This post is something about QA Interviews.

I have interviewed dozens and dozens of QA applicants over the years. Up to this day, I am still amazed at the instant affinity I feel for my fellow QAs and testers even during that very short time ( typically one hour) I talk to them. Maybe it’s because we speak the same language, and we do the same day to day job.  Birds of the same feather …

I give short technical interviews especially if applicant has a good history of work experience. Very seldom do applicants fail this part, except when they can’t even describe the application they tested in the past. Or does not even care to know if their development process is waterfall or agile.

During the interview, I can sense if the applicant has a passion for testing. Is this just a another job for the applicant? Are they dedicated enough to truly care about the quality of the product?

I have been working long enough to know that salary alone cannot make an employee happy. It can be a good motivator at first, but it will soon wear  out any QA . Then how much they get paid becomes less important, especially if they know they are good QAs. They need to feel a sense of fulfillment, that they are truly contributing to the release of a quality product.

Ok, so much for that. We’ll have another post dedicated to the topic of happiness at work.

Let’s go back to the topic of what happens during the QA interview.

I have come up with my own set of questions, which may or may not be the typical ones you hear in other interviews.

One of my favorite questions  to ask is “What is the best bug you have ever found? And how did you find it?”

There are two very common reactions I get to this question:

• One. Quizzical look followed by “Ohh, hmmm, let me think.. hmmm”.
• Two. Surprised. Glint in the eye “Well, I am proud to say that the biggest bug I have ever found…”

So what does this tell me about the applicant?

Those who fall into the first category will take quite some time to respond. It’s either they don’t remember or they don’t even know if the bug they reported is really important.

While the ones who remembered are those who seem to take pride in the bug they uncovered. They would describe in great details how they found the bug. They appear more confident and like the fact they contributed something to the team.

You see, there is really no right or wrong answer to this question. Big or small bugs (or defects) are relative terms.  The real value is in the perception of the the QA. I would like to know how far people really care about their jobs. As soon as the applicant gets animated, I knew the passion is there!

Well for sure, I come up with more questions than this one. One of these days, I may be able to put them in a list and share them in this website.

I believe that every candidate has great potentials but so many factors really come into play when it comes down as to who to hire in the end.

So if there is one advice I can give ( even to myself) is to have as much fun during the interview. Consider it a learning process, and a challenge!

I want to hear your comments.