What does hiring a software tester entail?

The role of the tester in quality assurance

The software tester plays a key role in the software life cycle. His main task is to identify bugs, defects and incompatibilities of software with functional requirements, non-functional requirements and user expectations. By systematically planning, designing and executing tests at various stages of development, testers help ensure that delivered software is stable, reliable, secure and usable. Their work directly contributes to product quality and end-user satisfaction.

When do companies choose to hire testers?

The decision to hire outside testers can be based on a variety of needs:

• Increasing testing capacity: Need to rapidly increase testing resources during busy periods (e.g., before an important product release).
• Lack of internal competence: The company does not have enough testers or specialists for certain types of tests (e.g., automated, performance, security tests).
• Project needs: The need for testing for a specific project, without the need for permanent testers.
• Independent verification: The desire to obtain an objective assessment of software quality by an independent testing team.
• Access to specialized tools and knowledge: Need to take advantage of vendor’s experience and tools in advanced testing techniques.

Types of testers hired and the scope of their tasks

Different profiles of testers are available as part of the rental service:

• Manual testers: they perform tests manually by exploring the application, executing test cases and reporting on bugs found.
• Automation testers: They create and maintain scripts for automated test execution (unit, integration, API, GUI), which speeds up the regression testing process.
• Performance Testers: Specialize in planning and conducting load and performance tests to assess the stability and speed of applications under load.
• Security testers: Have the knowledge and tools to identify gaps and vulnerabilities in application security (e.g., by conducting penetration tests).

The scope of a hired tester’s tasks may include: analyzing requirements, creating test plans and test cases, preparing test data, executing tests, reporting defects, retesting fixes, and working with analysts and developers.

Collaboration model and benefits

As with other roles, hiring of testers is usually done on a body leasing model (T&M or lump sum). The benefits for the client include flexibility in the management of testing resources, quick access to needed competencies (manual, automation, specialized), the ability to scale the team depending on the needs of the project, cost optimization, and a potential increase in the overall quality of the delivered software due to the involvement of experienced quality professionals.

Requirements for the supplier

A tester hiring service provider should have a pool of specialists with different experience and specializations, able to work with different testing tools and methodologies. The process of verifying their practical skills and theoretical knowledge is crucial.