Hiring The Next Generation of Skilled Software Testers

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Hiring The Next Generation of Skilled Software
Testers

• Adam White
• Manager, Test Engineering

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Topics to Cover

• The testing conundrum
• What do skilled testers do?
• Why the different definitions?
• What PlateSpin does
• The type of testers we look for.
• Where And How We Find The Next Generation
• Our Success
• What weve done so far
• Keeping them successful
• Other techniques we are investigating
• Wrap Up/Questions/Feedback and Your Stories

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What Do Testers Do?

• Make sure that the product meets the requirements
• Write unit tests
• Verify processes are being followed
• Read stack traces and follow code execution
• Verify documentation
• Report private, virtual and working set bytes

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Why the different definitions?

• Here are a few possible reasons
• Education systems
• Testing stereotypes
• Lack of training
• Not certifications

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What PlateSpin Does
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PlateSpin PowerConvert OS Portability

• Free movement of servers throughout your data
  center across infrastructures
• Awareness of what you have
• Move OS, Data, and applications
• Continuous Server optimization

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What We Are Looking For

• Our interview process revolves around 4 key areas
• Attitude (Read - PASSION!!!)
• Smarts
• Communication
• Skills
• Test Engineer VS Quality Assurance
• In-depth Technical and troubleshooting skills
• Systems level knowledge
• Passion!!!

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Where We Look for The Next Generation

• Universities
• Mainly Waterloo
• Expanding to Queens, U of T, McMaster
• Career fairs
• RIM park
• PlateSpin
• LinkedIn.com
• Job boards
• Recruiters

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Interview Process

• Our Interview process evolution
• Unstructured conversation
• Structured/Canned questions
• Free-form and structured

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Interview Process

• Sample Questions
• Ask them to test something (anything!)
• Black box testing machines from Workroom
  productions.
• Puzzle Questions
• Many debates can be had on this
• Book How Would You move Mount Fuji
• Surprisingly all the testers at PlateSpin love
  puzzles
• The Candidate
• What questions do they ask?

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When They Arrive

• Figure out what your team culture is
• What do you value?
• What do they value?
• Set expectations from the beginning
• What are your expectations for your team?
• Teach them what you know!!
• Give them feedback
• Tell them when they are doing a good job
• Tell them when they are doing a bad job

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Keeping the Team Going

• Do they provided value to your organization?
• Reward them!
• Pay attention to their learning style
• Breakthroughs
• Trial and error
• Accidental learning through experiments and
  persistence

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Our Success

• Co-ops
• 25 co-ops over 4 years
• 4 returned for more than 1 term
• 3 returned for full-time.
• New grads
• 8 employees straight out of school
• Full Time
• 6 testers
• 10 developers

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Other Techniques and Resources

• Resources
• Audition interviews (Johanna Rothman -
  jrothman.com)
• Lyndsay Machines (workroomproductions.com)
• Open book testing (Jon Bach)
• Books for Knowledge workers (http//tinyurl.com/j7
  jqh)
• Books
• Lessons learned in software testing.
• Testing computer software
• First Break All the rules
• Discover your strengths

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Conclusion

• Make your hiring process fit your context
• Why use someone elses process?
• Good people tend to stick around if
• you challenge them from the beginning,
• put them in a position to grow and succeed,
• IF and ONLY IF you express appreciation to them!