How's the testing market?

**HeadOfTesting** · 19 June 2009, 11:20

The testing market has quite simply been obliterated.

That said, for the last month or so I've been consistently getting 2-3 calls a day where as prior that (since leaving my last role in December) I was going for weeks without any calls.

We're now entering the traditional summer lull so it's important to take advantage of this recent uptick in 'apparent' activity (sorry if you're not experiencing this yourself).

I'm undergoing medical treatment right now so I'm offline for a few months anyway, plus I'm more interested in my plan B stuff now so it may not be too relevant to me going forward.

Good luck to all testing specialists out there.

HeadOfTesting

**Sausage Surprise** · 19 June 2009, 17:07

I've had 3 interviews (local as well) in the last 2 months. Nailed the last one (and the best of the 3) and started Monday gone. There are still opportunities out there.

**SillyMilly** · 22 June 2009, 12:15

Good to hear that you found something, SS.

I'm finding that most of the jobs advertised are very specific - Automated testing, SC, financial etc. - all experience I don't have! And, unlike HOT, I haven't had many agents call me for the last 6 weeks or so. Agile seems very popular at the moment too. Do many of you testers out there have Agile experience?

I've revamped my CV (although agents have always tole me it looked pretty good before) and am working through QTP tutorials - but I don't think that will be enough to help.

I guess it's just a waiting game!

**HeadOfTesting** · 22 June 2009, 13:15

Agile experience is increasingly becoming a must for testers.

If I were you I would be tempted to divert time away from learning QTP towards learning Selenium/Watir/Ruby/Fitnesse.

If you can justify the cost I would also be tempted to do the certified Scrum master certificate. My understanding is that course attendance is still sufficient but they will soon be making people do an exam so it's worth a quick look to see if you can avoid that.

**pzz76077** · 22 June 2009, 13:32

Isnt most testing done offshore these days??

In any case, why test code that only cost a few grand in the first place??

Agile, offshore development, etc is killing testing in my view. Also not so many bespoke apps being developed as of late as well as many improvements in automated testing products around these days.

I recently worked on a project that had 50-60 testers in Bangalore and only 2 'expert' testers in Europe writing all the test specs, customer acceptance etc. I would imagine that all of these would of been based over here 5 years ago.

PZZ

**up4it** · 22 June 2009, 13:35

Thats why youngsters don't wanna study IT anymore (unless they wanna live in India).

**SillyMilly** · 22 June 2009, 14:00

Interesting comments, HOT - I'll think about that. Maybe download Selenium.

Thats why youngsters don't wanna study IT anymore (unless they wanna live in India).

Wasn't there some comment on here a few months ago about Indian companies recruiting UK IT graduates? (if they could find any, of course!)

I wonder if it is as easy to get a job/visa/intra-co transfer from the UK to India as it is from there to here? I bet not..............

**HeadOfTesting** · 22 June 2009, 14:15

Originally posted by pzz76077 View Post

Isnt most testing done offshore these days??

I'm not aware of there being any reliable stats but my sense is that the anwer is 'no'. That's not to say it can't be the case at some point.

In any case, why test code that only cost a few grand in the first place??

Because the business costs of failing to test (e.g. operational failures, brand damage etc) are not necessarily - and indeed are very unlikely to be - proportional to the coding cost.

Agile, offshore development, etc is killing testing in my view.

If anything agile has been a real boon for testing. For example (and this is just one aspect) unit testing is much higher up on the dev agenda now. It is true that offshoring is a big problem for testing. Speaking selfishly, by the time it really took hold I was in senior test management and whilst many firms will offshore the actual testing, they still want to retain its ownership in-house so it's not really a job threat to someone like myself.

Also not so many bespoke apps being developed as of late as well as many improvements in automated testing products around these days.

I'm a big advocate of test automation and it's been a key part of my career. But for all the improvements that you mention, it will never replace the human element. Infact last Wednesday I attended a presentation which included a list of about 60 things that are critical to testing and which automation can't help with. As with agile automation is not a material threat to the testing discipline.

I recently worked on a project that had 50-60 testers in Bangalore and only 2 'expert' testers in Europe writing all the test specs, customer acceptance etc. I would imagine that all of these would of been based over here 5 years ago.

It's true that lots of firms are adopting this model. The market will decide in the end.

PZZ

Comments in-line

**HeadOfTesting** · 22 June 2009, 14:17

Originally posted by up4it View Post

Thats why youngsters don't wanna study IT anymore (unless they wanna live in India).

I have a first class Computer Science degree which has paid for itself many times over so I have no axe to grind, but certainly if I had a younger sibling who was thinking of studying IT at uni I would caution against bothering.

How's the testing market?