Crafting a CV that stands out can be particularly challenging for software testers due to the necessity of showcasing both technical expertise and attention to detail. Our guide is designed to help you highlight your unique skills and experience, ensuring your CV is both impressive and reflective of your professional capabilities.
- Applying the simplest CV design, so that recruiters can easily understand your expertise, skills, and professional background;
- Ensuring you stand out with your header, summary or objective statement, and a designated skills section;
- Creating your CV experience section - no matter how much expertise you have;
- Using real life professional CV examples to enhance the structure and outline of your profile.
If you still have no muse to write your professional CV, find some more industry-leading examples.
Structuring your software tester CV layout: four factors to keep in mind
There are plenty of best practices out there for your CV layout and design. At the end of the day, a clear format and concise CV message should be your top priority. Use your CV design to enhance separate sections, bringing them to the forefront of recruiters' attention. At the same time, you can write content that:- Follows the reverse chronological order in the experience section by first listing your most recent jobs;
- Incorporates your contact information in the header, but do skip out on the CV photo for roles in the UK;
- Is spotlighted in the most important sections of your CV, e.g. the summary or objective, experience, education, etc. to show just how you meet the job requirements;
- Is no longer than two-pages. Often, the one-page format can be optimal for your software tester CV.
Before submitting your CV, you may wonder whether to export it in Doc or PDF. With the PDF format, your information and layout stay intact. This is quite useful when your CV is assessed by the Applicant Tracker System (or the ATS) . The ATS is a software that scans your profile for all relevant information and can easily understand latest study on the ATS , which looks at your CV columns, design, and so much more.
PRO TIP
Incorporate a touch of colour in headers or section breaks, but keep it professional and ensure it doesn’t detract from readability, especially in more conservative industries.
The top sections on a software tester CV
- Professional Summary highlights your testing ethos.
- Technical Skills exhibit specific testing tools expertise.
- Testing Certifications show commitment to professional growth.
- Work Experience details relevant roles and accomplishments.
- Education Background establishes foundational knowledge base.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Highlight your proficiency with various testing tools and technologies that are specific to software testing, such as Selenium, JIRA, or TestRail, to show that you are well-equipped to handle the technical aspects of the role.
- Emphasise your understanding of different testing methodologies like Agile, Waterfall, or TDD (Test-Driven Development), demonstrating your ability to adapt to various development processes and environments.
- Include any relevant certifications such as ISTQB, CSTE, or any other professional qualifications that are recognised in the field of software testing to establish your credibility and expertise.
- Detail your experience with bug tracking and reporting by mentioning specific instances where your efforts have led to significant improvements in software quality, as this showcases your impact on the product lifecycle.
- Showcase your analytical skills by providing examples of complex problems you’ve solved or how you have effectively planned test cases to cover various scenarios, indicating your critical thinking capabilities.
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How to present your contact details and job keywords in your software tester CV header
Located at the top of your software tester CV, the header presents recruiters with your key personal information, headline, and professional photo. When creating your CV header, include your:
- Contact details - avoid listing your work email or telephone number and, also, email addresses that sound unprofessional (e.g. koolKittyCat$3@gmail.com is definitely a big no);
- Headline - it should be relevant, concise, and specific to the role you're applying for, integrating keywords and action verbs;
- Photo - instead of including a photograph from your family reunion, select one that shows you in a more professional light. It's also good to note that in some countries (e.g. the UK and US), it's best to avoid photos on your CV as they may serve as bias.
What do other industry professionals include in their CV header? Make sure to check out the next bit of your guide to see real-life examples:
Examples of good CV headlines for software tester:
- QA Analyst | Automation Expertise | ISEB Certified | Agile Methodologies | 3+ Years' Experience
- Senior Test Engineer | Functional & Non-Functional Testing | Risk Management | Certified Tester | 8 Years' Experience
- Junior Software Tester | Manual Testing Enthusiast | ISTQB Foundation | UI/UX Focus | 1 Year In Industry
- Lead Test Consultant | Strategy & Planning | Test Automation Frameworks | Selenium Proficient | 10+ Years’ Expertise
- Test Manager | Quality Assurance Leadership | Continuous Integration | Certified Scrum Master | 12 Years’ Experience
- Software QA Specialist | Performance Testing | Test Script Design | ISTQB Advanced Level | 5 Years' Practice
Catching recruiters' attention with your software tester CV summary or objective
Located closer to the top of your CV, both the summary and objective are no more than five sentences long and serve as an introduction to your experience. What is more, you could use either to entice recruiters to read on. Select the:
- Summary, if you happen to have plenty of relevant experience. Feature your most impressive accomplishments and up to three skills that are relevant to the job you're applying for;
- Objective, if you're just starting your career off. Provide your career goals and answer how you see the role you are applying for will match your professional growth.
Judging which one you need to add to your software tester CV may at times seem difficult. That’s why you need to check out how professionals, with similar to your experience, have written their summary or objective, in the examples below:
CV summaries for a software tester job:
- With over 7 years of dedicated experience in software testing at a leading tech firm in Silicon Valley, I possess a robust skill set including automated testing, performance testing, and agile methodologies. Proudly spearheaded the successful rollout of a large-scale software update resulting in a 20% increase in user satisfaction.
