Speed up testing with automation! Explore the essential guide to hiring the best test automation developers, ensuring faster releases and quality assurance.
Quality assurance is an ever-critical part of the software development life cycle (SDLC) that companies cannot afford to ignore. Today, the QA team does much more than simply detect bugs in code — it is responsible for evaluating the quality of a product in all aspects.
The quality control industry is evolving considerably, as is the nature of the work. In this context, an important team member is the test automation developer. These important individual scripts test and automate the QA process to make it more efficient and less time-consuming.
Quality control testing is an integral part of any industry that develops software. With new tools, changing processes, and evolving practices, companies need test automation developers who are highly skilled and able to keep up with the latest news and trends. How do you find this developer? Here's what to look for and how to find the best talent.
What does a test automation developer do?
A test automation developer is responsible for developing and designing automatic tests for software. Leveraging tools like test automation frameworks, they create these tests and carefully monitor the results. They also work closely with the rest of the software development team, including the QA analysts and developers themselves, to report their findings and resolve any issues.
Test automation developers are also responsible for creating and improving quality control testing standards and methodologies for your business.
Quality control testing often requires a combination of automation – tests performed by machines – and manual intervention. Automation professionals work closely with manual testers to ensure product quality, sometimes performing manual testing themselves.
How much is test automation growing?
Markets and Markets expects the global automation testing market to reach US$28.8 billion by 2024, up from US$12.6 billion in 2019. This rapid growth is largely due to the growing need for a more robust testing process. efficient and less time-consuming. Additionally, more and more companies that create software are recognizing the importance of ensuring the quality of their products before they hit the market and of hiring experts who focus on different aspects of quality control.
What should you look for in a test automation developer?
Since test automation developers are responsible for creating test scripts as well as executing them, there are many important skills these experts must have. Also remember that automation requires a different skill set than manual testing, although there is some overlap.
Of course, any solid professional needs to have extensive experience. And because the sector is constantly growing and evolving, they must also be aware of news and trends.
A test automation developer must have programming experience, although this may be more basic than a software developer. Additionally, they must have great attention to detail and be skilled in spotting errors as well as performing a holistic quality review of various products.
Interview Questions
What types of test cases should be automated?
Typically, automated test cases are those that will be repeated frequently. They are also usually those that are too demanding or time-consuming to perform manually. On the other hand, you should not automate test cases that have not been run manually or that will not be used very often. Additionally, if your software requirements change substantially, you must also adopt a manual approach.
Why should you automate?
Automation has numerous benefits. It is much less time consuming than manual testing, for example. Furthermore, once the test is scheduled, humans do not need to intervene. Assuming the test is created by a qualified professional and is accurate, the test itself is also less error-prone than manual testing. Often this leads to a less expensive process overall.
Describe the difference between functional and non-functional testing.
Functional testing ensures that the product meets stakeholder requirements – that is, the specifications established for the software. Non-functional testing refers to other testing of the product, evaluating factors such as performance, reliability, safety, load, and so on. Both types of testing are essential to creating a quality product.
What are some benefits of using test automation frameworks?
Using frameworks to support testing efforts generally means:
- More efficient testing
- Faster response time
- The ability to reuse code again
- Less need for manual intervention
- Greater test coverage
Explain selenium.
Selenium is an extremely popular open source test automation framework. But it's not just a single tool. In fact, it is a package that offers a lot of support for developers and accommodates many languages, including Java, Python and C#. Some of its main benefits are improving code readability and being able to support multiple operating systems.
Name some other popular test automation frameworks.
There are numerous frameworks that assist in the test automation process. Some examples, in addition to Selenium, are:
- appius
- Carina
- Cucumber
- Cypress
- Robot
- Serenity
Job Description
We are looking for an experienced test automation developer to develop and write scripts, working closely with the software development team to identify and resolve bugs and other issues. You should also have experience with manual testing and apply it as needed.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop and write test automation scripts
- Research software and issues related to it
- Apply test automation frameworks
- Work closely with software developers, designers, QA analysts, and other team members to create software and confirm quality
- Develop and apply guidelines to automate testing
- Document issues and efforts and communicate findings to software developers
- Stay up to date with quality control trends and news
Skills and qualifications
- At least 5 years of experience working in test automation
- Experience in manual testing
- Basic knowledge of programming languages, including C++, C#, Java and Python
- Experience with test automation frameworks, including Selenium, .NET
- Strong problem-solving, analytical, critical thinking, time management, collaboration, and written and verbal communication skills
- Strong attention to detail
- Ability to stay up to date with current industry trends
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, software development, information technology or related field.
