DOS and DON’TS for Writing a Great QA Resume

DON’T just send an empty email. Even if there isn’t a requirement for a cover letter, more or less, the email is this. It should be personalized for the company and position you are applying to.

I would suggest not to use the general EU CV Word template (some companies HRs won’t read them or ignore them). My subjective opinion is that this does not apply to all types of works, but it is essential for IT specialists. (formating sometimes will be remembered and make the impression that you have spent the time to prepare yourself which show other qualities which companies are usually looking for)

There isn’t much value to add many long paragraphs explaining your duties in non-related past jobs. We usually just look at the field and type of work. The more technical it was, the better. In some cases, work with people is also a plus. (customer service, teaching, etc.

Do not write how much experience you have in logging bugs or test cases- if you even haven’t worked as Junior. It is much more valuable to add the places where you regularly educate yourself about the field.

The next tip is maybe just my subjective opinion. Feel free to ignore it: Add only relevant to the position information in the CV. It is not essential that you have a driving license or can repair bikes. Mentioning your interests is another thing since this is something we consider whether you will fit in the current team (will you have topics to talk about with others during lunch)

It is better to use the official channels of communication. For example, I gave an official email address. It is OK to ask questions, mainly if something is not explained in the description (you are decreasing your chances if you are asking me something that is written and you haven’t spent the time to read the whole post). I will respond at the same speed using the email than pinging me in Messenger. A much better channel might be LinkedIn. I consider Messenger to be too personal for such communication even when the post is from my account. Again asking for feedback and results should be addressed first via email, not directly asking in Messenger. As we said, we promised to contact everyone, so creating pressure won’t help.

Do not mention technologies and tools (skills) that you have only seen for a few minutes on a lecture or course, but you haven’t tried much yourself.

Single spelling error is sufficient to reject your resume. Spell check twice.

Explain what you are searching for and why this is the case. For example, clearly state the desired direction- manual or automation, why this is the case.

Search more info about the company and explain why you want to work for this particular company.

There are many proven platforms for the creation of beautiful CVs- you can use one of them, for example- Enhancecv. I liked some of the custom CVs that you designed. However, some were hard to read. Usually, the CV needs to be easy to be scanned fast.

Export the CV as PDF.

The best practice for the name of the CV file should be- firstName-lastName-CV.pdf (it is easier this way to search in a folder containing many CVs)

Especially if you are applying for a Junior position- your CV should be short- 1 page long. Do not write a resume more than 3 pages unless you are applying for the team lead or managerial positions.

Add up-to-date representative photo of you not just cropped from one lying on the beach.

I highly recommend getting certified. The bare minimum is to have a relevant QA course or programming one in case of test automation. About the certification- I mean ISTQB Foundation- it is a big plus.

The most crucial info is to mention the related courses you have completed and maybe saying the score.

It is valuable to add projects you have worked on- links to GitHub.

Apply all these tips to your LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have one, you should definitely create.

If you want to get more practical experience while waiting to get hired somewhere, you can try freelance QA platforms such as uTest.

If you haven’t worked something related before and don’t have a technical university degree, I believe the first thing you have to do is to participate in a QA fundamentals course. The next step may be to take some relevant online courses in Udemy or Pluralsight and mentioning this in your CV. Like the ISTQB certificate, this will mean a lot when we see it.

You can specify some related technical books you have read.

Make sure you write your name, email address and phone number on top of the resume.

Attach/add links to any related recommendations (by lecturers or previous employer). You can even ask your QA course trainer to give you one if you were an exceptional student. Even this small thing will differentiate you from the rest.