Canada – Do QA Engineers/Software Testers need a Tech Degree to Get Hired?

My last interview on this theme is with Natalia Moyseyenko, a QA Manager at EPAM Canada. Natalia has worked as Software Engineer, Software Tester, and QA Manager in multiple companies and countries. That is why she is the perfect candidate to tell us what kind of people can succeed in the career of a QA Engineer/Software Tester.

Hello Natalia, thank you for accepting my interview! I believe that it will help a lot of people to understand the in and outs of getting a Software Tester/QA Engineer job.

As I saw in your LinkedIn, you have a tech background and first worked as a Software Engineer. How was the switch from that to QA?

It was pretty natural, at least for me. For a long time, I worked as a developer of various systems for financial companies. In my very first company, at the very beginning of my career, we collected requirements ourselves, and then developed and tested our applications quite often without having dedicated test specialists so I was pretty much aware of how to validate them. If you do not validate it properly, your end-users will come to you (and might not always be positive). And even then, I thought about how important it is to independently assess the quality of your application in order to discover what you, as an author, missed.

Another reason I switched to QA. Communication and my interest in establishing simple and effective processes as quite a big portion of issues could be either resolved or prevented by proper communication and process.

You have worked as a QA Manager in Canada and Ukraine, so I suppose you have been participating in hiring new QA talents in both countries. Do you feel like it is hard in Canada to find good quality QA Engineers/Software Testers? And if so why? How does it compare to Ukraine?

It is not easy to find qualified personnel in any country. As QA Engineer role (as well as other roles in IT world)  is not only a certain list of technical skills, but also the ability to research, pick out the main things (as testing is endless) when validating the application and – what is most important – to walk in end-user’s shoes. What seems to be important to you, doesn’t always mean the same thing important for your end-user. And I wouldn’t say that this process is somehow different in Canada.

What kind of personality are you looking for in a QA Engineer/Software Tester usually? What personality types make a good QA Engineer/Software Tester in your opinion?

Apart from technical/soft skills? I value honesty and openness. When the candidate is a team player so they are able to set the goals of the team or project above personal ambitions. I do not like it when a candidate “draws” some skills in the resume. I prefer when he/she says openly what areas they are not confirmed in and ready to work on.

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 in your opinion?

I am a fan of education because I believe that any professional work requires a solid theoretical and practical base. When I say education, I don’t mean technical university specifically. In the modern world, there are a million ways to get the knowledge you need. 

It doesn’t occur to us to hire someone who doesn’t play musical instruments into the orchestra, does it? At the same time, you don’t have to be a Academy of Music’ graduate to make music.  We value knowledge and skills, not how they are acquired. 

With regard to versatile work experience – depends on the spread. I will be careful if a person comes to QA after working in ten different specialties. For me this could be a sign that a person may still be in search and may not stay in the team. On the other hand, sometimes different experience helps us, testers, to better understand our customers. There is no single answer, everything is individual.

Is there a big difference in technical skills between QA Engineer/Software Tester with a technical and non-technical background?

And again – there is no single answer, every person is individual with their skills and experience. But let’s not belittle the importance of higher education. Otherwise, why would technical universities be needed if they did not provide technical knowledge?

Is there a way to recognize whether a person without a tech background will have a hard time learning technical skills? Could you check that in the interview?

We can have a case-study interview or can give a test task. For example, to write a simple SQL query or compose a set of tests to check a module.

Do you feel like having a testing certification helps to become a successful QA Engineer/Software Tester when not having a tech background? If so which one?

I personally don’t have test certification. It was simply not required during my career (yet), but of course, I am aware of various types of certification. I think that not the certificate itself, but the preparation for obtaining it, is a good way to structure your knowledge. It doesn’t matter you have or you don’t have a tech background. Yes, I would recommend getting certified or at least familiarizing yourself with the expectations.

What is the one thing (if there is one) that the QA Engineer/Software Tester candidate should not mention in the interview? For example, I heard that some candidates said that they just wanted to try testing or they wanted to do testing only to become developers, etc. Would that make an influence how you decide about such a candidate?

When the candidate says – QA is the simplest and easiest role and I go there to get a job in IT. I value my profession and will not let anyone underestimate it.

Is there anything else you would like to add that could help prospective QA candidates without a tech background when looking for a software testing job?

As in any profession – look for ways to become a specialist, learn and gain experience. 

Thank you so much for making time to answer these questions. I believe that your input will help a lot of people!!!