updates in the industry.
Programming skills
Maybe you’re not a developer, but it is necessary for you know the basics of programming. A tester who doesn’t have the programming base can’t be effective.
During the testing phase, a tester who has some basic programming skills could relate and imagine the code structure, providing great value to the developers and system engineers. In such cases the tester becomes an asset to the developer.
Communication
If you have good communication skills, 50% of your job is done.
From team leaders to developers, as tester you need to communicate with various people in the company. Communications skill here, includes activities such as reporting bugs and writing clear and concise reports for the management, reading and understanding specifications and translating those into structured test cases.
Keep in mind that communication can differentiate your from others, having the ability to pass on the right message is important in your skill’s arsenal.
Planning
You must be able to plan the testing process accordingly. Each test plan should include the number of targeted defects, the priorities of various test cases, as well as all functionalities, requirements and features.
Keep innovating
Are you wondering how a typical tester’s day would be like? Besides the daily tasks you can get out of the routine and try something new in the workplace. Innovation does not necessarily mean complex solutions. You can try to handle a small project for your colleagues or company, apply a new testing method learned at one of the courses or seminars you’ve attented or participate at a data architecture meeting so that you can obtain a better overview of the creation process.
Learn, improve and innovate each day and you will become a better tester.