Software Tester Roles and Responsibilities
Software testing jobs are based on the skills required – all jobs require an understanding of how blackbox or manual testing is conducted. The ability to use any of the test management and defect tools is also mandatory. Other skills include basic Unix skills, SQL querying.
The specialization comes with additional skills like the ability to automate test suites and conduct Performance testing.
The four main categories of Software testing jobs are :
1. System or Functional testing
2. User Acceptance or UAT
3. Automation [Selenium, HP UFT(QTP), Rational Robot, Silk]
4. Performance [Load Runner, Silk Performer, Rational Load]
The various Test tools are:
1. Test Management Tools : Quality Center (HP ALM QC), ClearQuest, QA Complete
2. Defect Tracking Tools : Quality Center, ClearQuest, Bugzilla, PVCS
3. Automation: QTP, Selenium
4. Performance: Load Runner, Silk Performer, Rational Load
The QA Job Market is as follows:
Manual Testing (System & UAT) – 85%
Automation Testing – 13%
Performance Testing – 2%
The common Manual Testing roles are:
QA Analyst
QA Tester
Test Analyst
Software Tester
QA Software Tester
QA Engineer
QA Software Test Engineer
Manual Tester
Manual QA
Manual QA Tester
Blackbox Tester
Functionality Tester
Blackbox Functionality Tester
End to End Agile Tester
The common Automation/Performance Testing roles are:
Automation Test Engineer
Selenium Engineer
Test Specialist – Selenium, Agile, Automation
Mobile QA Automation Engineer – Selenium + Java
Test Automation QA – Java + Selenium
Mobile QA Automation Engineer – Selenium + Java
Performance Test Analyst (HP/ Mercury LoadRunner, Oracle, NFT)
Rational Performance Tester
Performance Test Analyst
The common Responsibilities are:
1. Preparing test plans
2. Test Effort estimation
3. Analyzing the Functional specs and designing test cases
4. Executing test suites/test cases
5. Finding and logging defects
6. Verifying the test environment and sanity testing
6. Automating test cases.
7. Verifying fixes
8. Developing a regression test plan
9. Ability to use any of the Test Management and Defect tools.
Salaries:
The hourly rate is about $45 / hr and the annual salary around 90K.
The following websites have more information:
http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Software_Tester/Salary
http://www.scmwise.com/software-testing-salaries-canada.html
