How to speed up getting Software Testing jobs in recession.

The high-flying days of the dot.com era are history. Lays offs, recession, bad economy, job hunting have become household discussion topics. In such situation, being recession-proof in the IT industry is a tough task.
In seeking software testing jobs, the following are the key methods:

1) Proficiency analysis- Making of a strong Profile :

Analyzing one’s abilities and knowing which among them suits Software Tester job is the first and foremost step in gearing up against recession. Software testing methodologies need to be prepared well. Specifically, manual testing concepts have to be stressed upon. Arming one’s knowledge with relevant applications and approaches need to be undertaken.
Unless one is multi skilled, it is going to be difficult to survive in the emerging era. When one is out of a project, it has to be considered a blessing in disguise to upgrade one’s skills. Be in testing released certifications like ISTQB, CSTE, CSQA or tools related certifications like AIS, ASE or domain related certifications in Insurance, Banking or telecom is going to be of help to improve one’s profile.
E.g.: Automation and bug tracking tools like Winrunner and Test Director.
Resume is a perfect place to boast. Resume has to good – meaning it has to highlight the qualities and the abilities of the candidate that are relevant to software testing in particular. The resume has to be made to concentrate upon specific areas that the interviewers look out for than being vague. Simple customization will land a person nowhere. The resume has to be filled with examples of contribution to the company in matters of lessening company’s expenses, avoiding external help etc. One has to know the resume inside out. Focusing oneself as focused, honest and confident candidate will definitely catch the attention of the interviewer.


2) Training: A diploma in software testing (typically of 6 months to 1 year duration) or a crash course (of 4 months) is to be taken upon oneself. This is the key to upgrading one’s knowledge to market or industry needs. Preparation for job interviews has to be carried on parallel. If one has lost a job, then beef up for the next with all your previous work experience. If one has been procrastinating about learning that new skill or technology, now's the time to get off the pot and do something about it. Rather than waiting around for the other shoe to drop, get busy and start going beyond expectations, going that extra mile, again and again. Putting in an extra effort in an extra hour will help a candidate in the long run.

3) Knowledge expansion: Testing requires in depth knowledge of Software Development Life Cycle, analytical skill and some programming language skills apart from software testing basics. One has to make sure that all the basic testing knowledge is up-to-date and that no minute part in studying testing is discarded as unimportant. In this high end competition, every single bit of knowledge counts. Collecting knowledge from testing engineers as to how they write test case, bug reporting, test matrix etc. is an added advantage.


4) Job seeking: After attending a couple of interviews, one comes to know one’s forte and failings.
Strengthening on the strong points and ruling out the weaknesses should be done after each interview to be better than before. Since employers are now interviewing many job seekers for one position, it is important to regularly remind the prospective employers that one is still available and interested. Job seeking includes:
a) Network building : Many job seekers learn about openings through their network before they are advertized. Friends, family, business associates, trade associations, alumni groups may provide a head start to the next job interview before others find out. So, initiative to reach out to the network has to be taken.
b) Being the best prepared candidate: To make a distinct impression, prior research about the company and its achievements has to be done. This information has to be used to ask educated queries to the interviewer. Here the baseline is outshining other candidates. Hence to make a distinct impact, a portfolio of previous best working samples can be brought to the interview. Compiling recent and dated samples of work to demonstrate expertise and results achieved at prior jobs can be discussed with open ideas and strategies behind them.
c) Flexibility: Any reservations, prior conditions about the job should not be held. Placing conditions before joining such as place/time preference, number of hours at work, Saturday offs etc take a backseat. Also, instead of limiting oneself to established names, searching for start-ups, middle sized and even public sector companies can be undertaken. Research shows that these companies have fared comparably better than their big counterparts in times of crisis. They offer good job opportunities and stability, which is important at this time.

Finally, be grounded and do the job search calmly. The mantra for surviving recession is “Being relevant”. To be the best and beat the rest, think out-of-the-box and outshine others - “Be a jack of all arts in the testing arena!”