4 Must-Have Skills for Software Testers
The success of any software project can hinge on the quality of your software testing, and the success of the testing lies in the hands of the software testers. The following are the top skills that software testing professionals should have:
1. Analytical Skills
Your job as a tester is not merely proving that the software works but more about identifying its hidden errors and more importantly, potential future weak points. To be effective, you should possess analytical and predictive skills. You must be able to review the given situation and the possible scenarios that may arise. You should be able to identify and deal with issues and develop a strategy to validate them. If you want to find out more about the job profile of a software tester, check out this page. (Although the page contains details referring to the UK, you will find most of the information universal.)
2. Critical Thinking Skills
Testers should be critical thinkers so that they can take charge of the fundamental structures and impose intellectual standards upon the software being tested. You should ask the right questions, gather, assess and interpret relevant information to come up with well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, and check if those findings are aligned with the preset criteria and standards.
3. Planning Skills
Testers who make plans have higher chances of succeeding than those who do not. Create a thorough plan before beginning any work on any software testing project. That plan should include the following:
Items and features to be tested
Test strategy/approach and levels of testing
Pass/fail criteria
Suspension/resumption criteria
Schedule
After drafting the plan, you should implement that plan and stick to it, monitor the progress and validate it through an organized system feedback such as agile scrum methodology.
4. Social Networking Skills
Being social media savvy is an advantage in any industry nowadays. Like businesses, testers should have online visibility. You can join software testing-related groups on LinkedIn to gain access to the most recent and relevant articles and discussions, read blogs and other online resources, or join an online community for software testers. In short, learn from other professionals practicing your craft while building connections with them.
Here are just a few of the best websites to get you started:
Here are the Reddit threads you can check out:
Here are some of the Facebook groups you can join:
These are just some of the skills you should acquire and, as you continue practicing your craft, you will surely develop more advanced skills that will set you apart from other professionals in your niche. When you become an expert, do not forget to share your knowledge to those who need it.
