INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Software Tester 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 Software Tester 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 Software Tester job market is wide open for candidates.
Top Software Tester sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to write a Software Tester resume experience section
Software Tester Resume’s Job Experience Checklist:
- Use 4-6 bullet points per job title;
- Don’t go further than a decade behind when describing your job history, unless you’re applying for an executive position;
- Combine job responsibilities as well as achievements with numbers in results when you describe your past work;
- Start each sentence with a power verb and avoid overused buzzwords;
- Use either C-A-R or S-T-A-R methodology, when describing your experience.
The work experience samples below come from real Software Tester resumes that got people hired at top companies. You can use them as an inspiration to build your own resume:
- Used the Ticket Tracking System (JIRA) to register and track issues.
- Operated bug tracking tools to find, log, and resolve issues .
- Developed high quality test conditions, test plans, test scripts and test procedure centred on user needs and specifications
- Conducted specification and structured based testing in an effective manner.
- Thorough knowledge of models used in Software Development Life Cycle.
- Managed test conditions and test cases, applied them in practical environment.
- Worked on Unix command lines as a test engineer.
- Used Selenium for automating the test cases for web applications.
- Monitoring system and managed production services through conducting tests.
- Used Japanese language skills in translation of specifications and GUI, later used technical skills to understand the logic documents, develop test cases and detect bugs.
- Trained other team members in GUI Testing.
- Provided translation support in Japanese error message content validation, Japanese test data preparation.
- Understanding software requirements and preparing test scenarios, test cases
- Testing software to identify and resolve problems from end users perspective
- Accurately monitoring and recording results in test documentation
- Created test plans for project
- Analyzing & communicating results to all stakeholders needed
- Monitoring the testing process and identifying and logging test failures (defects)
- Performing peer reviews and estimates
- Involved in Performance Testing, Scalability and Load Testing
- Understanding the whole system process gathering specifications and created user documentations.
- Testing full product suite's, identifying problems & resolving them with the development team
- Learned and practiced context-driven testing
- Tested and delivered viable product for legacy partner on target dates
- Performed manual/regression testing on all assigned applications
- Utilized Test Management tools efficiently
- Collaborated with stakeholders and counterparts to effectively create and execute test cases
- Participated in automation exercises
- Created test cases/guidelines according to Application Design, Functional Design, Technical Design, or User Stories
- Shared the responsibility for setting up the QA processes in mode.
- Extensively carried web based testing like UI Testing, Cross browser testing, accessibility testing, functional testing, regression testing on mode website.
- Tested API's which were powering the foodie mobile app, and APIs which were used for uploading and trans coding content on app and website.
- Responsible for requirement gathering from SRS document
- Responsible for capturing and mapping of requirements in Requirement Template Matrix provided by the client.
- Design and Development of test cases from SRS and execution of test cases.
- Preparation & updating of defect reports and test completion reports
- Facilitated meetings with internal stakeholders, customers, and third party vendors to ensure that projects fulfilled workflow requirements and integrated with ancillary software
- Worked with cross-functional teams to define project scope, create designs, and plan timelines for iterative sprint cycles
- Emphasized early risk identification and mitigation through project pre-mortem meetings, test plan mapping sessions, and retrospectives to identify actionable follow-ups for future projects
- Interacted directly with end users through usability studies and on-site support of nurses and physicians across the country as they transitioned from other EHRs to Epic
- Balanced responsibilities as a project manager in addition to manually testing software, leading quality improvement initiatives as the Inpatient Foundation System QA Lead, and additional tasks on an ad-hoc basis
- Running manual and automated tests, compiling the results in excel format for detailed analysis and data visualisation
- Present findings to software development and business user teams
- Providing objective feedback to software development team
- 5+ years of experience working as a Software Test Engineer in an Agile environment.
- Active role on all phases of STLC (write and review test cases, execution of functional, regression, sanity, API tests, reporting and triage of bugs found).
- Active role in all Scrum meetings.
- Proactively identifying any potential quality issues and escalate risks to management.
- Sprint review presentations with the Client.
- Fully integrated with other team members such as UX / Design / DEVs / PO / Managers.
- Experience as QA Lead, coaching and mentoring of the intern and younger QA Engineers.
- Hands on BDD, writing tests in Gherkin.
- Performed manual performance tests and using JMeter with a large number of threads to capture Latency time.
- Create mind-map brainstorm tree for better flow analysis.
- Tested web and mobile applications (for Android, iOS devices and tablets), such as games, localisation apps and server-client side, tablet apps for health-care, photo-grid and collage app, Samsung world cup app, Rio2016 Olympics official app, flight booking app, video players, etc.
