Why Should We Hire A Software Tester?

The demand for software testers is expected to grow by 25% by 2032, as the use of high-quality software products in business increases. Software development is key to improving customer experience, through e-commerce, apps, websites, and software products, which helps businesses to compete in the modern world. Software testing is a key element in enabling this.

To ensure the efficiency of your software development team, it is important to hire a software tester to examine your programs for bugs and help your team operate in an agile and effective way.

What is a software tester and why do you need one?

A software tester is an individual who assesses the functionality of a program. Through testing the software, they can check for bugs, and make sure everything is working as it should. As part of an agile working team, the tester would flag this issue during a sprint for the developers to then fix and put back to the tester to assess again.

If you don’t hire a software tester and have no one to check that the programs your development team builds are up to scratch, it can cause significant issues. Software testing can prevent software failure, and security vulnerabilities in programs, and improves on the end product and user experience. For example, imagine spending significant time, money, and effort to launch an application, and the second you launch it to your customers, it fails. This would inevitably affect your reputation as a business and damage company and brand trust.

On the other hand, you could choose to appoint a third party to handle all software testing for you, however, this kind of work can be costly and inefficient.

Software testing vs developer testing

You may wonder why your developers don’t just test and debug their own codes, rather than requiring you to hire a software tester to assist them. Whilst this isn’t unheard of, it’s something that I have been warned against by developer and tester professionals. Testers are well acquainted with looking at code with a critical eye and testing everything. If a developer has just spent the whole day working on the same line of code or feature, they can get “feature blindness” and it might be difficult for them to think outside the box on different ways to test their work. To ensure the efficiency that a sprint requires, having a separate individual who focuses solely on critically assessing lines of code or features will work better than someone who’s been working on it all day.

Dev Shah, a QA tester turned developer noted that once when he took on a developer role that included testing his own code, he found that “it was increasingly difficult to find the time to test and be unbiased while testing … somewhere deep inside I knew if I poke more, I’m going to find bugs.”.

Whilst insisting developers test their own code rather than using a software/ QA tester to check their work wouldn’t be a ridiculous thing to ask, it may make the process less effective and slow down the sprint.

Quality assurance testers vs software testing

The difference between quality assurance testers and software testers is subtle.

Quality assurance (QA) in general is a proactive process that works to prevent bugs in the first place rather than identifying them to be fixed after. QA professionals work to ensure that the right processes and procedures are in place for developers to increase the likelihood of a high-quality program from the start. However, this means a lot of planning which can disrupt the agile working methodology.

On the other hand, testing is a reactive process. It’s the practice of analysing code, programming and detecting bugs after the build.

If you would like to hire a QA tester, they have similar responsibilities to a software tester, but work within a quality assurance method. They often work in a QA team with quality analysts and quality assurance engineers.

The responsibilities and skills of a software tester

If you are looking to hire a software tester, here are the main day-to-day responsibilities you should expect your new hire to handle:

• Collaborate with software developers and project support teams
• Monitor applications and systems
• Complete all levels of testing
• Detect defects, bugs, and inconsistencies in programs
• Write bug reports
• Help troubleshoot issues

In addition, here are the main technical skills of a software tester to be aware of during the hiring process:

• Agile testing
• Automation testing
• Programming languages
• Bug tracking
• Bug reporting

However, it’s not all technical knowledge. Soft skills are a crucial part of the job as well, including:

• Strong communication
• Problem-solving
• Attention to detail
• Ability to work under pressure during sprints
• Teamwork
• High level of organisation

Types of software testing

Each testing method that software testers complete has its own advantages and disadvantages (perhaps something for another blog entry!), but generally, they are split up into functional and non-functional.

Functional testing focuses on whether the program actually works in a real-world environment. Essentially, software testers are attempting to see if the program has the expected result. For example, if you use the search box on the website, does it come up with results or is it blank? It is a quick way to check for obvious bugs and issues.

Non-functional testing is less concerned with whether the program works or not, but with how well it works. It assesses the quality of the program. In particular, how quickly it works, the accuracy, stability, correctness, and durability of the product in different scenarios.

If a program works correctly in the way the customer would want it to and is efficient, effective, and stable, then it is reliable.

Using a software tester recruitment agency

Software testing is an important role in any development team. You need a specialist software tester recruitment agency, like VIQU, to help you obtain the right hire. The last thing you want when you are planning software upgrades and starting a sprint is a tester who isn’t the right fit. This could delay the deployment, whilst you find a new professional, or require you to spend extra budget on outsourcing.

Statistics reveal that  the testing stage of the sprint is collaborative, with 30% of testers reporting that some of the testing is carried out by non-testing professionals such as product owners, developers, and end users. Therefore, ensuring that the candidate can work effectively in a collaborative team is crucial. As specialists in software tester recruitment, we know what questions to ask and what to look out for in candidates. We even have the internal capabilities to organise technical or personality testing if you need it.

Give yourself the best opportunity to find the perfect software tester hire and contact us today for bespoke advice and support.