How To Write a Quality Assurance Resume
Creating a QA resume is like creating a testing plan or writing code for a software application. You must understand all the building blocks of the document so you can put them together cohesively to demonstrate your professional experience, education, and skills. This guide provides tips for doing just that. You’ll learn more about writing a strong professional summary and conveying your most compelling career achievements.
- Entry-level
- Mid-career
- Senior-level
1. Create a profile by summarizing your quality assurance (QA) qualifications
Craft an engaging opening summary to grab the attention of the hiring manager. Start with a sentence that lists your title, years of experience, and three to four specializations that match the job description. Show potential employers you have a proven track record of success within the industry. For example, if the job listing is for a QA lead, you might reference that you’ve managed projects or small QA teams to establish your leadership experience. Or, if the job posting includes a need for someone who can develop testing reports, include that experience in the summary.
Senior-Level Profile Example
A QA analyst with over 10 years of leading multi-million dollar product launches, specializing in Cypress, Postman, Lighthouse, Jira, and Asana. A strong history of developing and managing QA departments to drive successful product launches for enterprise companies.
Entry-Level Profile Example
A quality analyst with three years of experience specializing in application testing, SQL, automation, and product development. A proven record of identifying vulnerabilities and performing comprehensive QA audits for web-based software applications.
2. Showcase your quality assurance (QA) experience
Avoid being vague when describing your professional experience. Highlight specific projects you worked on and emphasize the value you bring to teams, clients, and organizations. Display specific numbers, data, and metrics to establish a scope for your achievements. This provides important context for the reader and adds depth to your accomplishments. For example, if you automated a QA testing process, mention a reduction in work hours or labor costs. If you were performing debugging for a game or app, mention the number of users or revenue.
Think carefully about each bullet point you write in this section, and follow a formula that includes an action verb, context, and a positive outcome or metric. If you don’t have exact numbers, be as specific as possible about your contributions and projects.
Senior-Level Professional Experience Example
QA Team Lead, From Software, Los Angeles, CA | April 2017 – present
- Develop test plans, cases, and reports to improve performance and optimize user experience for Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring releases generating over $30 million in sales
- Manage communications with product and operations teams to ensure that flagged issues are being dealt with in a timely manner
- Lead a team of QA specialists, game testers, and developers to optimize the gameplay experience and identify defects and bugs
Entry-Level Professional Experience Example
QA Analyst, KBR, Inc., Houston, TX | November 2020 – present
- Write, monitor, and execute web application tests using Telerik and collaborate with product development team to identify and resolve technical issues
- Develop SQL queries for the extraction of needed data
- Design automated systems to improve the efficiency of the organization’s QA department, resulting in a reduction of over 20 manual testing hours per week
3. Outline your education and quality assurance (QA)-related certifications
Education and professional certifications can help you stand out. If two resumes have similar experience and skills, employers often look to education as a differentiator — and some employers will only hire QA professionals with an associate degree or higher.
Certifications can be especially important to include, as they might position you for higher pay or more opportunities with the employer in the future. Always include credentials such as Certified Test Engineer, Certified Software Quality Analyst, or Certified Associate in Software Testing if you have them.
Education
Template
- [Degree Name]
- [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] – [Graduation Month and Year]
Example
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science
- University of California, Davis, CA – June 2012
Certifications
Template
- [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]
Example
- Certified Software Quality Analyst, International Software Certification Board, 2015
4. List your key quality assurance (QA) skills and proficiencies
Ensure your resume includes relevant skills and proficiencies. Use the same verbiage to describe the skills listed in the job posting whenever possible. For example, you might already include that you’re familiar with Agile. However, if the employer specifically listed Waterfall or Scrum, update your skills or experience sections to include these additional project management skills. Use your skills section to highlight specific software, programs, and QA testing methods. Here are some common proficiencies employers look for when hiring QA professionals:
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Agile methodology | Application Programming Interface (API) testing |
| Application testing | Automation |
| Change management | Code testing |
| Compliance and regulatory guidelines | Cucumber Pro |
| Data management | Database management |
| Functional testing | Programming languages |
| Regression testing | Selenium |
| Software testing | SQL |
| Test planning | Troubleshooting |
How To Pick the Best Quality Assurance Resume Template
Look for a template that helps you emphasize skills important to QA positions. The ability to organize and present data is important to success in QA, so your template should be organized and present information clean and compellingly.
White space is important because QA professionals tend to have resumes heavy on technical skills and information. Choose a template that doesn’t crowd the page and supports easy scanning so hiring managers can quickly look for the data most relevant to them.
Quality Assurance Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
- Entry-level
- Mid-career
- Senior-level
Rick Holden
(706) 455-4903
[email protected]
290 Red Ridge Rd, Summit, AZ 85756
Profile
A Quality Assurance Analyst with seven years of experience in front-end development, specializing in application testing, UX optimization, and technical writing. A strong history of refining UX copy for mobile applications and new product releases.
Professional Experience
QA Analyst, Caterpillar, Tucson, AZ
January 2019 – Present
- Develop test plans, cases, and reports for upcoming product releases, evaluate the user experience, and perform validation testing to support new product introductions
- Conduct analysis on the user experience for web and mobile applications, perform QA testing, and create UX copy to ensure optimal functionality for users
- Support front-end development using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS
QA Analyst, PowerSchool, Sacramento, CA
March 2013 – December 2018
- Conducted exploratory testing to find and fix bugs before new product and feature releases, and created over 1K regression tests using the Selenium framework
- Led a complex project to develop and implement a Selenium test automation framework, which saved over 30 work hours per week and reduced labor costs by $50K
Education
Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS Davis, CA, September 2008 – June 2012
Key Skills
- Selenium
- JavaScript
- HTML
- CSS
- Exploratory testing
- Documentation
Certifications
- Certified Software Quality Analyst, International Software Certification Board, 2015
Frequently Asked Questions: Quality Assurance Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for quality assurance resumes?-
To best capture the attention of hiring managers, your resume must be active and easy to scan. Using action verbs — especially at the beginning of sentences and bullet points — helps achieve this goal. Instead of listing programming languages you used while working for a past employer, write something like, “Drove development efforts and reduced manual QA testing for Java and C++ programs.” Pair action verbs with accomplishments to create positive sentences for your resume, such as, “Diagnosed and resolved critical bugs in the API app prior to live deployment, which reduced downtime and saved over 20 work hours.”
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Analyzed | Assessed |
| Assisted | Caught |
| Conducted | Contributed |
| Detected | Developed |
| Enhanced | Evaluated |
| Fixed | Identified |
| Improved | Located |
| Processed | Resolved |
| Reviewed | Supported |
| Tested | Troubleshot |
How do you align your resume with a job description?-
Creating a single stellar resume and sending it out to every potential employer can limit your chances of success. Instead, take time to write an excellent resume and tweak it for every posting. Look for specific skills in your job description and ensure they appear on your resume. For instance, if an employer wants a candidate familiar with Cucumber Pro, list Cucumber Pro specifically in your skills section and provide an example of you using it in your professional experience.
Job opportunities for software developers, QA analysts, and testers are growing at a rate that’s much faster than average, with an increase in positions of 25% through 2031, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With so many potential jobs, it’s important to take time to ensure your resume shows why you’re qualified for specific positions and not just in general.
What is the best quality assurance resume format?-
The reverse chronological format is ideal for QA professionals. This approach emphasizes your most recent and relevant work history while still conveying your career progression. Functional resumes should be avoided in most situations, as simply listing skills isn’t usually enough to warrant an interview. At the entry level, you could instead feature your academic projects and QA skills above your professional experience section.
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