Software Testing is going through a time of change. This episode explores how we can adapt.

Manual QA is dead. Companies are getting rid of their QA teams. Quality Control performed manually is phasing out of style. What can we do instead? Become coaches, assistants or advisors? We could become developers? Or we could be better testers. QA and Quality Control is not Testing. This might be how people learn.

Software Testing is highly contextual and requires flexibility in our approach and thinking. But we are only human and sometimes we have beliefs and biases that limit our approach.

In episode 16 of The Eviltester Show we are looking at Test Automation Biases, what they are, how to avoid them, and how to evaluate your own biases.

00:00 What is an Automation Bias?

00:29 Treat all opinions as biased

01:50 Automating a GUI is Slow and Flaky

03:36 Automate through the API

05:23 Code Free Automating is Bad

06:17 Tool X is Better than Y

07:04 Postman is Better than Insomnia

08:54 Python is Better than Java

10:24 Seeing Through Biases

12:52 Try it, then decide

13:17 Page Objects vs Screenplay

14:52 Take Responsibility

16:11 External Experience

17:02 Start Small, Make Progress

17:50 Do not ignore issues

20:34 Be Real rather than Believe

21:18 Keep Options Open

22:48 Be Aware of your biases

23:19 It takes time

Software Testing is often a proprietary process where we never share how we are doing it. Governmens are an exception because they make public a lot of documents explaining what they do and how they do it.

In this episode we have a discussion of a UK government guide to exploratory testing.

• https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/technology/exploratory-testing

The aim is not to criticise the document, the aim is to use it as a base from which to see how far our thoughts diverge or overlap with the document. I want to know what I can learn.

Show notes are here:

https://www.eviltester.com/show/015-exploratory-testing-gov/

This podcast, was originally released to Patreon supporters in January of 2019,

• https://patreon.com/posts/what-is-testing-23907385

I read through the document and try to understand the intent and meaning behind statements and offer my own thoughts.

Software Testing is a hard activity to recruit for,.Recruiting Testers is hard. What we want to do is minimise the friction and barriers. In this podcast I'll share some tips on what has worked for me in the past.

- remove as much ambiguity from your job spec as possible

  - someone like me, will read 'the worst' into your ambiguity

- send clear messages, not mixed messages, in the job spec

- help the applicant filter out roles that are not suitable for them

- when writing a job spec, review existing job specs in the world, critique them and then build on what is best from those

- start with a phone interview, never start face to face

- some people bluff, some people offer general answers

  - your job as an interviewer is to help them answer specifically and ask for more information when you want it

- Interviews as auditions, held by someone who knows how to do the activity being auditioned

- audition hands on with the actual code, or the actual system

- use your best people for the interviews, not just anyone that is free

Show Notes:

https://eviltester.com/show

We have more posts in our recruitment category:

- https://www.eviltester.com/categories/recruitment/

And our Career category:

- https://www.eviltester.com/categories/career-advice/

This video was originally released as a Patreon exclusive video back in January 2019

- https://www.patreon.com/posts/recruitment-tips-23896867

What can someone in Software Testing do to improve their chances of getting a job? That's what we consider in Episode 013 of The Evil Tester Show covers "How To Get a Job in Software Testing".

- Getting a Job is different from Doing the Job

- Persistence is key to getting a job

- Build an online portfolio on LinkedIn

- Apply for jobs slightly out of reach

- Amend your CV for each job that you really want

- You do not need to code to Test Software

- You might need coding skills on your CV to pass the interview filter

- Demonstrate that you can test software, even if you are looking for your first job in software testing.

Shownotes are available from https://eviltester.com/show

This is an audio/video episode and the video version is available on youtube:

https://youtu.be/QB8n5RXTV10

Direct Show Notes Link:

https://www.eviltester.com/show/013-how-to-get-a-job-in-testing/

Ever wanted to talk at a Software Testing conference? Or even just be effective when you present over Zoom. This episode is for you.

More and more conferences are going online. Speakers will have to adapt. In this post I outline some recommendations based on years of online video, webinar and course creation.

If you only want the summary then...

- Presenting online over video is different.

- Practice will help.

- Practice with the kit you are going to use, and perform complete practice run throughs.

- Use an external microphone.

- Record your practice sessions and listen back to them to make sure your audio is good enough. 

For show notes, visit https://eviltester.com/show

Software Testing often doesn't get the respect it deserves so people wonder if a career in Software Testing is worth it. I do receive a lot of emails asking which way should people focus their career - Testing? Programming? Automating?

And that's what I cover in this podcast.

Points:

- we should not have to think like this

- But - we need to get a job

- Getting a job is different from "What should I be..."

A full transcript of the show has been upload for Patreon supporters. https://www.patreon.com/posts/35209341

You can support this Podcast, and receive almost daily blog posts by signing up to https://Patreon.com/EvilTester for as little as $1 a month.

Show notes are available at https://eviltester.com/show

Software Testing is not the same as Test Automation. But so many people seem to think so.

I receive a lot of concerned emails and messages from testers. People concerned that their testing skills will not be enough to keep them in work and that the future revolves around automation which they don't know how to do. No programming experience. And should they learn API or UI? What programming language should they learn? People do feel that their career is at risk.

And that's what I cover in this podcast to hopefully give you some tips if you do want to learn to program or code and start working on test automation, and some tips on what to do if you don't and think that software testers should not have to learn to code.

There are many paths to success in testing.

Show notes available at:

https://eviltester.com/show

Software Testing can be seen as the art of asking questions to Software. So we have to learn how to ask effective and targeted questions. That's the focus of this episode.

"Why?" is an incredibly popular question. I think it has problems. I try to avoid it when I'm consulting. In this show we will examine "Why?" and under what circumstances I do use it. "Why?" is almost a default question because it can take the place of every other question. It is easy to ask. We don't even need to know what answer we want. It's also a very ambiguous question, and when we ask why there is a risk that people try to read into our motivation, and that people might take offence. Show notes will be available at https://eviltester.com/show

What is Software Testing?