Are you a software tester? If yes, please allow us to appreciate you for your efforts in delivering a quality product. But, do you think you possess all the characteristics of a good tester?
‘DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A GOOD SOFTWARE TESTER?’
‘WHAT CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD SOFTWARE TESTER DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE?’
This is one of the most asked questions in interviews. One may list out their technical skills to prove that they are good at testing. But there is much more than just technical skills.
We have jotted out some of the skills and characteristics of a good tester. We prepared the list after carefully observing and reviewing a couple of professional testers.
So, start evaluating yourself based on this list of traits mentioned below and upgrade yourself from a NORMAL tester to a GOOD tester.
Remember! You are always invited to add other characteristics of a good tester in the comment section and it’s free!
Software testers are the ones whom people, as well as the software industry, believe in. They are the people who ensure the peace of mind for the end users and strive to achieve end-user satisfaction.
Software testers often face hostile situations in their work due to the amount of risk involved in finding bugs. Therefore to overcome and also to prevent such situations a software tester should develop these characteristics.
1. DON’T BELIEVE – QUESTION EVERYTHING!
A good software tester should always be skeptical. Don’t believe that the code which you received from the developer is bug-free and best in quality. Any Software / product can be accepted as the best in quality software / product, only when it meets the end user requirements with the quality standards. One cannot understand the business unless they ask some questions like:
- What are the client Requirements
- What are the Changes in functionality of the software
- How well are bug-fixes done
- What is the effect of fixing bug etc.,
2. BE PATIENT UNTIL YOU PRODUCE QUALITY PRODUCT
A good tester will be patient and never compromise on the quality. You have to love testing and should develop a passion for delivering the best quality products.
You may find a bug and report it to the developer. But he may not accept the defect as he expects his code to be correct. In situations like that, the tester should be patient and communicate the defects/failures in the system, along with supporting proofs, in a constructive way.
Concentrate only on providing a better end-user experience so that you can become a good tester.
3. DEVELOP ANALYTICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING
Analytical and Creative Thinking is one of the most important characteristics of a good tester. Think out of the box and understand the requirements to define a clear test strategy.
Every bug will have a root cause and follows certain patterns. To find the root cause, to report it and finally to make the product bug-free, you must develop analytical thinking.
4. BE PROACTIVE AND MANAGE SCHEDULES
‘Early Bird Gets The Worm’. So, always start early and be proactive. Do some research on the product so that you can understand the product well ahead.
Start from analyzing requirements, and prepare test cases, plans, and strategies. Concentrate on finding the defects in the earlier stages of the testing cycle.
Organize your work, manage your schedules and try to meet your deadlines. You must know how and what to prioritize before the test execution.
Pro Tip: Always prioritize work based on the amount of risk involved, testing environment and requirements in the testing process.
5. WORK ON COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Poor communication leads to breakdowns and affects the quality of the product. A good tester should always be able to communicate well with other programmers, test managers and customers.
To do that, he must possess strong verbal and written communication skills.
With exceptionally good communication skills, a tester can become a good team player, as he will be able to put across their ideas to the other party without any difficulty or shyness.
6. ‘TEST TO BREAK’ ATTITUDE IS THE KEY
You must develop a test to break the attitude. With this attitude, a tester can develop a suitable test approach by pushing the software to its extremes to see where it breaks.
Start with an assumption that the software is full of defects which in turn helps you to explore the depths of it.
Pro tip: If you have coding experience, think of all the possible loopholes that might have in the system code.
7. HAVE A HUNGER FOR VALID BUGS
The characteristics of a good tester also include the hunger for valid bugs.
As a good tester, you should never give up and always explore the software to find as many valid bugs as you can.
8. PAY ATTENTION TO EVERY MINUTE DETAIL, CO-RELATE AND THEN ACT
Pay attention to every small detail and try to look deeper.
Keep track of all the details and relate them to the real world scenarios.
Observe and then act based on the observations. This way you can generate new ideas.
9. LOOK THROUGH THE EYES OF AN END-USER
Software products are developed for the end user. The end user may not be a technical person or a person who is an expert in the domain.
Therefore You should know and understand them. Prepare test cases, strategies and execute testing as an actual customer.
Remember! ‘Doing whatever that make the end user happy’ is the basic nature of a good tester. Because the satisfaction of the end user is the main goal of every tester.
10. HAVE A GOOD EAR FOR SUGGESTIONS
A tester should not only be able to communicate well but should also have good listening skills.
He should welcome suggestions and feedback to improve the quality of the product.
11. MASTER ALL THE REQUIRED TECHNICAL SKILLS AND HAVE GOOD DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE
Gain technical skills according to the requirements. Learn how to use new tools in the market.
Gaining knowledge in multiple domains will be an added advantage.
12. ENSURE MAXIMUM TEST COVERAGE
A good tester will ensure maximum test coverage in terms of production quality, risks involved and requirement coverage.
13. DON’T STOP LEARNING
The software testing industry is evolving and improving every day. Keeping that in mind, You should never stop learning new technologies and domains.
A good tester will always upgrade himself with the latest improvements or changes in the industry. Upgrade yourself by doing some certifications in the market.
Pro tip: Make a learning schedule and learn every day. Habituate it!
SO, WHAT MORE CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD TESTER DO YOU HAVE ON YOUR MIND?
Mention them below so that we can add them to the list.
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