Testing is getting more specialised and i think you need to identify the type of testing and the work that needs to be done and recruit accordingly:
1) Functional testing of screens vs backend.
2) System integration testing including backend.
3) Data migration testing.
4) Operational acceptance testing.
5) User Acceptance Testing
Only the last one requires no understanding of system architectures and needs to focus on getting the real job done using real business processes so typically uses end users from the business. But That doesnt make them testers and they need help from the professional funcional test leads to put together a proper test plan.
Functioanal testing can be done by anyone if you got a decent tst lead in to write the scripts, and by that I mean someone who can break up the application in their head into components to test, come up with the test cases and then script them. If not an IT graduate id look for 5+ years working in IT. And give them a test at interview... heres a spec, what would you test? 30 minutes to cone up with some test cases and some scripts.
SIT needs someone who "gets" architectures middleware and so on, can install and setup off the shelf products and knows their way around a unix box (or windows). Whats a oracletns? What does tuxedo do? Whats the difference between a flat file and a direct database transfer! How do you create tests to see what happens when bits on another system are down. Part functional and part non functional testing.
DM testing needs someone who thinks about database RI in their head and knows what a db link is and can write 500 line sql code to tst transformations, and do reverse engineering of db systems to work out what the old system did. You are looking for people with development experience, or sevral years testing data migrations.
I myself spent over 10 years as a developer before moving to testing and now focus on SIT and DM testing. Ive not had to look for work for 3 years as I keep gettting pulled in to projects by people who worked with me before. Mainly as my dev background gave me SQL skills well beyond what functional testers need and actually writing applications in the past means I know what can break when doing SIT.
Once problem with DM testing is not many testers have the
SQL skills needed. You need at least 1 expert on the team to mentor the others in sql queries. Ive trained/helped a few dozen, and yet theres only about 4 or 5 id look up on linked in as they took to advanced sql like ducks. Ie they enjoyed the challenge rather than got frustrated by it.
The flip side .. i once had a guy who knew more SQL than me, but we asked him to talk to the business and then write some test cases, he didnt come back the next day!?
1) Functional testing of screens vs backend.
2) System integration testing including backend.
3) Data migration testing.
4) Operational acceptance testing.
5) User Acceptance Testing
Only the last one requires no understanding of system architectures and needs to focus on getting the real job done using real business processes so typically uses end users from the business. But That doesnt make them testers and they need help from the professional funcional test leads to put together a proper test plan.
Functioanal testing can be done by anyone if you got a decent tst lead in to write the scripts, and by that I mean someone who can break up the application in their head into components to test, come up with the test cases and then script them. If not an IT graduate id look for 5+ years working in IT. And give them a test at interview... heres a spec, what would you test? 30 minutes to cone up with some test cases and some scripts.
SIT needs someone who "gets" architectures middleware and so on, can install and setup off the shelf products and knows their way around a unix box (or windows). Whats a oracletns? What does tuxedo do? Whats the difference between a flat file and a direct database transfer! How do you create tests to see what happens when bits on another system are down. Part functional and part non functional testing.
DM testing needs someone who thinks about database RI in their head and knows what a db link is and can write 500 line sql code to tst transformations, and do reverse engineering of db systems to work out what the old system did. You are looking for people with development experience, or sevral years testing data migrations.
I myself spent over 10 years as a developer before moving to testing and now focus on SIT and DM testing. Ive not had to look for work for 3 years as I keep gettting pulled in to projects by people who worked with me before. Mainly as my dev background gave me SQL skills well beyond what functional testers need and actually writing applications in the past means I know what can break when doing SIT.
Once problem with DM testing is not many testers have the
SQL skills needed. You need at least 1 expert on the team to mentor the others in sql queries. Ive trained/helped a few dozen, and yet theres only about 4 or 5 id look up on linked in as they took to advanced sql like ducks. Ie they enjoyed the challenge rather than got frustrated by it.
The flip side .. i once had a guy who knew more SQL than me, but we asked him to talk to the business and then write some test cases, he didnt come back the next day!?
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