Brief presentations - usually held by experts

Mentoring - when pairing a junior with a senior in that

role

Staff selection is one of the most important functions of

a management role in the organization.

Preparing for a
Tester interview
Here are some tips to use during the interview:

First talk about the structure of the interview

Usual interview duration time is 45-60 minutes

Remember the 30-70 % ratio. Use open questions to let

the candidate speak.

Ask for evidence and examples

You should also check with your HR department if there

are any illegal questions in your area. For example in the

European Union there are some countries where it is

illegal to ask about:

Color / race / nationality

Sex or pregnancy

Actual or perceived sexual orientation

Disability

Age

Family status
 The  test manager should prepare a list of

predefined interview questions in order to assess the

skills of the candidate and determine areas of

strength and weakness.

Before diving into the skills that we should look for, a test

manager must also take into account:

Team dynamic

Complementing of the skills of the existing team

Complementing the personalities of the team

Achieving a mix of technical and personality traits

within the team

The above are required because a strong test team must

be able to deal with multiple projects of varying type,

but also handle interpersonal interactions.

Even though the below is not a complete list, the aim of

this guide is to provide a predefined set of skills that we

should look for in a candidate for our test team. A test

manager should also consider the fact that skill

requirements vary between environments and

organizations.

1. Can handle high pressure activities

perform well under stress

can deflect frustration

can concentrate on the work even when the schedule

seems impossible
2. Finish their tasks and ask for more

3. Technical Skills

4. Soft Skills

A test manager should also keep in mind that team

members that are assimilated by the team and there is a

good team dynamic, then not only informal training will

occurs across the members, but the work will be better

balanced within the team without the need of specific

allocation done by the test manager.

Below is a list of how to look for technical and

soft skills in a candidate during an interview.

Technical Skills
Derive test cases from a requirements document

Review technical documentation

Write review comments in a clear,  objective  and

understandable way

Apply various testing techniques appropriately to given

scenarios

Assess a failure and documenting it accurately

Demonstrate an understanding of defect classification

information

Demonstrating an understanding of root causes of

defects

Use a tool to test a given API, including positive and

negative tests
 Use SQL to find and alter database information to test a

given scenario

Design a test automation harness that will execute

multiple tests and gather test results

Execute automated tests and troubleshooting failures

Write test plans/specifications

Write a test summary reports that includes an

assessment of the test results

Create a Test Report

Define an Entry and Exit Criteria

Specific application technical tests or questions

Soft skills (interpersonal skills)

Presenting information regarding a test project that is

behind schedule

Explaining a defect report to a developer who thinks

there is no defect

Training a co-worker

Presenting a problem to management regarding a

process that is not effective

Reviewing a test case created by a co-worker and

presenting the comments to that person

Interviewing a co-worker

Complimenting a developer

Explain a complex issue

Provide a recommendation on a situation

Lobby for support from you peers for an issue

resolution