Many aspiring software testers often seek information on what skills they should have and which technologies to learn to become better specialists or simply land their first job as a tester. The list of requirements is quite broad and constantly evolving, making it difficult to choose a clear and effective learning path. In this article, I have compiled what I believe a beginner software tester should know and which qualities they should develop.
I'm looking for my first job as a software tester or have recently started working in the industry. What exactly should I learn?
Knowledge of basic concepts related to software testing
This may seem obvious, but it cannot be overlooked. A tester must be familiar with testing terminology, such as test cases, defects, bug reports, test environments, etc. It’s essential to understand different types of tests—for example, how regression testing differs from smoke testing, what integration, acceptance, and system testing entail. It’s also beneficial to know the differences between black-box and white-box testing, the purpose of exploratory testing, and the scope of non-functional testing.
There are many more such topics, and it’s important to be familiar with as many as possible. A comprehensive resource on software testing theory is the ISTQB syllabus. Even if you don’t plan on obtaining an ISTQB certification, reviewing the syllabus or its summaries is highly recommended.
Knowledge of testing techniques
In short—creating test scenarios and test cases, executing tests, documenting defects, and analyzing test results. As a tester, you need to be able to review the documentation of a given functionality, prepare test scenarios for it, execute tests, and, if defects are found, describe them accurately, providing comprehensive details about the issue. If necessary, you should also be able to prepare a test report.
A crucial skill in this area is writing clear and effective test cases and defect reports. It’s worth honing your expertise in this aspect.
Database management and knowledge of SQL
Very often during project work, you will navigate the application’s database that you are testing to view data, verify its accuracy, or even modify it. The tester should understand what databases are, their principles of operation, and have a basic understanding of the SQL query language that is used to communicate with the database.
Abstracting from project work, SQL questions are guaranteed at most recruitment interviews 🙂
What exactly should you learn in this area? In my opinion, the following list should cover the essential aspects:
- Create SELECT queries to retrieve data from a database.
- Boolean and comparison operators in SQL queries.
- Sorting query results using ORDER BY, filters and conditions in the WHERE clause.
- Grouping data and calculations using GROUP BY and aggregating functions (e.g. SUM, AVG, COUNT).
- Joining tables in queries using JOIN.
- Create and modify data: INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE.
- Indexes and keys: understanding the role of indexes in databases.
- Defining and managing primary keys (PRIMARY KEY) and foreign keys (FOREIGN KEY).
- Transactions: understanding transactions and their importance in the context of databases..
Understanding the software development cycle
There is a concept of software development life cycle (SDLC). It is good to know and understand its phases – testing is one of them.
Understanding the basics of the HTTP protocol
The tester should know the basics of HTTP communication, i.e., among other things, the most popular methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), headers and response statuses – preferably knowing what each status group (1xx, 2xx, 3xx, 4xx and 5xx) is responsible for.
A free introductory course on HTTP is available on our blog.
API tests
The ability to test APIs is crucial for a software tester for several reasons. First, in the era of microservices and cloud architecture, applications often communicate through application programming interfaces (APIs), which require effective testing. Second, API testing enables test automation, which in turn helps provide quick feedback on software quality.
The most commonly used tool for API testing is Postman. It is beneficial to know Postman at least well enough to create and manage collections, send API requests, and analyze their responses.
Soft Skills!
The IT industry is mainly associated with “hard” skills, but soft skills are equally necessary and significantly define a good QA specialist. In teamwork, and especially in a testing position which, by the way, requires pointing out “their mistakes” to colleagues, how we communicate and how we express our opinions is very important.
This is not an easy task. A tester should communicate confidently with the team and the client, ensuring their statements are clear, precise, and well-balanced. Proactivity and assertiveness are valued, but so is a willingness to compromise, as the issues we find won’t always be fixed the way we want or as quickly as we’d like. A software tester must be a responsible team player, able to think critically.
English
A paragraph for non-native English speakers
It is accepted that English is worth knowing at least B1 level. Why? Mainly to be able to get along with each other in a project for a foreign client, but also when working in an English-speaking team. Besides, it may happen that we will have to deal, for example, with documentation in this language, or the body of knowledge we will seek will be available only in this language. A communicative level of English is really worth taking care of – it will pay off sooner or later.
So much for fundamental testing skills – feel free to share your comments on this topic.
