It is not a secret that top tech companies have been transitioning from manual to automation testing rapidly in recent years. 

Automation testers will ensure that the end product of the business meets all the client requirements and close the development loop. They automate basic and repetitive tasks to save lots of time, money, and effort for the employed company. So, It is a crucial and much sought-after role in the IT industry. 

This blog spotlights the career path to becoming an automation tester, discovering the job role, describing the skills required, eligibility, hiring trends, the scope of the field, and more.

Read till the end to find out where you’ve stuck or to know how to start a rewarding career as a QA Automation Tester from scratch.  

Before exploring the steps, Let us understand what QA automation is. Here we go…

What is QA Automation? 

QA automation testing is a more crucial stage in SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle). It is a testing phase in software development where you test the developed software with specialized automation tools. 

The QA automation focuses on improving the performance of the software while maintaining the user experience throughout the testing process. QA Automation saves a ton of time, effort, and cost required to test the software. It replaces large numbers of repetitive tasks allowing developers to customize the test automation. 

Addedly, Automation testing is fast and reliable, enhances quality, improves accuracy, and increases productivity with reusable test scripts. 

Steps To Become a QA Automation Tester

The job responsibilities of an Automation Tester aren’t just limited to deducting errors while executing automation test scripts. It’s a lot more than that. When you are an Automation Tester, you have to write test scripts, design automation tests, choose the appropriate test automation tool, perform software testing to deduct defects and produce a result report. 

In this blog, you will explore what it takes to become a successful QA Automation Tester and do’s & Dont’s while on a career path, what skills are required for an Automation Tester, how to land a job, and more. Let’s dive in …

1. Have a Better Understanding of the Basics

Automation testing involves advanced automation tools to perform testing of the software. So, it is a condition for you to be proficient with all these automation tools. Start with basics when you’re learning new concepts and tools. This will equip you to select appropriate tools for specific test cases. 

Learn how these tools minimize human intervention in testing. Solving a big-picture puzzle starts from there. Explore why, how, and what in every bit of the test concepts you read. This will back you when you perform QA Analysis. 

Employers in related industries look for a solid foundation in working with coding, APIs, and writing scripts while making a hiring decision. So ensure that you hold on to basics forever. 

Before we proceed further, it’s essential to have a solid foundation in automation testing principles and selenium basics. If you’re eager to dive deep into software testing, consider joining GUVI’s Automation Testing with Selenium course. In this program, you’ll learn the fundamentals of Selenium, Python, Java, Jenkins, JMeter, API Testing, and more. Gain hands-on experience with industry-standard tools and techniques to get into a professional career focusing on the quality of Product & Process development.

2. Don’t Forget About Coding

It is a myth that QA Automation testers don’t have to be good at coding. We can say that Programming languages are the heartbeat of any software. So, to test such software, it is equally significant to be proficient at coding.

Though you work with scriptless automation tools, it is always great to know the basics.   Automated test tools use programming languages like Python, Perl, Java, JavaScript, Visual Basic script, C, C++etc. The automation tester needs to have a good grasp of the working of these programming languages. 

For instance, As an Automation tester, you should have sound coding knowledge if the company you work for is majorly dependent on automated tools like UFT (Unified functional tester) or QTP (Quick Test Professional).

If you’re good at coding, you’ll naturally be very good at communicating the errors or malfunctions to the developers, giving way to a splendid cross-functional rapport. Remember that your strong coding foundation will save your efforts in the longer run. 

3. Learn to Create a Solid Test Automation Strategy

Explore case studies to create a solid test automation strategy as you progress through the learning process. 

As an Automation Tester, you have to create dynamic ideas for testing, manage QA testing activities, create a testing framework on which the testing runs, implement new testing techniques, review test reports, work with developers to resolve the issue and bridge the gap between customer requirements and product development.

Is this overwhelming? Not if you have a test automation strategy in the first place. 

Creating an Automation testing strategy is a vital part of the role. If you have excellent planning earlier, you can handle the testing hassle-free. 

4. Familiarize Yourself with Automation Testing Frameworks and Tools

Automation Testing frameworks & tools are integral parts of any successful testing activity. These frameworks will reduce the cost and effort in testing processes and provide a higher ROI.

These frameworks come with minimal human intervention and reusability of code. They increase your overall project efficiency, test accuracy, productivity, and speed while decreasing the risk involved.

So, organizations of all sizes have already employed these frameworks in their business. To be a successful automation tester, you’ll have to have your hands on these frameworks, get used to working on them, and keep up with emerging technologies.  

Automation tester needs in-depth knowledge of the automated testing tools before they work with them. Familiarize yourself with industry-preferred frameworks such as 

• Selenium – It is a popular test automation framework used to test web applications for browsers and various platforms.

• Cypress – Cypress is a JavaScript test automation framework used for web automation. It helps teams to create test automation scripts for the web.

• Pytest – This testing framework is based on Python. It’s often the default framework for writing test scripts for Python code.

• Cucumber – Cucumber is the most popular open-source tool that allows you to write test scripts that anyone can easily understand. 

The most important thing is to learn the nuances behind choosing the right automation testing tools that suit your test case. You will be able to categorize the test cases based on this knowledge. This will help you distill test cases to which you apply automation testing. 

