Read: What is Software Testing? Why is it so important?
1. Positive Attitude
Let’s start the list with one of the most important skills i.e positive attitude. I know, it’s required in every field and software testing is no exception but you should how it practice it in the right manner. If you want to be an effective software tester, always be ready to put extra efforts. It’s your responsibility to make the product delivery better. You can also contribute to meetings and share your views. If you are an employer, give your testers ownership of their tasks and appreciate their hard work.
2. Understanding Priorities
Software testers usually work with tight deadlines. So, it’s really important to understand which parts need to be prioritized and which one should be moved down the to-do list. If you lack time management skills, even small projects bring too many trouble. You should identify the areas which require immediate attention and need to be tested first. Once, you start prioritizing things, you’ll see the half work is already done.
3. Reporting Skills
A highly effective software tester should possess good reporting skills. You need to provide the status of the project in a correct and concise manner. It brings transparency in the team and helps the owner(s) or project lead to understand the bugs and issues clearly. These reports also help developers or designers to find bugs and fix them in no time. The fact is – no one is interested in knowing how many test cases you run a day, they are just curious about the final report. So, it must be consolidated and merely confined to the results. Also Read: Introduction to Automated Testing in Xcode (UI and Unit Testing)
4. Analytical Thinking
Analytical thinking is very important to analyze the products very intricately. A software tester must ensure that the product he/she testing must work in the most error-free way possible. You have to look for bugs and optimization opportunities and plan a foolproof strategy to tackle them. So, analytical bent of mind is a must that enables the tester to break down complex problems and solve them in an easy step-by-step approach.
5. Always Be Ready To Learn
A few years ago, almost all companies are only involved in manual testing. No one was thinking about cross-browser compatibility. It’s because only two browsers are popular at that time. But with time, people started using different websites for accessing the Internet, and so it becomes important for software testers to understand the need for cross-browser compatibility and upgrade their skills. The software industry is changing every day and if you want to be an efficient tester, you should also learn and adapt to the changes in the industry. It’s not only about learning new tools but also following new technologies and generate new ideas. Recommended: 20 Most Useful Tools For Programmers And Developers
Wrapping Up
These were the top five skills for software testers. If you want to succeed in this field, keep developing your skills through continuous learning and trying new projects. This is the only way to stand out among the countless software testers in the industry. If you know any other important skill isn’t listed here, do let us know in the comments below.
