Learning many software testing skills is not as difficult as you think. Today we have compiled a list of the 7 most essential skills to help you improve yourself and be productive at work or further in your career. These 7 skills will be divided into 2 categories: technical skills and soft skills, skills that employers are always looking for in their potential candidates. Note that in the job description when recruiting software testing often includes degree priority and work experience, database proficiency and other technical skills. Soft skills usually appear at the end or under the additional skills category.

Technical skills

System development life cycle

The system development lifecycle (SDLC) describes the stages to develop software with the best quality and optimized design, from initial feasibility study to completed application maintenance. It identifies all the tasks involved in planning, creating, testing, and implementing a software product (or possibly hardware). Software tester needs to know SDLC. Not only does it give you detailed information about the software development process, but it also helps to predict common complications that may lead to difficult times during testing. Scrum, Agile, … are some of the most popular technologies that companies use. By learning them, you can perform better in your work.

Test process

Software testing process involves evaluating software to determine bugs. This process will be done before the software runs to ensure any errors can be fixed in time. Two ways to conduct software testing process are manual testing and automated testing. However, it depends on the project requirements, the budget and the expertise of the testing team.

• Manual Test: During this process, tester uses the same software as the end user would use and finds the error. It is their responsibility to only perform all test cases manually without working with automated test tools.
• Automated testing: The name says it all. You will use an automated testing tool to perform the testing process. This helps to reduce the manual testing time and the time of the entire software testing process. In addition, automated testing is very useful for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the testing process. It is not easy to understand the software testing process if you are a beginner. Therefore, the best advice would be to take a software testing course early and find someone to guide you.

Testing tools and technologies

Software testers must have knowledge of testing tools and technologies. Without that, it can be difficult to get the job done, especially if you have worked in a different job before. Nowadays, there are many software testing tools available. You don’t have to know them all, but you should know the most widely used tools:

• Automated testing tools such as Selenium, Watir and Ranorex are used to test the functionality of the software, helping to efficiently perform short-term testing.
• Quick test tools like JIRA and SoapUI. You need to know them if you work for a company that applies the Scrum development process.
• Load-bearing testing tools like Apache Jmeter and Tsung are used to perform the Stress test
• Test management tools like Zephyr, QMetry and TestRail. You use it to manage your projects, human resources testing, test results and report generation. In addition to testing tools, you also need to understand the technologies and stay up to date with the latest, emerging technology trends. That way, you are aware of the challenges ahead and quickly adapt to changes. Here are a few ways to keep up with technology:
• Follow technology blogs, technology news websites or IT publications. Searching for tech trends on Google will get you off to a head start.
• Follow industry leaders on social platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter.
• Join tech communities… those communities also offer group discussions in which you can join to learn and share ideas.

Document

As a software tester, your job is to sit for hours analyzing software and finding errors. After doing that, you will create reports and documents with stakeholders to present what you have found and what you think about software functions. That’s why good documentation and reporting skills will benefit you so much. No one cares how many test cases you run in a day. What they really want to know is the end result. Your report should be as aggregate and concise as possible.

Soft skills

Read through the job description for software testing and you will see a long list of desired technical requirements and experience. It seems soft skills will be shortened, but they are equally important. The moment you participate in the interview, you will be assessed for both soft skills, whether you are applying for the position of lead software testing manual or automated testing. The next part of this article will guide you in the necessary software skills for a software tester.

Communication

Testers must communicate with team members, developers, and other stakeholders. Different projects mean different people with different personality types, opinions, and requirements. Regardless of who they are, you need excellent interpersonal and interpersonal skills to express your point of view effectively and handle difficult situations. Keep in mind the following communication skills:

• Questioning skills: Ask the right questions and know when to ask questions or when to keep quiet. When in doubt, always ask.
• Listening skill: Active listening uncovers situations that you might miss. There’s always room for improvement.
• Persuasion skills: Develop them to clearly present deficiencies to customers and software developers. Ensuring errors will be detected and corrected promptly to minimize risks.

Critical thinking

Critical thinking can help you improve your thinking in the process of evaluating ideas and deciding what to test. During any testing, ask yourself any question to drive your evaluation strategy: Are you testing scope? Didn’t you test something? What do you need to focus more on?

The difference between normal testers and good testers is how they think: Why do you choose that testing strategy? How do you explain your thoughts clearly and concisely? If you want to be an excellent tester, learn to think about any problem.

Organizational skills

As a tester, you have to convince others that there is a bug in the code, track the application and identify the problems you are facing, even though you have set up an overall work plan and managed to manage it. Effective time, but each day brings new challenges. Development issues, new bugs or new code from your development team one day may not be going the way you expect.

With that in mind, you should hone your organizational skills. Learn how to prioritize your tasks, say no to what’s unimportant, and control your emotions. You should also evaluate each new need relative to urgency, revenue impact, and other key factors.

Having a well-organized, well-organized plan can save you a lot of time over the life of a project. You can find a lot of books on this topic. If you’re having trouble, choose one.

Conclusion Now, you have learned the 7 essential software testers’ skills to be able to advance your career. Remember that software testing is not just about making sure the software works, making it excel. Improving your skills and constantly learning will help you contribute to the quality of your products, earn higher wages and rise to management level.

Source: https://www.designveloper.com/blog/effective-software-tester-skills/