Going to an interview is not easy, no matter which position you applied for. Most people are nervous and afraid and always think about what questions will be asked, how the interview will go, whether there will be a job offer, etc. It is especially stressful for beginners without any prior experience.
But, don’t worry, if you have applied for a junior QA position and don’t have any prior experience, you can still shine on your first interview and get the job you want. Keep in mind that the interviewers are aware that for the entry QA positions, there will be candidates without any prior experience, and in this kind of situation, it is more important for a person to show good mindset, attention to detail, problem-solving skills, communication, and a willingness to learn.
In this blog post, we will go step by step in the process of interview preparation that will help you shine on that upcoming interview.
Understand the QA Role
Before you go to the interview, you need to understand the QA role. Read about the QA role, why it is important, what are the tasks that QA is working on during day-to-day work, how the QA incorporates in the software development teams, etc. Learn about what kind of software development methodologies exist, especially focusing on the Agile methodology. Have an understanding of the Software Development Lifecycle, different types of testing (functional, non-functional, regression, integration, etc.), etc.
You need to have theoretical knowledge about what the QA is doing, why the QA role is important, and what the software development process looks like.
Learn About the Basic Testing Concepts
Even though you don’t have any prior experience, you still need to have an understanding of the basic testing concepts and terminology.
Read about test scenarios, test cases, test plan, how to report a bug ticket, how to communicate with the developers, the difference between functional and non-functional testing, regression testing, smoke testing, sanity testing, etc.
Knowing this terminology and the basic testing principles will help you a lot during the interview and will give you the answers to a lot of the questions that the interviewer will ask you.
Practice Your Problem-Solving Skills
Being able to discuss real-world examples where you will show your problem-solving skills can help you in the interview process. Before the interview, think about some examples, like:
- If you find a bug during the testing process, what would you do, how would you react?
- What will you do if you find a bug that you can not reproduce? (You can read more about this here)
- How will you handle a situation where a developer disagrees with your reported bug?
- Imagine that you have a tight deadline and you don’t have time to test everything, how will you approach the testing?
- How will you test a user story that has no written requirements or the requirements are not completed? (You can read more about this here)
Learn About the Basic Tools
Even though the interview is for an entry QA position and you don’t have any prior experience, you still need to know the basic tools. For example, JIRA for project management and bug tracking, Selenium or Cypress for UI Testing, and Postman for API testing.
Learn about these basic tools so you are familiar with them in the interview. Even if you haven’t used them a lot, have some basic knowledge about them and their purpose, and show that you want to learn them and that you are interested in them.
Show Enthusiasm and Willingness to Learn
It is very important to be interested in the position that you are applying for and to be willing to learn more about it so you can succeed in the job position for which you are applying. If you have that passion and curiosity, show that during the interview. Show the interviewer that you are passionate about the job position, show initiative, show that you are willing to learn, be curious, and ask about the company’s QA process, tools, and challenges.
Soft Skills are Equally Important
As I said in one of my previous blog posts, soft skills are equally important for QA, as technical skills. Communication, collaboration, critical thinking, adaptability, and time management are very important skills for every QA professional. Practice these skills and highlight them during the interview.
Prepare Questions for the Interviewer
Usually, at the end of the interview, the interviewer will ask you do you want to ask something. Always have some questions prepared that will show that you’re engaged and interested in the role. You can ask something like:
- What does the onboarding process look like for new QA team members?
- What types of testing are prioritized in your QA process (e.g., manual, automated, performance, security)?
- Can you tell me about the tools and technologies your QA team currently uses?
- What kind of training or development opportunities are available for the QA team?
- What are the most important qualities you look for in a QA engineer, especially for someone starting?
- What’s a typical day like for a QA engineer on your team?
- Can you provide an example of a project or task that a beginner QA might work on initially?
The interviews are challenging and it is normal to be nervous, but keep in mind that it is just a conversation where you can show your knowledge and what you have learned, and you also can ask questions about the job position that you are interested in. Through practice, you will become better, more relaxed, and comfortable.
Even though it may be your first interview, with the right preparation and with right mindset where you can do your best, you can still shine in the interview and get that job position.
If in some case you don’t get the job, don’t be disappointed, count that as a good experience, because now you know how to prepare for an interview, what the interview looks like, and what should you improve for the next one. Good luck!
