From an IT Talent Acquisition Specialist point of view
Today, I am interviewing Sarka Urbankova, Engineering Talent Acquisition Specialist in Canada. Sarka has worked in multiple tech companies in a couple of countries before. I believe that she can give us a pretty good overview of what is expected from QA Engineer/Software Tester candidates in different tech companies/countries.
Hello Sarka, thank you for accepting my interview! You now work in Toronto, Canada but your tech talent acquisition career started in Prague, Czechia. Can you please tell us if the hiring process for QA Engineers/Software Testers is different between these two countries?
Thank you for having me and for doing this for the community. At the beginning I would like to emphasize that my experience is from middle size companies, not large corporations.
Yes, I do see a difference between technical recruitment in the Czech Republic and Canada. The first difference is the lack of talent in general in the Czech Republic. Canada has a much bigger pool and many companies are also open to employing remote engineers or relocating them to Canada. The immigration system is very supportive and inviting. That does not mean it is easier to find people in Canada. It is definitely not.
The second difference is the approach to recruitment. In the Czech Republic, I experienced companies being open to employing less experienced people and teaching them, in some cases re-qualifying them. In Canada the bar is high, technical education is more important and the opportunities to start from zero without any experience in testing are almost nonexistent. Students do coops here (few months-long internships during studies) that help them gain at least some experience during their studies. The better coop they get, the higher chance there is to get hired as a graduate engineer later on.
Lastly, QAs are engineers in Canada. They are developers and the recruitment process reflects that. Being able to work with code and write their own automation testing code is a must. They are on the same level as software engineers and have to do a coding challenge during the interview process.
Is it hard to find a good quality QA Engineer/Software Tester in Canada? If so, why?
Yes, extremely hard because of my last point that I mentioned above. QA are engineers, often with the title QE who are on the same level as developers. They often do both, manual testing as well as automation. To bring real value, they need to be able to work with a code like a developer does and to understand the code and have a discussion with a developer. They are part of the scrum team, they are not separated. They need to understand software development.
The other reason is that there are not many true QE who have the critical competency needed for the job and that is CURIOSITY. The desire to explore the application and to question and to break it.
What kind of personality are you looking for in a QA Engineer/Software Tester? What personality types make a good QA Engineer/Software Tester?
I wouldn’t say I look for a personality. I look for behavioural competencies. Team work, determination, collaboration, problem solving, motivation, excellent communication, result driven mindset. I think it is important to understand that we all need to work together and that we are all doing our best. We are all people with lives, problems, challenges and that is something that we have to keep in mind when working together. Therefore, human touch at work is important, from managers as well as individual contributors. Working together to solve and progress.
Do you have a good experience with QA Engineers/Software Tester applicants with non-technical background? Are there any pros and cons to having a more versatile work experience?
Again, I would say that in the Czech Republic the education is not a blocker, in Canada it is a bit. To be honest most of QA/QE I worked with had computer science education. I don’t always look at it but it is mostly required. However, I have worked with an amazing engineering director who did not have tech education. It really varies but the less experience the candidate has, the more the education matters. Some companies in Canada have also favourite universities they value highly. However, even highly educated people don’t always pass the behavioural part of interviews.
There are always pros to having versatile experience. It is great to learn more coding languages, more tools, more frameworks, and experience in large as well as smaller companies. That broadens up perspectives and the ability to evaluate, make choices and decisions. Reaching seniority in one company does not automatically means the same seniority in another. It is the variety of experiences, tools, and skills that makes a candidate senior. However, I always recommend staying at least 2 years in each company. That usually ensures a good learning trajectory.
Is there a big difference in technical skills between QA Engineer/Software Tester with technical and non-technical background?
I am not a technical person to answer this question. I can only suggest that the technical education can help understand software development as a whole but that does not mean they cannot learn it on their own. It really depends on each individual.
What is the one thing (if there is one) that the QA Engineer/Software Tester candidate does or says at the interview and that makes you doubt whether this person would be a good QA Engineer/Software Tester or not?
When They do not ask any questions.
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