There are a lot of things that make a person good at a testing job. Technical inclination, an insight in to the end user's mind, and keeping up with new methodologies are a few. But I'd wager the most important thing of all is curiosity.
A really good tester wants to know how & why things work the way they do. If they encounter something they've never seen before, they start learning about it. They scour the web looking for articles on new technologies, they speak with their developers to get a better understanding of it, and then turn that new information into test cases that will be more insightful and useful.
You can spot a good tester by the questions he or she asks. If they see something they don't understand, they ask about it and keep asking questions until they get it. They'll propose user stories and scenarios to make sure they've got a handle on things, and then make those the basis for their test cases.
This really translates to all walks of life - whether you're a tester, a developer, a PM or a salesperson. Ask questions. Learn everything you can, and your career will go some really cool places.
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Nick, How about more detailed list of auto tester properties?
ReplyDeleteThat's my thoughts:
http://at4qa.blogspot.com/2010/01/who-is-ideal-test-automation-engineer.html
Let's exchange experience!
That's a great list of desired skills in an automater. If you have someone who can combine those sorts of technical skills with a "hey, what happens if..." attitude, you've got a fantastic tester on your hands.
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