- As a seasoned Quality Assurance Analyst with 5 years of expertise in a fast-paced e-commerce environment, I bring to the table an exceptional knack for identifying critical bugs and a proven track record in improving product release quality by upwards of 30%, having mastered Selenium and JIRA.
- Translating 10 years of experience in database management into the field of software testing, I am eager to apply my rigorous analytical skills and attention to detail to ensure the highest quality software products while continuously learning about cutting-edge testing methodologies and tools.
- Embarking on a career transition from network security to software testing, my 8 years of technical experience has equipped me with a unique perspective on system robustness and user data protection that I am keen to leverage alongside learning industry-standard testing frameworks and software lifecycle best practices.
- Aspiring to launch a career in software testing, I am enthusiastic about applying a fresh perspective and rigorous work ethic to learn and excel in test case development, automation frameworks, and defect resolution to contribute to improving the quality of software applications and user experiences.
- With no previous software testing experience but a recent degree in Computer Science, my objective is to integrate a strong foundation in programming, a keen eye for detail, and an ardent desire for continuous learning to develop as an effective software tester while making meaningful contributions to product quality improvements.
More detailed look into your work history: best advice on writing your software tester CV experience section
The CV experience is a space not just to merely list your past roles and responsibilities. It is the CV real estate within which you could detail your greatest accomplishments and skills, while matching the job requirements. Here's what to have in your experience section:
- Prove you have what the job wants with your unique skill set and past successes;
- Start each bullet with a strong, action verb, and continue with the outcome of your responsibility;
- Use any awards, nominations, and recognitions you've received as solid proof of your skill set and expertise;
- align your experience with the role responsibilities and duties.
For more help on how to write your CV experience section, check out the next section of our guide:
Best practices for your CV's work experience section
- Conducted comprehensive manual testing for a range of web and mobile applications, ensuring alignment with user story acceptance criteria and design specifications.
- Implemented automated testing frameworks using Selenium and Python, reducing test cycle time by 40% and enhancing the efficiency of regression testing.
- Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams in Agile environments, participating in daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives to continuously improve processes and outcomes.
- Identified, reported, and tracked bugs through their lifecycle using JIRA, consistently meeting resolution deadlines and prioritising issues based on severity and user impact.
- Developed detailed test plans and cases based on technical and functional requirements, achieving 95% test coverage for critical features.
- Optimised test environments and data sets for accuracy in testing, applying SQL for database validation and ensuring reliable test results.
- Facilitated UAT sessions with stakeholders to validate the functionality, usability, and accessibility of new features, documenting feedback for development teams.
- Maintained documentation of test results, procedures, and data, creating comprehensive test reports that drove product quality decisions.
- Stayed abreast of the latest testing tools and methodologies, including performance testing with LoadRunner, to contribute to the continuous improvement of test strategies.
- Lead the implementation of automated testing strategies using Selenium and Cucumber, which increased test coverage by 40% while reducing manual effort.
- Orchestrated the transition of testing protocols to a continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) model with Jenkins, enhancing the team's deploy frequency by 200%.
- Pioneered a quality metrics dashboard using TestRail, aiding the team in tracking defects and test outcomes more efficiently, which slashed time to market by 20%.
- Developed test plans and test cases for a cloud-based CRM solution that improved bug detection rates by 30% before the solutions reached the production environment.
- Facilitated user acceptance testing workshops for key product features, leading to a reduction in post-launch issues by 25%.
- Authored an extensive documentation library for testing procedures which were adopted company-wide, improving cross-team knowledge sharing.
- Led a quality assurance team in the agile development environment for mobile applications, increasing release quality by 35%.
- Designed and executed performance testing strategies that identified critical bottlenecks, enhancing system performance by 50%.
- Coordinated cross-functional teams during end-to-end testing phases, ensuring complete coverage of business requirements.
- Spearheaded the creation of a standardized test case template and workflow, which reduced onboarding time for new testers by 50%.
- Drove a testing initiative that successfully mitigated 90% of high-risk security vulnerabilities before product launches.
- Implemented a bi-weekly testing sprint, integrating product testing more closely with development sprints, which resulted in a smoother release cycle.
- Streamlined defect management processes utilizing JIRA, improving communication between development and QA teams which increased fix rate of bugs by 60%.
- Executed comprehensive regression tests for quarterly software updates, ensuring a 99% success rate on features before they reached the staging environment.
- Collaborated with offshore teams to extend testing capabilities, which achieved a 24-hour testing operation and reduced lead time by 33%.
- Optimized existing test cases for enterprise-level ERP software, which resulted in a 25% reduction in average test cycle time.
- Conducted rigorous stress testing scenarios which uncovered key areas for scalability improvements, influencing the successful handling of 20% more simultaneous users.
- Played a pivotal role in the pre-launch risk assessment, identifying critical bugs that would have impacted 30% of the user base.
