What is a professional software tester? In this blog post, Huib Schoots explains that he cannot understand why testers who call themselves professionals know so little about software testing and do not study it. He tries to answer this question and explain the difference between professional testers and testers by profession.
Huib Schoots presents 16 hints on how to recognize professional software testers:
1) They have a paradigm of what testing is and they can explain their approach in any given situation.
2) They really love what they do and are passionate about their craft.
3) They consider context first and continuously.
4) They consider testing as a human activity to solve a complex and difficult problem that requires a lot of skill.
5) They know that software development and testing is a team sport
6) They know that things can be different.
7) They ask questions before doing anything.
8) They use diversified approaches.
9) They know that estimation is more like negotiation.
10) They use test cases and test documentation wisely.
11) They continuously study their craft seriously, practice a lot and practice “deliberate practice”.
12) They refuse to do bad work, never fake and have the courage to tell their clients and the people they work about their ethics and values.
13) They are curious and like to learn new things.
14) They have important interpersonal skills
15) They have excellent testing skills
All this items are explained in the blog post with references to other software testing resources.
Read the complete blog post on http://www.huibschoots.nl/wordpress/?p=1666