5. Master Test Automation Techniques

Though your work involves setting up and maintaining effective automation, you should be well-versed in manual testing processes and test techniques. These understandings will help you quickly fix any mishaps. 

Gain good experience with test automation types like functional testing and non-functional testing. The functional testing types are performed to check whether the developed software meets all the expected client requirements. 

While non-functional testing, otherwise known as performance testing, exposes the software to a set workload with prescribed conditions to test its reliability, dynamics, and consistency. 

Several testing techniques are predominantly in practice. A few notable automation testing techniques are generic tests, API tests, socket programming tests, Web services tests, parallel tests, and keyword tests.

Especially, API testing is deemed to be popularly used in most organizations. Learners who aim to meet the rising demand should get hands-on experience with API testing. To become a successful Automation tester,  you should gain practical knowledge in learning these techniques and keep up with advancements and recent trends. 

6. Improve your Reporting Skills

An automation tester is a professional with excellent communication and reporting skills. When you are an Automation Tester, you should communicate the errors in the test run to the technical team. 

You’ll confront the technical audience to explain the not-so-technical and vital user experience updations. So, try to pinpoint and explain the errors in a comprehensive test report. Ensure that this report is easily decodable by the developers. 

Automation testers should constantly update the test case status to all the stakeholders. The reporting practice leads to attaining better coordination.

A clear-cut test report gives a brief overview of the project management – The progress, test timelines, and possible debugging in the application.  This eventually helps stakeholders to make better decisions where needed.

7. Be an Analytical Thinker

An essential ingredient for a QA Automation Tester is the ability to think and analyze test cases and their requirements. The automation tester needs to think about and predict the areas of the functionality that can be automated and define a detailed automation test strategy. 

Plan a walkthrough with all the stakeholders present to discuss the automation testing approach. The estimation and predictions will lay a firm foundation for a streamlined test design and report creation processes. 

They must also have good problem-solving skills to identify potential defects. These issues occur when you lack test script configuration knowledge.

A successful QA Automation Tester who is also an analytical thinker will discover ways to cover the potential show-stoppers and reduce the time-to-market of the software. 

8. Sign Up for an Automation Testing Course

The evergreen field of Automation Testing involves continuous learning and experience. A certification from a reputed organization will ensure your credibility & expertise to the employers. It will give you a competitive edge to outperform in automation testing interviews.

The role itself is for multi-skilled individuals with the right mix of creative thinking and communication skills. A precise and perfect way to become a successful QA automation tester is by signing up for a comprehensive online course.

To gain expertise in automation testing tools, explore these tools, industry-specific frameworks, and other pre-requisite skills from GUVI’s Career Programs: Automation testing with Selenium and JAVA Automation testing. 

Securing a QA Automation Tester Job

Securing a QA Automation Tester position in a top tech company is no big deal if you have the expertise and practical knowledge in automation testing tools.

Here are our few tips to secure an Automation tester role:

• Revisit the fundamentals as and when needed. 

• Create a portfolio describing the test cases you analyzed and your solutions. 

• Keep up with the latest technologies and trends in the industry.

• Tell the employer how your analytical skills will help reduce the time-to-market. Earn some basic domain knowledge. 

• Don’t learn all by yourself. Learn from reputed mentors or experts. 

• Acquire analytical skills, reporting skills, and communication skills.

• Be consistent with your learning efforts.

• Practice frequently asked questions and try to answer them with more detailed reasoning. 

Wrapping Up

All the points discussed in the blog would have helped you understand what it takes to become a successful QA Automation Tester. You can create a customized learning path for your automation testing career. 

Automation testing is an evergreen field and will continue to bloom along with the constant growth of the software industry. With the expertise of automation tools, you can choose this career path with the utmost confidence.

Your practices and perseverance will undoubtedly translate into a rewarding career in Automation Testing.  Happy Learning!

FAQs

1. How do I become a QA automation engineer?

To become a QA Automation Engineer, learn the working of popular automation testing tools, develop your creative thinking ability, understand the underlying principles of Automation testing, and keep yourself updated with the latest technologies in the field of testing. Sign up for a comprehensive online course to learn the ins and outs of automation testing with practical knowledge of test cases. 

2. Is QA a difficult job?

QA Automation Testing isn’t a difficult job. Skills such as analytical skills, problem-solving skills, reporting skills, and communication skills are essential to perform your tasks as a successful QA Automation Tester. So, develop these skills and your expertise in Automation Testing tools to ace any domain. 

3. Which automation course is best?

Online courses for Automation testing are very high in numbers throughout the web. Everyone has a unique set of learning needs. So, choose the right course that best fits all your needs. Addedly, you can pick an appropriate course that offers valuable and thoughtful benefits such as certifications, doubt-clearing sessions, practice platforms, placement assistance, and more.  You can also check out GUVI’s Automation testing courses to kick-start your career in Automation Testing. 

4. Who is eligible for the Automation Testing course?

Students or professionals (especially software developers) with a technical background can sign up for the automation testing course. 

5. Are QA automation testers in demand?

Companies highly rely on Automation testing for product releases and updates. So, the demand for Automation Testers is always high as they ensure reliability and reduce the time-to-market of the product.