How To Become A Manual Tester: What It Is and Career Path - Zippia (2024)

Updated March 14, 2024

2 min read

A manual tester is a professional who tests software products for quality assurance. They understand and identify the needs of the projects, study product specifications, and take measurements. They also maintain records and produce progress reports. Manual testers communicate with staff to ensure a smooth workflow, and they are involved in writing complex SQL queries and developing reusable library of generic functions. They also work with business analysts and developers to collect business and functional requirements. Their responsibilities include creating test structures, executing test cases, and suggesting documents to improve software quality.

How long does it takes to become a manual tester?

It takes typically 6 to 8 years to become a manual tester. This includes earning a Bachelor's degree and gaining 2 to 4 years of experience.

Year 1-4:Earn a Bachelor's degree.

Year 5-8:Gain 2 to 4 years of experience in the field. During the first few months, receive on-the-job training.

  • Salary$81,680
  • Jobs Number32,190
  • Most Common SkillManual Test Cases
  • Most Common DegreeBachelor's degree
  • Best StateWashington

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Manual Tester career paths

Manual testers usually advance to quality assurance testers, quality assurance analysts, or quality assurance engineers. They may also pursue roles such as senior quality assurance analysts, quality assurance leads, or delivery managers. They can also transition into automation test engineering, software development, and business analysis.

Key steps to become a manual tester

  1. Explore manual tester education requirements

    If you're interested in becoming a manual tester, you must consider how much education you need. Based on real manual tester resumes, 73.2% of manual testers have a bachelor's degree. Regarding higher education levels, 18.3% of manual testers have master's degrees. Even though most manual testers have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

  2. Start to develop specific manual tester skills

    Manual testers use a variety of skills to perform their job effectively. They record manual scripts and prepare automation scripts, communicate with developers and stakeholders, and implement test automation using tools like Selenium WebDriver. They also work with business stakeholders to collect functional requirements and create test cases to verify application functionality. In addition, they perform manual GUI, functionality, and integration testing, and use tools like HP ALM/Quality Center for requirements management and defect tracking. They also participate in test plan creation, perform numeric, non-numeric, and limits data validation, and conduct browser compatibility testing.

    SkillsPercentages
    Manual Test Cases6.22%
    Regression5.20%
    QA4.62%
    Test Scripts4.08%
    Jira3.61%

    Show more

  3. Complete relevant manual tester training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New manual testers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a manual tester based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real manual tester resumes.

  4. Research manual tester duties and responsibilities

    A manual tester's main responsibilities include testing software applications and systems, analyzing system requirements, and verifying that the software meets the specifications. They design automation test scripts, perform regression testing, and participate in the testing of web applications. They also perform SQL queries to validate data integrity and quality. They must communicate with the development and business analyst teams to resolve inconsistencies between system specifications and test results. They also maintain and manage test suites, test cases, and defect tracking using various tools such as HP ALM/Quality Center.

    • Used JIRA to manage testing and track test results for each build and report defects detect.
    • Manage departmental inventory and troubleshoot testing, reporting and inventory issues.
    • Assign the tasks of conducting regression testing, UAT testing and update testing reports to the manager.
    • Contribute in developing website by using HTML coding.
  5. Prepare your manual tester resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your manual tester resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a manual tester resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Manual Tester Resume templates

    Build a professional

    Manual Tester

    resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume.

    Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Manual Tester resume.
  6. Apply for manual tester jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a manual tester job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How To Become A Manual Tester: What It Is and Career Path - Zippia (10)

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Average manual tester salary

The average Manual Tester salary in the United States is $81,680 per year or $39 per hour. Manual tester salaries range between $63,000 and $105,000 per year.

Average

Manual Tester

Salary

$81,680Yearly

$39.27

hourly

More manual tester salary info

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Updated March 14, 2024

How To Become A Manual Tester: What It Is and Career Path - Zippia (12)

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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How To Become A Manual Tester: What It Is and Career Path - Zippia (2024)
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