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While looking for a job, I came across that the questionnaires often ask the same question: what types of testing have you worked with?

During a personal interview it would be possible to clarify by what criteria they classify testing. At the same time I am confused about what to write in a small form on a web page.

Does the employer mean the degree of automation? Or a test object? Or isolation of components? So far, it seems to me the most correct to write something like:

I've been doing manual functional, UI and reliability, automated functional and reliability testing.

I would be happy to see your suggestions.

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  • They want to hear the truth, tell them what you did.
    – Vishal Aggarwal
    Commented Sep 10, 2020 at 0:09
  • Don't read too much between the lines.. If your experience is suitable for the requirement, you will get to clarify further questions .
    – Vishal Aggarwal
    Commented Sep 10, 2020 at 0:10

2 Answers 2

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Does the employer mean the degree of automation? Or a test object? Or isolation of components?

And you can keep asking, which is a good thing in my opinion. You obviously want to clarify what they mean by this broad question. That might help you see how they approach testing, and it will help them see what you have experience with.

what does the employer want to hear?

Obviously that's context dependent. In general terms, they want to find out more about you so they can figure out if you help them in their business.

You also asked in the comment section:

I'm trying to get inside HR's head and figure out what they want to know. Are they trying to figure out if I remember testing theory and classification? Or are they really interested in my experience? But then why not to ask what projects I worked on?

Aha, so this is actually an answer for HR people... That might be tricky, because in my experience they usually don't know much about the actual job. Having said that, they might look for answers that fit some ISTQB material they happened to read somewhere. In a better-looking scenario, they have a job description somewhere near and they look for keywords in your answer and in the job description, if they match, further you go. The best scenario is they pass/discuss your answers to/with someone with technical/testing skills and let them decide. In my experience, HR people often pair up with technical people during the hiring process, so they get regular help from technical people regarding technical questions and answers.

All in all, it's all speculation here. I'd pretty much answer with what you keep hinting at here, no need to sugar-coat your answers just because you assume something.

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You should write what you know to be true, and not just list types of testing from some internet forum. Employers want to know how can you help them in their business, they are not interested in giving you a job just for the sake of you having a job.

That means, if you were doing functional testing, you should know what does it mean - how to distinguish it from non-functional testing. If you were testing UI, you should know that is different from back end testing. In that case, you should be honest and say you have no experience in testing the back end. Just tell it how it is.

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    It looks like you misunderstood my question. I'm not asking if I should lie about my experience (certainly I should not). I'm trying to get inside HR's head and figure out what they want to know. Are they trying to figure out if I remember testing theory and classification? Or are they really interested in my experience? But then why not to ask what projects I worked on?
    – Kosh
    Commented Sep 9, 2020 at 13:20
  • I didn't mean to imply you were about to lie. Just that you don't need to say a lot of abstract theory. Your experience is what counts for the HR (among other things - like how will you fit in with the current employees).
    – Mate Mrše
    Commented Sep 9, 2020 at 13:22
  • Maybe I'm looking for hidden meaning where there is none. At the same time, I think you will agree that the ability to take tests and fill out questionnaires is also important, albeit to a lesser extent than working experience. I really don't understand why I to ask about TYPES. And, going back to the classification, I can attribute the same thing to the different types. For example, testing of a user interface can be functional and usability, in the same time automated, and also done positively and negatively.
    – Kosh
    Commented Sep 9, 2020 at 13:35
  • I don't think an HR person will go into that much detail, given they are usually non-technical. Maybe you will get that kind of question from a QA manager or someone in the later stages of the hiring process and they are (or should be) more interested in practical experience.
    – Mate Mrše
    Commented Sep 9, 2020 at 13:57

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