- Initiated a comprehensive test automation program using Python and PyTest, resulting in a reduction of repetitive manual tests by 80%.
- Expertly managed a suite of over 500 automated test scripts, ensuring high code quality and contributing to a reduction in the defect escape rate to less than 1%.
- Collaborated with software developers to integrate unit tests into early development phases, effectively reducing the number of issues at the QA phase by 40%.
- Executed and reported on system-level testing for major updates to existing applications, improving overall software stability by 30%.
- Established a peer review culture for test scenarios that enhanced the test accuracy and reduced overlooked defects by 45%.
- Played a key role in the post-release monitoring of applications, quickly identifying and documenting anomalies for prompt resolution.
- Collaborated with product development teams to design and implement rigorous security testing protocols for new software products, significantly reducing potential exploits.
- Championed a client-focused testing approach that aligned test scenarios with user stories, delivering a more intuitive user experience and a 20% increase in customer satisfaction ratings.
- Leveraged data-driven testing techniques to pinpoint areas of improvement, influencing a major overhaul of the user interface that led to a 15% drop in user-reported issues.
- Introduced a test-driven development framework that was crucial in a 5% decrease in production bugs, enhancing overall software reliability.
- Engaged in performance testing to optimize response times for high-traffic web applications, achieving an improved load time performance by 20%.
- Actively participated in sprint planning and retrospectives, providing QA insights that were integral in shaping the direction of product development cycles.
Swapping your professional experience (when you have none) with skills and more
Never underestimate the importance of relevancе when it comes to your software tester CV. Even if you don't happen to have much or any standard (full-time contract) professional experience, this doesn't mean you shouldn't apply for the role. Instead of a bespoke CV experience section:
- Showcase more prominently any internships, part-time roles, and volunteer experience that are applicable to the role and have taught you job-crucial skills;
- Feature a strengths or achievements section with your transferrable skills or talents you've obtained thanks to your work or life experience;
- Write an objective statement that clearly outlines your values as a candidate and defines your career ambitions;
- List your education or certificates that match the job profile closer to the top of your CV.
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PRO TIP
Describe how each job helped you grow or learn something new, showing a continuous development path in your career.
Key software tester CV skills: what are hard skills and soft skills
Let's kick off with the basics. You know that you have to include key job requirements or skills across your CV. For starters, take individual skills from the job description and copy-paste them into your CV, when relevant. Doing so, you'll ensure you have the correct skill spelling and also pass the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessment. There are two types of skills you'll need to include on your CV:
- Hard skills - technical abilities that are best defined by your certificates, education, and experience. You could also use the dedicated skills section to list between ten and twelve technologies you're apt at using that match the job requirements.
- Soft skills - your personal traits and interpersonal communication skills that are a bit harder to quantify. Use various CV sections, e.g. summary, strengths, experience, to shine a spotlight on your workspace achievements, thanks to using particular soft skills.
Remember that your job-winning CV should balance both your hard and soft skills to prove your technical background, while spotlighting your personality.
Top skills for your software tester CV:
Manual testing
Automated testing
Test planning and documentation
Defect tracking
Regression testing
Performance/load testing
Functional testing
API testing
Cross-browser testing
Mobile application testing
Analytical thinking
Attention to detail
Problem-solving
Communication skills
Adaptability
Teamwork
Time management
Critical thinking
Continuous learning
Work ethic
PRO TIP
Order your skills based on the relevance to the role you're applying for, ensuring the most pertinent skills catch the employer's attention first.
CV education and certificates: your academic background as proof of your skill set
A common misconception about your software tester CV education is that you only need it, if you have less professional experience. That is completely false. The CV education section serves to back up your technical (and sometimes personal) capabilities, fill in gaps in your work history, and show you have the initial industry background and know-how. When creating your education section:
- List your degrees in the reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent (and relevant) ones first;
- Include your degree and university names, start and graduation dates. It's optional to also denote you received a "First-Class Honours" for diplomas that are more relevant to the role;
- Curate your relevant university coursework, projects, or thesis work if you happen to have less professional expertise and need to integrate more job keywords and skills.
Your professional qualifications don't need to stop at your academic background. It's advisable to also select up to three of your most noteworthy (and relevant) industry certificates and feature them in a dedicated section. Once more, include the certificate name, the institution that issued it out, and the date you obtained it on. You could feature both hard skills and soft skills certificates, as in the examples below:
PRO TIP
If you have received professional endorsements or recommendations for certain skills, especially on platforms like LinkedIn, mention these to add credibility.
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Key takeaways
Your successful job application depends on how you well you have aligned your software tester CV to the job description and portrayed your best skills and traits. Make sure to:
- Select your CV format, so that it ensures your experience is easy to read and understand;
- Include your professional contact details and a link to your portfolio, so that recruiters can easily get in touch with you and preview your work;
- Write a CV summary if you happen to have more relevant professional experience. Meanwhile, use the objective to showcase your career dreams and ambitions;
- In your CV experience section bullets, back up your individual skills and responsibilities with tangible achievements;
- Have a healthy balance between hard and soft skills to answer the job requirements and hint at your unique professional value.
