How to craft a compelling QA engineer resume
As a quality assurance (QA) engineer, your role is crucial in ensuring top-notch product quality and customer satisfaction.
In this guide, we will walk you through every step of creating a standout resume that showcases your expertise, skills, and accomplishments in the field of software testing and quality assurance.
From highlighting your technical skills to emphasizing your attention to detail, we've got you covered. So, let's dive in and take your QA engineer resume to the next level of excellence!
Keep reading to learn all about:
- Choosing the right resume format as a QA engineer
- Writing an effective QA engineer resume summary
- Selecting key QA engineering skills to include on a resume
- Describing your work experience as a QA engineer
- Listing your education concisely and accurately on a resume
- Selecting relevant extra sections for your QA engineer resume
1. Choose the right resume format as a QA engineer
The very first step to creating an effective resume as a QA engineer is to select a format that best suits your experience level.
In general, the standard format expected by most employers is the reverse-chronological resume. This resume format focuses primarily on work experience, listing your most recent job first and working chronologically backward from this point. Many employers prefer this format, as it showcases your real-life experience and accomplishments.
However, if you are a recent grad or are new to the field of QA engineering, you may need an alternative format that focuses more on other elements of the document. In this case, you should consider using one of the following formats:
- The functional resume: Functional resumes take the focus off of work experience and place it instead on education, skills, and unpaid experience. This format is ideal for recent or soon-to-be college graduates who have plenty of academic experience but little to no formal work experience.
- The hybrid resume: Hybrid resumes combine elements of both the reverse-chronological and functional formats. The focus of this resume is spread out more evenly between all sections, creating a more diverse document overall. This format is well-suited for applicants who are either changing career paths or are working around large gaps in their work histories.
Choose your preferred template and make your resume shine.
2. Build an effective QA engineer resume summary
As a meticulous QA engineer, your ability to uncover even the tiniest flaws and ensure seamless product functionality is unparalleled. But how do you capture all of that expertise and experience in a concise and compelling resume summary?
Your stellar summary should include information such as your years of experience, specializations, key accomplishments, or professional objectives.
To help demonstrate how to write an effective resume summary, below we have provided a weak example followed by its correction and explanation.
Incorrect QA engineer resume summary example
QA Engineer with several years of experience working with educational software. Specialized skills include testing UX design and general product error testing. Experienced in working with major corporate-level clients.
Why is this incorrect?
In this example, the applicant provides decent details but fails to use compelling language and more specific information that would make this summary more intriguing to employers. To improve this summary, they should offer quantifiable accomplishments and project examples.
Corrected QA engineer resume summary example
Detail-Oriented QA Engineer with 4+ years of experience testing educational software. Specialized in testing and optimizing UX design to identify potential user errors, as well as testing for malfunctions and software defects. Recently worked with a major client to eliminate errors in SAT practice software, reducing product malfunctions by nearly 75%.
Why is this correct?
In this corrected example, the applicant offers much more specific information that is eye-catching and compelling to employers. Not only do they highlight their specialized expertise, but they also showcase a recent project they worked on, including key details and accomplishments of this project.
3. Select key QA engineering skills to include on a resume
Whenever you write a resume as a QA Engineer, it is key to include both technical and interpersonal skills. Technical skills refer to your learned abilities gained through education and training, while interpersonal skills refer to your ability to work and communicate well with others.
Both of these types of skills are crucial in QA engineering. You need to both understand the complexities of the products you are working with as well as have a strong ability to communicate any problems or solutions to development teams.
Here are 10 ideas for both technical and interpersonal skills to include on a QA Engineer resume:
The best QA engineer technical skills for your resume
- Software testing techniques
- Software development lifecycles
- DevOps
- Programming languages (Python, Java, etc.)
- SDLC models
- Knowledge of software engineering
- Relational databases & data analytics
- Automation testing
- Compliance & regulatory standards
- Continuous development & delivery
Effective interpersonal skills to put on your QA engineer resume
- Collaboration
- Emotional intelligence
- Verbal & non-verbal communication
- Discipline
- Attention to detail
- Critical thinking
- Adaptability
- Leadership
- Problem-solving
- Creativity
4. Make your QA engineer work experience section stand out
Describing your work experience on a resume should include more than a basic overview of your responsibilities in previous positions. You should strive to include as many specific and quantifiable details regarding your accomplishments as well as your responsibilities to grab employers’ attention.
When listing your descriptive statements under a job, it is important to use bullet points to keep the information organized and highly legible. This way, employers can easily skim through your work experience section while still gaining a thorough understanding of you as a professional.
Here is an example of a work experience entry from a QA engineer resume:
FinTech Solutions, Inc., New York, NY
QA Engineer
March 2018 to May 2021
- Worked directly with the software development team for a major banking client, ensuring new software products for the client’s financial platform met compliance and regulatory standards.
- Implemented a new quality assurance process for the continuous development of software products, improving the speed of delivery by more than 40%.
- Consulted with DevOps teams on how to improve current software development life cycles, including introducing more frequent testing to reduce overall production errors by 20% year-over-year.
5. List your QA engineer education concisely and accurately on a resume
To become a QA engineer, you will generally need a bachelor’s degree in a field related to software development such as computer science, software engineering, or information technology.
However, to make yourself a more competitive candidate in the industry, you can boost your resume’s effectiveness greatly if you have QA-specific certifications as well.
No matter which educational credentials you have, it is important to always include the following information in the education section of your resume:
- The name of your degree or certification
- The university, college, or certifying institution
- The date of graduation or program completion
- Relevant accomplishments (graduation honors, student leadership positions, etc.)
Here is an example of a well-crafted education section on a QA engineer resume:
Education
Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
B.S. in Software Engineering
Graduated: 2017, Summa Cum Laude
- Co-President of the Student Programmer’s Association
Certifications
- Certified Software Quality Engineer — American Society for Quality, 2019
6. Select relevant extra sections that will make your QA engineer resume shine
As a QA engineer, you understand that attention to detail is crucial in ensuring software quality. But did you know that adding relevant extra sections to your resume can make it stand out from the crowd?
By including these sections, you not only showcase your technical expertise but also demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning and professional growth.
Consider incorporating a "Certifications" section, where you can list industry-recognized certifications such as ISTQB Certified Tester or Six Sigma Green Belt. These certifications highlight your specialized knowledge and dedication to staying up-to-date with the latest QA methodologies.
Another valuable extra section to consider is "Projects and Contributions." Here, you can highlight specific projects you have worked on, showcasing your problem-solving skills and your ability to work collaboratively within a team. For example, you could mention your involvement in implementing an automated testing framework that significantly improved the efficiency and accuracy of the testing process.
By strategically selecting these extra sections, you can elevate your QA engineer resume and demonstrate to potential employers that you are not just a QA expert, but a well-rounded professional with a passion for excellence in software quality assurance.
Here's an example of how to properly list an extra section on your QA engineer resume
Certifications
- ISTQB Certified Tester: Demonstrates my comprehensive knowledge and understanding of software testing principles, methodologies, and best practices. (2022)
- Certified Agile Tester (CAT): Validates my proficiency in Agile testing methodologies and my ability to collaborate effectively in Agile development teams. (2021)
- Certified Quality Engineer (CQE): Highlights my expertise in quality management systems, process improvement, and statistical analysis. (2020)
Still looking for a job? These 100+ resources will tell you everything you need to get hired fast.