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Six Technical Skills Every Software Tester Must Have

Updated: Oct 31, 2023


Kazeem Razaq @K.Razaq / 5:00 PM EDT. August 29, 2022.



software-testing-skills

The demand for skilled testers has increased significantly over the last decade, as businesses have realized that they need to test their products before releasing them into the market. There are now more job openings than there are qualified candidates to fill them! And this is great news for you - it means you absolutely have a chance to obtain your dream career in software testing!


Software testing requires a lot of skill and knowledge; this means you need to know how to communicate effectively with other people in your team (both at home and while working remotely), how they think about problems differently than you do and what makes them happy or unhappy with their work environment (or lack thereof). You also need excellent problem-solving skills to solve any problems that arise during testing sessions.


It comes with immense responsibility as every application you test is sure to be used in some or the other way by someone, anywhere on the globe.


You are making sure that the application is working as intended, safe to use and secure. You are also ensuring that it meets the requirements of the user (the person using this application) and business process (how this software will be used).


In short, you are testing for bugs in both functional and non-functional aspects of applications.


This is why, apart from other aspects of software testing, technical skills are extremely important for you if you are serious about this career.


One of the most important aspects of software testing is that it requires technical skills. This is why, apart from other aspects of software testing, technical skills are extremely important for you if you are serious about this career.

For example:

  • You will need to write code by yourself, with your own hands to create test cases which are valid and accurate.

  • You will also have to understand how different programming languages work, not only so that you can write clean code but also to make sure that it works correctly when deployed into production environments (which often requires some knowledge about databases).


technical-skills

Understanding code is important for software testers. As a tester, you will be responsible for finding bugs in the application and suggesting improvements. The more you understand how an application works and interacts with other systems, the better your suggestions will be.


Understanding code also helps you understand how things work internally within an application as well as what happens when multiple components interact together (e.g., if a field value changes after being submitted through another component). This knowledge can help you find bugs faster because it allows you to think about potential causes rather than just looking at symptoms alone.


Why Software Testing is Important?


importance-of-software-testing

Software Testing is a highly-rewarding career option that every software tester should opt for to be successful in their career.


Software testing is an important aspect of the development process, as every application you test is sure to be used in some or the other way by someone, somewhere on the globe. This means that your work has a direct impact on how people use technology and live their lives.


It’s also important to understand code well enough so that you can find bugs before they’re even discovered by developers or testers themselves! It is this knowledge that separates good testers from great ones, after all, there are many ways in which people make mistakes while writing code but only one way of finding those errors before they go public with their findings.


It is an essential part of the software development process. It prevents bugs from being introduced into your code, which can lead to poor user experiences and lost productivity. In this article, I'm going to share with you six technical skills every software tester should have to be effective at their job.


1. Functional testing


Functional testing is the process of testing software functionality. This can include a variety of tests, such as:

  • Basic user interface (UI) interactions that confirm that buttons work and menus are accessible.

  • The ability to use commonly available tools within your product, such as browsers or text editors.

  • Confirming data entry formats are correct, including dates and times in a specific format.


2. API testing


API-software-testing

API testing is a type of software testing that involves testing software applications by simulating how end users use the application. API testing is used to test an application's ability to interact with other applications, such as APIs (application programming interfaces), web services and other client-side resources.


If you're not already familiar with API testing, here are some quick facts:

  • APIs exist everywhere you go on the internet - from your favourite social media platform to banking apps; from news, and websites to search engines...you name it!

  • Any tool that allows someone else's code/script access into your system will be considered an API if it meets certain criteria outlined by the NoSQL Database Company about what constitutes one.*

3. Automation testing


automation-software-testing

Automation testing is the process of automating your software tests to ensure that they are as effective as possible. It's important because it helps you minimize the amount of time and resources you spend on manual testing, which can be tedious and time-consuming.

Automation testing involves writing scripts that allow you to run your automated tests multiple times against a piece of code/web application/etc., so that if there are any changes made after the initial testing (e.g., bug fixes), then they'll still run without fail!


4. Database testing


database-software-testing

Database testing is a broad category of testing that includes structural, integrity and data validation tests. It can be manual or automated.

Database testing ensures the quality of your database by validating its structure, integrity and consistency. For example, if you are building a web application that uses a database to store user information then you will want to make sure that all records in this database follow certain rules such as being unique or containing only one value per row (column).


5. Security testing


Security testing is a type of software testing that verifies the security of a system. It can be performed manually or through automated tools. Security testing is an important part of the software development life cycle (SDLC).

Security testing is performed to ensure that your application doesn't have any vulnerabilities or flaws in it and that it can be used safely by users. A vulnerability is an error in code, which makes it susceptible to attacks when exploited by hackers. If your application has no vulnerabilities, then there's no need for you to worry about being hacked!


performance-testing

6. Performance testing


Performance testing is a type of software testing that measures and compares the performance of the application under test against a set of predetermined criteria. This type of testing seeks to identify problems before they occur, so you can fix them before your users notice. To do this, testers will run their application through its paces on different devices and operating systems, measuring how fast it runs or how many errors it generates during each run.


Final Takeaway:


The ability to perform technical tasks is essential for any software tester. You need to make sure that the product your testing can run on a machine (or in a virtual environment) and handle all of its features properly. In addition, you should be able to evaluate the performance of your application under various load conditions and identify where performance bottlenecks exist.

You can improve your technical skills by studying up on certain topics or taking online courses from reputable vendors like BusyQA. You should also consider joining a local user group with similar interests as yours so that you can network with others who have similar goals in mind!


The most important takeaway should be that the more you know about software testing, the better your chances of landing a job as a tester. Don’t just learn one or two topics where from five to seven are perfectly fine, depending on what kind of role you want to pursue. And remember that learning doesn't have to stop at work: when time allows it.


There is no doubt, that software testers are one of the leading sought-after professionals in the field of IT, and you don't need a university degree to be a successful tester. However, you do need to have the right skills both technical and soft skills to excel. If you are interested in having a successful career as a software tester or want to improve your existing skills as a tester, BusyQA will help you get there.


We offer the best online and in-person courses with a paid co-op internship program. How good is our program? Well, each one of Canada's Top 100 companies has hired our graduates -- and you can be next. Our software testing course is being taken by a leading industry expert who understands what exactly you need to be a hero in software testing, our training covers Manual, Mobile, Web Service, SQL, and Automation. You are just one step away from having the right technical skills for testing software. Click here to get started.

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