- Created and executed test scenarios and test cases for System Integration Testing and User Acceptance Testing activities
- Automated a simple report comparison tool in 2 weeks using Excel VBA, resulting to $500 in monthly savings
- Worked closely with developers to build product with quality for 7 projects
- Coordinated with onshore and offshore teams for a billing quality assurance project for a Telecommunications company and achieved a 20% increase in defects found
- Constructed Testing Status Reports and Defect Status Reports for stakeholders
- Created and maintained test scenarios, test cases, and defects in HP Application Life-cycle Management Tool
- Python Software Developer for a real-time interactive 3D graphics solution, delivering on-time tailored solutions for our customers.
- Software Tester working both in local and international projects with overseas teams.
- Customer Support providing day-by-day on-time effective technical support to our world-wide users.
PRO TIP
The person reading your Software Tester resume will be busy, make sure you never waste their time with fluff.
Action Verbs for your Software Tester Resume
Recommended reads:
Software Tester Resume Skills’ Tips & Tricks to Impress Recruiters
Resume Skills Section Checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top Skills for your Software Tester resume
- VB Scripting
- HP QTP
- IBM RFT
- Rational Performance Tester
- HP QC
- HP ALM
- JIRA
- Sikuli
- Web Application Testing
- UAT
- Communication
- Organisation
- Analytical thinking
- Creativity and innovation
- Accountability
- Flexibility
- Eager to learn
- Perseverance
- Problem solving
- Resourcefulness
PRO TIP
When picking skills to feature in your resume, make sure they'll be relevant to the position you’re applying to. The point of listing skills is for you to stand out from the competition. Stay away from repetitive, meaningless skills that everyone uses in their resumes. Or else, they’ll backfire and make you look like an average candidate.
Software Tester Resume Header: Tips, Red Flags, and Best Practices
CHECKLIST For Your Software Tester 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
Include a link to your portfolio in your Software Tester 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.
Software Tester Resume Summary Best Practices
Checklist: What to include in your Software Tester resume summary:
- Years of experience;
- Highlight top 3 skills and proficiencies;
- One big professional accomplishment you’re most proud of, that you can tie with the aforementioned skills;
- Use short, direct sentences - but no more than three - to keep the HRs interested.
Resume Summary Formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary should act as an elevator speech, briefly promoting how you will benefit the employer if hired. Pitch your strengths in the summary and expand on them in your Software Tester experience section. Give examples like how your work benefited each employer.
Recommended reads:
Listing Your Education, Certifications and Courses
Resume Education Section Checklist:
- Ensure your hard skills section (including technologies) are exactly matching the job description.
- Don’t simply list your soft skills. Apply the “show, don’t tell” principle - let your job achievements speak for themselves.
- Find a way to showcase your skills beyond the skills section.
- Your resume’s skill section is important to ATS systems - so don’t skip it.
Top Certifications for your Software Tester resume
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Software Tester. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
Software Tester Resume: Additional Writing & Formatting Tips
There are three basic resume formats you can choose from:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional resume format;
- Hybrid (or Combination) resume format;
The most optimal format for your particular case will depend on your years of experience, as well as whether you’re switching industries or not.
Reverse chronological resumes are best suited for experienced individuals who are sticking to their industry. The experience section takes a central place, and its bullets contain your responsibilities and achievements, coupled with numbers and results.
Functional resumes are used by less experienced jobseekers or career changers. Note that it’s not a format that recruiters prefer, as most are used to the classic chronological alignment. Instead of a list of job titles, functional resumes focus on your skills, and through what experiences you gained them.
Hybrid resumes are great for both experienced and entry-level candidates, as well as career changers. They combine the best of both worlds - most often in a double column format, where one side of the content is focused on your experience, whereas the other - on your skills, strengths, and proudest moments.
Software Tester Resume Summary best practices
Here are more resume tips regarding your layout and style:
- Clear and legible 12p resume font size;
- Use 10’’ resume margins - that’s default for a great resume design;
- Use a one-page template resume length if you’ve got less than 10 years of experience; otherwise, opt for a two-page resume;
- Save your resume as PDF before sending it to the recruiter.
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
If you feel that you don’t have high chances in a particular company, due to lack of relevant experience, then you can still consider using a creative layout. That might help you get noticed and invited for an interview, as most of the other applicants will have boring resume designs.
Other sections to include in your resume
Depending on the type of company (corporation or start-up; innovative or traditional), job seniority level and your location, you may want to include more sections to your Software Tester resume:
Software Tester Resume: How to Make Yours More Creative & Stand Out
When you send your resume to a potential employer, chances are it's the fiftieth one they've seen that day. That's why you need to make your Software Tester resume stand out for the right reasons. That means showing your personality, not just your professional experience. Employers are far more likely to remember a candidate who seems like a genuine person and not a robot. Do this by including your passions (which is also a great place to demonstrate skills on a resume), share your favorite books, or even what your usual day looks like.
What Makes a Great Software Tester 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.
