Perfect Software Testing Resume Guide (with Software Tester Resume Sample)

Steps to write a perfect QA Resume with Software Tester Resume Sample:

A commonly asked question, mostly by newcomers into IT, is- “Do you have a sample Software Testing resume that I can use?”

Sure, we all learn by seeing. To begin with, we need to establish a point of reference, so there is no harm in checking out someone else’s resume. However, relying completely on it and trying to tailor it to suit our needs is not always the best way to create our own resume. 

Read How to Write a Killer Software Testing QA Resume as the first part of the QA Resume guide.

How would it be if I took a picture of a perfect looking person and photoshopped my face to it – it just would not be right, would it? The same rationale applies here.

Each of us come from different educational backgrounds, different professional exposure and are at different proficiency levels – our resume has to be a snapshot of everything that is uniquely us. The piece of paper (or electronic document) is a representation of ourselves when we could not be there in person.

Therefore it is of utmost importance to let your resume capture the essence of who you are as a professional. In this article, I tried to put together a few simple pointers that will help ease this Software Testing QA resume preparation process, especially for first-timers.

How To Start Writing a Software Testing Resume?

To start with, these are some of the pre-activities called as resume preparation:

#1) Try to make a list of all skills, education, work experience, platforms, technologies, projects, etc.

#2) For a start, forget about the format and template. Sticky notes, a piece of paper, notepad on your computer – all are perfectly good starting points.

#3) The list could look something like this:

#4) Pick up the technical skills section and try to sort them in the order of your proficiency. I generally, use the rating method on my skills. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the expert and 1 being just familiar- try to assign a rating to your list

#5) Take a moment to review your readiness with respect to skill acquisition required to apply the job of your choice.

For Example, From the above list, it is clear that I am not at the required skill level to apply for a QTP position. That is ok. To enhance our strengths we always need to know our weaknesses. This method helps us with that. There are 2 options at this stage:

• If QTP is not my area of interest, I just move on and apply for a Manual Testing job that better suits my skill.
• But if I want to pursue Automation Testing, I could take a few day’s time, work on building the skill. Once I move to anywhere between 3-5 rating level, I may reconsider a QTP career.

Once listing, rating and self-evaluating is through, the next step is to think of a template.

Software Testing Resume Sample Template

Every IT resume has the following sections.  Of course, the order in which these sections appear is a personal choice. As for me, I find the below order very effective, so stick to it if you think so too.

#1) The Header: Basic information about how to reach you – Name, Address, Email ID, Phone number, link to your profile on a professional network, certifications, etc.

#2) Objective: Optional section, especially useful to explain your choice of getting into IT- QA field if you have not been from a computer science background and have a different career prior to now, or if you have been from a certain branch of IT and want to transition to another one.

#3) Professional Summary: A gist of your skills, your strengths, roles performed technologies you know, achievements & awards, certifications if any, etc. Start with the points that are most significant in the list.

#4) Certifications: Include this section, if you have been certified in many areas.  Note: I have come across some newcomers who include – “preparing for ISTQB” or something to that effect in this section. This is generally not apt. Include only the ones that you have already been certified. For multiple certifications use a table.

Also read =>> How and where to put certifications on your resume.

#5) Work experience: List all the organizations you worked for until now. A table works best for this. Order the columns in this table by keeping your most recent experience as the first row.

#6) Technical Skills: List all your skills acquired on-job and off-job according to categories.

#7) Educational Information:  Tabular format works best for this too. Start with your highest education as the first row. Provide the P.G/ graduation/10+2/10 standard, year of passing, institution/city you went to next. It is optional to include the score you received.

#8) Projects:  Projects are the main section in itself. This is where specific information about the kind of work you have performed during the course of your previous employment leading up to now. In the case of multiple projects start with your most recent project and move to the next.

For each Project include:

• Project Header:

Project Name
Client: (optional and wherever relevant)
Duration:  Start Month/Year – End Month/Year
Role:
Environment:
Tools:

• Project Description: (A small paragraph about the application that was worked on. Detailed functionality is not necessary)
  
• Roles and Responsibilities: Use bulleted points to describe what your day to day activities on the job was.
• References: Provide names and contact information of your previous managers and/or colleagues whose feedback can be sought. Alternately, you can choose to provide it on request by saying “References will be provided on request”.

Now that we have the information gathered during the pre-resume step and the template, all it takes is to organize the information into a template. Use the template attached for more clarity.

=>> QA Software Tester Resume Sample – Download Sample Template

This software testing CV template can be used by experienced as well as beginner-level professionals. All the sections are given in here. All you need to do is fill in your information. The samples for how to define roles and responsibilities, professional summary, project description, etc. are provided too.

Important Points In Resume Creation Process

To summarize these are the steps in the Resume Creation process:

Few Important Do’s and Don’t’s:

#1) Try not to create a huge resume. 3-4 pages are optimum for a beginner level professional. For experienced personnel, try not to run over 5 pages.

#2) Do not include personal information like – passport numbers.

#3) You can include information regarding your marital status, Date of birth, etc, but it is not necessary.

#4) MS Word or PDF is the standard format for a resume.

#5) If you are a newcomer and have no prior employment, you can still include project information. These projects are going to be off-job, self-initiated. For Example, pick gmail.com or amazon.com and test it thoroughly following a testing process that is close to the real-time project. Document your results and include that as your experience.

#6) If you are from the non-IT background and want to include that experience, keep it to a minimum.

#7) Resumes nowadays are being picked by search engines. So include as many keywords as possible and include them repetitively.

Although, use them with caution. I have come across many resumes that include every skill available in the market. A resume is your entry ticket into a job interview not into a job. Including skills that you are not goodwill put you in a compromising situation when you can’t explain them in an interview.

#8) Do not circulate your resume flippantly. Do not post/circulate your resume just to get a feel of the market or to understand how much pay you might receive. Do it only when you are ready for an interview. You do not want to miss a chance at landing a job due to unpreparedness. Be prepared to attend an interview from the minute your resume is out there.

#9) Avoid writing huge paragraphs. Stick to bullet points.

#10) Check for spelling and grammatical errors.

#11) Once you are complete, save your doc with an appropriate name. Typically, “Name_Role/tile_years of experience.doc- (Name-QA Analyst-8 Years.doc)” is recommended.

Now, the resume making process does not seem so daunting, does it? Let us know what tips and guidelines you find most useful.