If you compare software testing to art, it is hard to imagine what a Software Tester portfolio can look like. Software testing is the process where you ensure that the final product meets all user’s/business/legal requirements while being fully functional. How do you showcase a process? And if you are changing your career to tech from a completely different industry, how do you even make a portfolio of a process you have never done?!?
On the other hand, it is always good to stand out at an interview. Having a portfolio online showing your testing and technical skills can make a difference in whether you get the offer or not.
So this is the time to get creative..
1) Writing a test scenario/case(s) for apps you use daily
The main thing you, as a Software Tester, will do is testing an app or its feature over and over again. For that reason, you should get used to doing the same.
Take your favorite app you use every day and think about how you would test it. In my case it is LinkedIn. I would write down all the user journeys possible for using the app and set up test cases. In the case of LinkedIn it can go something like this:
“Write and post an article on my LinkedIn”
- Open linkedin.com, 2. try login to LinkedIn with fake credentials 3. login to LinkedIn with your credentials 4. click on “home” 5. click on “write article” 6. write the article 7. click “publish”
- Expected result: you will login to LinkedIn as you and will be able to write and publish an article
- Actual result: Should be the same (otherwise LinkedIn is broken, you can let them know that and maybe they will hire you as a QA 🙂
When creating your portfolio online for a process it is important to show how the process would look like. The best way to describe the process is to break it down into small steps. Set what behavior of the app would you expect and then watch if it actually behaves that way.
When you break the process into smaller steps you show your thinking process as well as your aptitude for being organized. That is another great skill to have as a Software Tester.
On top of it, it will increase your self-awareness. When you repeatedly do something it becomes automated. and you do not pay attention to it. Being more aware of the present moment and your actions will help you to become not only a better QA but also a happier person. You can learn more about how to write test cases here.
2. Report bugs you encounter on your favorite apps
Bug reporting is the bread and butter of software testing. For that reason, you need to know how to do it when you work as a Software Tester. Bug reporting is finding the defects in the tested software and reporting those to the developers. You need to do it in a way that the developers can understand it easily. It makes sense to write the steps for the reproduction of the bug and the expected and actual result. If you are on a Chrome browser, always remember to have the developer tools open to see if the console is showing any errors.
In case of Facebook this could look like this (based on a true bug/glitch that happened to me):
“Facebook Bug Report”
- open facebook.com 2. login with your credentials 3. click on messenger
- Expected result: see your friends names next to their pictures
- Actual result: pictures and names are not matching
Take a screenshot of the problem (preferably with the dev tools open). Then try to reproduce the bug again to confirm it is really a bug, not just a glitch. Take a screen recording of the bug reproduction, if possible.
This way you can test and find bugs in all your favorite apps and write those into your online portfolio.
3. Perform accessibility testing
Ensuring the accessibility of websites to people with disabilities is an honorable thing. It is, however, also a legal requirement. You, as a future QA Software Tester, will be responsible for the accessibility of the website/app. So it is a good idea to know how to do it before hands. You can learn about the tools to use for it right here.
To show your accessibility skills in your online portfolio, you can record the process you used to make sure your favorite website/app is accessible and attach screenshots/screen recording.
4. Get familiar with Jira and Asana
Another great thing to show in your online portfolio is your knowledge of project management software and how you would use it in your Software Tester career. You can use Jira and/or Asana for free. You can use it to write there your test cases and bug reports and move them from “to do” into “in progress” and then to “done”. This will help you to understand the development cycle of any app – all the stages it has to go through to be done.
It will also help you keep track of what you are working on. And that’s exactly what it is meant to do. Being familiar with Jira or at least Asana will help you become ready for your future Software Tester career.
5. Start a Blog
To be able to show your online portfolio you need to have it available online first. For that reason, you can start a blog. The usual question is “what should the blog be about” when you are not a tester yet. Well, post your test cases, bug reports, and Jira/Asana workflows there. Do it for multiple apps and websites and you will have enough to write about. You can also do interviews with other Software Testers about their journey to testing and write about it there.
It does not matter how you start, the more important thing is to start. The blog can then grow with your career and you can use it as a journal for your wins as well as a description of testing tools and methods you became experienced in.
6. Create a blog in WordPress
A lot of people use Medium or Dev.to blogging platforms today. It makes sense since they are cheaper than hosting your own blog. On the other hand, when you create your own WordPress.org blog, you will (hopefully) get more familiar with the technical side of it (even if it is written mainly in PHP). Having that understanding will help you in your future Software Tester position.
7. Make YouTube or LinkedIn videos
Your online portfolio does not need to be written. You can also present it in form of a video. You will show your testing skills as well as get better in public speaking. Having an online portfolio in form of a video will certainly help you to stand out.
8. Code your resume and host it for free on your Github
When you start working as a Software Tester, you will be using it daily. So it is a good idea to get used to it even before your first Software Tester gig. You can open an account and then make a repository for your resume/personal landing page. When you are finished you can host the page on Github for free.
This type of online portfolio will require that you learn some HTML and CSS. It won’t be waste of time because this knowledge will come in handy when you work as a Software Tester anyways.
9. Write basic cypress test
Unless you are strictly looking for a Manual Software Tester job, you should always learn at least the basics of automated testing. And cypress offers an easy start to it.
When we talk about the online portfolio, making one with a cypress is a breeze. Since you have already created an account at Github and got to know some coding, we can start making a little cypress test to a random website. You will use the HTML and CSS elements on the website to find where you are testing. Then you will use the cypress commands to run the test. If you keep the repo with cypress test public or share the private one with your potential employer, they can easily see your automation skills.
10. Show your personal brand on social media
You have your own personal brand and, similar to marketing, you can use it as such. What you post on social media under this brand can become part of your online portfolio. When you are just starting out, you might not have that much to say about software testing yet. But you can read other people’s blogs and posts, like them, and comment on them. You can befriend other Software Testers and they might help you to find a job too.
So here you have it. I hope it will help you to figure out how to build your own software testing online portfolio!
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