INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QA Automation positions are at a 22% growth rate, which is much faster than average. With that said, there are currently 1,847,900 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 409,500 to 2,257,400 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the QA Automation jobs was $110,140 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $65,210, and the highest 10% more than $170,100.
Our conclusion? The QA Automation job market is wide open for candidates.
Top QA automation sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
What to write in your QA automation experience section
Perfecting your QA automation resume experience section:
- Focus on results, not responsibilities;
- Use 4-6 bullet points per position;
- List only positions that are relevant to what you’re applying for;
- Include at least some form of quantitative data – it can be linked to the number of people you’ve managed or the - percentage decrease in costs that’s followed from your work - you decide;
- Choose action verbs over buzzwords.
We’ve collected some of the top resume experience sections from real Enhancv users. Check them out when drafting your own QA Automation resume!
- Increased product quality and reduced manual testing by designing and implementing Selenium automation tests in C#
- Exercised test driven development by designing and implementing automated test cases with an agile team
- Maintained a clean code base by re-factoring existing test scripts when expanding the test suite to encompass new features
- Improved HbbTV testing coverage by 1000% and streamlined the processes by removing duplicities and reducing their time by 50%.
- Reduced open tickets reported by key CSP partners by ~75%, held regular meetings where escalations and issues were handled.
- Analyzed new specifications and identified requirements (YouTube TV, Freeview, HbbTV), proposed new development paths and strategies.
- Oversaw the Quality Assurance operations for a product awarded as BEST OF 2015 Industry Solutions (Initiative Mittelstand). Designed both manual and automated Test Plans.
- Reported directly to the CIO of Quality Assurance. Oversaw a cross-cultural, cross-country based 12-people strong Scrum team as QA.
- Established development Guidelines and oversaw and participated the Product Specification. Prepared the Validation Packages.
- Setup Specflow driven automated tests for all Web Assets
- Optimize, maintain and enhance the automated tests for WebServices
- Setup automated tests for the RESTFull IVR solution
- Introduced Microsoft Test Manager to Debitsuccess
- Reviews external specifications (requirement/user specifications, functional specifications and architecture) to verify that the specifications are testable.
- Creates test cases, and scripts to support testing objectives.
- Executes tests, analyzes test results, and reports identified problems.
- Develop and support a test automation framework based on Protractor and TypeScript.
- Develop frontend automation tests using the automation framework and Jasmine
- Develop backend acceptance tests using FitNesse and Java
- Perform code reviews of pull requests.
- Use continuous integration server.
- 5.11 Yrs of 360° all-round experience in Quality Assurance - Automation
- Automated small to large scale, simplest to most complex web applications I.e. Sales force & Microsoft dynamics using Selenium
- Developed two layered, three layered page object model and many frameworks for the projects & accounts
- Significant contributor in various teams with various working models
- Proficient in Selenium Web-Driver
- Worked in IME and Communications domain for various clients across the world
- Enthusiastic about innovation & innovated accelerators for testing process, introduced best practices in account to improve and enhance productivity.
- Participated in team building process, mentored new joiners, delivered sessions on selenium, learnt Risk mitigation and developing contingency plans.
- As a consultant, for beginner projects in Automation, recommended suitable tools & solutions to the clients
- Leading a team in delivering robust solution for a web and mobile application
- Delivered a milestone & ground-breaking solution for one of the challenges which opened doors for many other solutions
- Designed, developed and executed automated test cases from integration testing to load testing.
- Worked closely with development and QA teams to review requirements and define test strategies, estimates, and plans.
- Identified and report defects and follow through to complete testing cycles.
- Created test reports to internal teams and customers.
- Hosted and participated in test case reviews and project meetings.
- Create automation tests in C# (Selenium Web Driver, Specflow, Appium)
- Execute manual tests
- Create detailed test plans and high fidelity test suites with test cases
- Test suite execution, result analysis and reporting
- Estimate testing complexity and tasks for User Stories
- Mentor other team members
- Code reviews
- Support Jenkins pipelines integration and maintain its stability
- Mac Mini
- E2E, Testing strategy, Performance, Mobile testing on real devices (Android and iOS),
- Introduced and developed BDD automation framework Automation front and back-end testing (Selenium,Java, Maven,Jenkins)
- Integration of "TestLink"
- API testing
- Front-end and Back-End manual testing
- Automation front and back-end testing (Selenium,Java, Maven)
- Development of the brand new company Warehouse / accountancy system (the QA part)
- Mobile devices testing (New Responsive design)
- Creation of automation tests, based on BA user story (BDD, Jbehave)
- Execution of automation testis (IntelliJ , selenium, Java, Maven)
- Mobile devices testing
- Work in Agile / Scrum (Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Retrospective, Planning and Collaboration)
- Automating feature tests for both front-end and back-end (Java, Python, C++, TestNG, Selenium, etc.)
- Designing and developing internal test tools
- Designing and running performance/load tests(JMeter, SoapUi, etc.)
- Manual feature testing(writing and executing test cases, reviewing specifications/requirements, bug reporting, improvement suggestions, etc.)
- Gathering and analyzing requirements
- Developing an automated test environment for both UI and non-UI testing (C# & .NET)
- Developing automated test scripts (C# &.NET)
- Code reviewing
- Providing technical solutions and being a technical consultant for the team
PRO TIP
Make sure to relate your experience to your job description, but never lie. That’s not tolerated and will show up in the face-to-face interview later on.
