How to Be Quality Assurance Engineer - Job Description, Skills, and Interview Questions

Apr 12, 2022 / 5 Minutes Read / By Albert

How to Become

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Poor quality assurance can have devastating effects on a business. Inadequate testing and inspection of products can lead to customer dissatisfaction, increased returns, and costly recalls. This can result in a loss of reputation, decreased sales, and eventually, reduced profits.

Quality assurance engineers are essential in preventing these negative outcomes by ensuring that all products meet the highest standards of quality. They use cutting-edge technology to develop efficient testing procedures and keep track of the results, allowing them to quickly identify and address any potential issues before they cause any significant harm. By investing in a quality assurance engineer, businesses can protect themselves from costly mistakes and ensure customer satisfaction.

Steps How to Become

Earn a bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, software engineering or a related field. Quality assurance engineers must have a strong technical background and understand the complexities of designing and developing software.
Obtain relevant certifications. Quality assurance engineering requires specialized knowledge and skills, and employers may prefer candidates who have earned certifications such as the Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Software Quality Engineer (CSQE) or Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA).
Gain professional experience. Quality assurance engineers typically need at least two to three years of experience in the field before they can become certified. Employers may look for candidates with experience in software development, systems engineering, programming or IT support.
Learn specific software programs. Quality assurance engineers must be familiar with software development tools and software quality-assurance tests and procedures. Popular software applications used in the field include Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, IBM Rational Suite and HP Quality Center.
Stay current on industry trends. Quality assurance engineers must stay up to date on the latest technologies and tools used in the industry in order to ensure that their knowledge and skills remain relevant. They should attend professional conferences and seminars, and read industry publications.

In order to ensure the quality of a product or service, an effective Quality Assurance Engineer should have a thorough understanding of the product, its components and its processes. They should have a keen eye for detail and be able to identify discrepancies and problems that could have a negative impact on the products performance. Quality Assurance Engineers are also responsible for designing and implementing tests to ensure that products meet the desired standards and requirements.

They also conduct reviews and inspections to detect any potential issues with the product before it is released to the market. When an issue is identified, they work with the development team to find an ideal and efficient solution to the problem. The result of this process is a high-quality product that meets customer expectations.

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Job Description

Develop and execute software test plans in order to identify software problems and their causes.
Design, develop and execute automation scripts using open source tools.
Analyze test results to ensure existing functionality and recommend corrective action.
Document software defects, using a bug tracking system, and report defects to software developers.
Create detailed, comprehensive and well-structured test plans and test cases.
Estimate, prioritize, plan and coordinate testing activities.
Monitor debugging process results.
Investigate the causes of non-conforming software and train users to implement solutions.
Track quality assurance metrics, like defect densities and open defect counts.
Stay up-to-date with new testing tools and test strategies.

Skills and Competencies to Have

Knowledge of software testing principles and methodologies
Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
Knowledge of scripting languages such as JavaScript and Python
Ability to develop test plans and test cases
Understanding of software development life cycle (SDLC)
Familiarity with automation tools such as Selenium, Appium, and TestComplete
Understanding of software development processes such as Agile and Waterfall
Experience with issue tracking tools such as JIRA and Bugzilla
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
Excellent communication, organizational, and time management skills

Quality assurance engineers play an important role in ensuring that products, services, and processes meet a certain standard of quality. They are responsible for identifying and preventing issues that could lead to a negative user experience or could potentially cause harm to customers. Quality assurance engineers use a variety of tools and techniques to ensure that products, services, and processes meet their requirements.

These skills include knowledge of quality assurance principles, testing processes, debugging techniques, and automation tools. Quality assurance engineers also need strong problem-solving skills to identify and address issues before they become major problems. By having a good understanding of the product, its components, and the users experience, quality assurance engineers can help ensure that products and services are delivered on time and meet customer expectations.

Effective quality assurance engineers can help improve customer satisfaction, build customer loyalty, and reduce costs associated with product and service defects.

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Frequent Interview Questions

What is your experience in testing software applications?
What do you think are the most important aspects of quality assurance?
Describe the process you would use to test a new software application?
How do you ensure that software is bug-free and working as intended?
What tools or techniques do you use to track defects or bugs?
How do you stay up-to-date on the latest best practices in software quality assurance?
What do you do when you encounter an unfamiliar problem during a quality assurance process?
How do you handle conflicting priorities between development and quality assurance teams?
How do you ensure that all changes made to the software are tracked and documented?
What is your experience with automation testing?

Common Tools in Industry

Automation Testing Tools. Automation testing tools are used to automate the testing process and provide faster feedback on the quality of the software. (eg: Selenium, Watir, TestComplete)
Load Testing Tools. Load testing tools are used to test the performance of a software system under a certain amount of load. (eg: JMeter, LoadRunner, LoadStorm)
Static Analysis Tools. Static analysis tools are used to analyze the source code of a program and identify potential bugs. (eg: SonarQube, FindBugs, PMD)
Unit Testing Tools. Unit testing tools are used to test individual units of code. (eg: JUnit, NUnit, Cucumber)
Code Coverage Tools. Code coverage tools are used to measure how much of the source code is covered by tests. (eg: JaCoCo, Istanbul, Clover)
Performance Testing Tools. Performance testing tools are used to test the system for its speed, scalability, and stability under varying load conditions. (eg: JMeter, LoadRunner, LoadStorm)
Regression Testing Tools. Regression testing tools are used to test existing features after making changes to the codebase. (eg: Selenium, Watir, TestComplete)

Professional Organizations to Know

American Society for Quality (ASQ)
International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTQB)
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
International Quality Federation (IQF)
Agile Alliance
International Function Point User Group (IFPUG)
Incose Quality Working Group (IQWG)
Institute of Quality Assurance (IQA)
International Software Certification Board (ISCB)

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Common Important Terms

Software Testing. The process of executing a program or application with the intent of finding software bugs and errors.
Automated Testing. The process of executing a program or application with the aid of software tools to automate the process of testing.
Regression Testing. The process of verifying that changes made to a system have not caused unintended side effects.
Quality Assurance. The process of verifying that a product meets certain defined standards of quality.
Acceptance Testing. The process of testing a system to ensure it meets the customers requirements.
Usability Testing. The process of evaluating the user experience of a product or system to ensure it is intuitive and efficient to use.
Load Testing. The process of testing a system under heavy load conditions to verify its performance and reliability.
Security Testing. The process of testing a system to verify its resistance to cyber-attacks and other security threats.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Quality Assurance Engineer?

A Quality Assurance Engineer is responsible for ensuring the quality of products and services throughout the development process, by designing and implementing testing methods and procedures.

What skills are needed to be a Quality Assurance Engineer?

Quality Assurance Engineers need to have technical knowledge, problem-solving skills, excellent communication skills, the ability to work in teams, and the ability to think outside of the box.

What kinds of tests do Quality Assurance Engineers perform?

Quality Assurance Engineers typically perform a variety of tests including functional, system, integration, regression, load, and acceptance tests.

What is the typical salary range for a Quality Assurance Engineer?

The typical salary range for a Quality Assurance Engineer is between $60,000 and $90,000 per year.

What type of environment does a Quality Assurance Engineer typically work in?

Quality Assurance Engineers typically work in a collaborative environment with other engineers, product managers, and designers. They also typically work in an office setting.

Web Resources

Quality Assurance Engineer T. Rowe Price Career and career.uccs.edu
Quality Assurance Engineer CALS Career Center | University of career.cals.arizona.edu
Software Quality Assurance Engineer - College of Science www.purdue.edu