1) BE KNOWN AND ACTIVE
Be known and active in the testing community and when you have a vacancy then a tweet can attract interest from testers who are thinking working with you would be good.
Have a connection with some of the known tester names so they can post details of your vacancy to places where testers are likely to see it, e.g., Yahoo groups. Having the vacancy on your site won’t get it seen and posting it to one of the job boards means it will get lost in the mass – unless it happens to be the STC job board.
Be part of the testing community so that when a job is tweeted or blogged or put into a mailing list then you see it – and it also lets you know that the job is with someone who takes the time to be part of the testing community
2) MAKE SURE THE JOB DESCRIPTION SOUNDS APPEALING
Having got the attention of a tester, make sure the job description sounds appealing. Descriptions such as ‘create test cases, log defects, excellent communicator ‘ will get a yawn. Mention of ISEB/ISTQB certification – especially if you are recruiting for an agile role – is also likely to have a negative effect.
Make it easy for a candidate to find out about your company and its values. Not some bland mission statement on the website but blogs written by people there so the candidate can get a real feel for what it’s like to work there and starts to want to work there.
Have a blog. Join the STC, start discussions and answer them. Try and answer questions on SQA Stack Exchange. Have a Twitter account. Take part in Weekend Testing.
Let the hirer be able to find out who you are – your online reputation can act as your CV and can help bypass some of the first stages of the recruitment process. Research the company – can you find out about its values and principles? What sort of project and technologies do they use ?
3) MAKE THE APPLICATION PROCESS CHALLENGING
Make the application process challenging and make yourself stand out. Instead of asking for a CV, ask the candidate to write a short essay.
You want communication skills? Get the candidate to show that they have them.
This part should be a breeze – you’re being asked to demonstrate something you’re good at.
4) GIVE THEM REAL-LIFE TESTS
Don’t ask them how they would test a toaster. Get them to test one of your projects. Don’t just give them a tour of the office and then park them in an interview room. Let them see and feel the office atmosphere so they start to get a really good idea of what it would be like to work there.
Be yourself – that’s what you’ll be if you’re made an offer and you accept. Look around and imagine yourself working there every day – does it feel right?
What does the atmosphere feel like? You’ll already have researched the company ( see (2) ), so you can ask intelligent questions.
On a personal note – thanks to those that presented some good opportunities whilst I was searching – sorry I wasn’t able to take you up on them but the opportunity at Atomic Object was just too good.
Author Profile – Phil Kirkham
Phil was a programmer for more years than he would care to admit before he found his true calling of being a tester. After several years of being a test consultant he is now working as a remote contractor for Atomic Object whilst he waits for his visa. Phil acts as the Terminator for the STC, is a member of the Miagi-Do School of Testing and blogs at http://expectedresults.blogspot.com .
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