Action verbs for your QA automation resume
Recommended reads:
QA Automation Resume Skills Section to Impress Recruiters
Checklist for a perfect QA Automation resume skills section:
- Make sure to include most if not all essential skills for the job;
- Check the job description and add some keywords to pass ATS;
- List both hard and technical skills;
- When it comes to soft skills – elaborate on them in other sections of your resume (e.g. the experience section).
Top skills for your QA automation resume
Python
Selenium
Appium
Cucumber
Sikuli
JUnit
Postman
JMeter
SoapUI
TestLink
Communication
Organisation
Analytical thinking
Creativity and innovation
Accountability
Flexibility
Eager to learn
Perseverance
Problem solving
Resourcefulness
PRO TIP
Don’t feel obliged to spend a separate section for your soft skills - you can weave them throughout your job experience or career summary. But, don’t just write empty words - back them with examples.
QA automation resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your QA automation resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have non-discrimination policies about what kind of information can be included on your QA Automation resume. This might include a photo (which is often included in a resume header and might be on personal web pages you link to). You can always email the company’s HR department to ask about their policies before you apply.
Writing an effective QA automation resume summary
Impressive QA Automation resume summary checklist:
- Point out the achievements that make you a valuable applicant;
- Mention the total years of experience you have;
- Highlight the things you believe make you the best fit for the position;
- Keep it short: aim at having no more than 3-5 sentences.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Include a link to your portfolio in your resume header. Most companies will require that you include one in your resume, and even if they don’t, it’s an excellent opportunity to directly show them your proudest projects.
Recommended Reads:
Drawing the attention to your QA automation resume education section
Crafting a job-winning education section:
- Use the reverse-chronological format when listing your degrees;
- Tailor the classes you’ve taken to the position you’re applying for if you’re an entry-level candidate;
- Mention the awards and honors you’ve received;
- Add your certifications (but only those relevant to the position).
Top certifications for your QA automation resume
Top 150+ QA Automation Interview Questions & Resume Tips
Job oriented Interview preparation course on Selenium, API testing, Testng, SQL, cucumber & Java programs with solutions
Learn SDET Essentials - Full Stack QA Automation
Docker, CI & CD with Jenkins , AWS For Testers, JDBC, ODBC , Maven , Git & GitHub
The Complete Quality Assurance Course- Learn QA from Scratch
Learn QA Software Testing both Manual and Automation. Become Developer in Test and Kick-start your Career in IT.
JobEasy: Git Crash Course for QA Automation Engineers
Learn how to use Git in under One Hour
Real time Automation+Manual Interview Questions with Answers
Real time Interview course on all automation & Manual concept questions with detailed answers - QA Jobs (Hindi)
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PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
Choosing the best format for your QA automation resume
The content of your QA Automation resume is what will get you hired, right?
But even when your content’s amazing and you’re a true over-achiever, recruiters might not think you’re a good fit if your resume looks messy or is not formatted the right way.
In general, there are three basic resume formats we advise you to stick with:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Deciding which one to use depends on your experience, the industry, and the company. In short — you need to know what your applicant profile is.
For instance, reverse-chronological resumes are great for people with over 10 years of experience and no employment gaps. Here, you need to list all your relevant experience in a reverse-chronological format, starting from the most recent and going back to less recent positions.
Functional skills-based resumes, on the other hand, are great for entry-level applicants, graduate students, or people who have different kinds of experience. It focuses on skills, education, and character traits, rather than experience.
If none of these work for you, and you dream of adopting a more creative approach that makes a difference, the combination (or hybrid) resume format is exactly what you’re looking for. It allows you to focus on both your experience and your skills, making it a ‘best of both worlds’ format. It’s also suitable for those who want to spice things up by adding different creative sections (e.g. ‘life philosophy’ or ‘what my day looks like’).
Here are some additional tips on perfecting your resume layout and style:
- Go for a traditional resume font sized 12p;
- Use standard 1-inch resume margins for increased readability;
- Make sure your resume fits on a one-page template. In case you’ve got 10 years of experience or more, your resume’s length can reach two pages;
- Avoid unwanted editing and plagiarism – save your resume as PDF before sending it to the recruiters.
Want to take it a step further? Learn how to make your resume stand out without relying too much on creativity.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Sometimes you’ll want to go after a job which requires more experience than you have. Instead of using a typical QA Automation resume layout, you can use a creative layout. Getting noticed is the most important challenge and a creative resume layout might help you get invited for an interview as most of other accountants have boring resume designs.
Want to include something more to your QA automation resume?
So you’ve already listed details about your education, experience, and skills. You’ve also crafted an amazing summary.
But now you feel a creative urge to showcase your personality and not just your expertise.
We’ve got you! Thanks to our modern templates, you can now include a chart of what your typical day looks like or even a word or two about your life philosophy. All this without sacrificing your QA Automation resume’s professional feel.
Some non-traditional sections for your resume include:
Making your QA automation resume stand out
You want to make a strong first impression to all recruiters that get a hold of your resume. Sure you do! But how?
Well, the easiest way to stand out is by adding a bit of creativity to your QA Automation resume. You could do this by going for a colorful layout or adding a creative section or two. It all depends on the industry and the position you’re applying for!
For instance, a position in design would allow for a more colorful resume, while a position in finance would probably not.
What makes a great QA automation resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
