Quest - 'Bluesky' hiring an automation tester

You are told money is no object. You can hire an automation expert to come in and build a frame work and build regression.

If you were creating that ā€˜pokemonā€™ card or skill card. What would it include - what would you ask for in the Linkedin advert.

ps (automation tester is a fake title but people get the jist)

What are your specs?

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This position seems very tricky.

If the company only wants to hire just one tester (automation in this case), that person will get burned immediately.

I donā€™t know if thatā€™s the case, but I would recommend more people be hired to about burn out.

About specs.-

  • Knowledge doing exploratory testing.
  • Knowledge with any of the following tools for functional testing.-
    • Postman.
    • Playwright.
    • CypressIO.
    • Selenium.
    • C#, Java, JS/TS, Python, SQL, etcetera.
  • About 3 ~ 5 years of experience doing functional automation testing.-
    • UI.
    • API.
  • Give support to devs about how to write their tests.
  • Propose/Evangelise standards about testing processes.
  • Intermediate knowledge with CI tools like GHA, CircleCI, Jenkins, etcetera.
  • Extras.-
    • (Some) Experience doing non-functional testing (any of them).-
      • Performance testing.
      • Load testing.
      • Stress testing.
      • Visual testing.
      • Accessability testing.
      • Security testing.

If this person is going to be focused on just automation, I would not recommend this person doing the Ā«manualĀ» process of testing. Based on my experience, itā€™s not a good idea.

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If hiring an automation expert I would expect them to come with examples of how they have achieved this in other places/jobs.

Being able to talk confidently about how they approached it and the issues they encountered and overcame.

I wouldnā€™t dictate what tools to use, but expect them to give justification and reasoning to why they would select certain tools.

I would also expect some sort of attention to be given to the capabilities of the other team members. Would the expert need to upskill the others, would they leverage current team knowledge? Are they open to using tools that the team know but may not be something they have personally used previously? are they flexible and willing to adapt to what currently exists?

Examples of what Iā€™d ask for:

Key Responsibilities:

  • Build custom, scalable automation frameworks from scratch.
  • Design and implement a robust regression testing strategy.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate testing in CI/CD workflows.
  • Mentor the team on automation best practices and tools.

Weā€™re Looking For:

  • 5+ years of experience in test automation, including framework development.
  • Expertise in tools like Selenium, Cypress, or Playwright.
  • Proficiency with CI/CD tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitHub Actions).
  • Strong programming skills in {a relevant language to your company or test suite}.
  • Excellent problem-solving and communication skills.

Desirable Soft Skills

  • Strategic Thinker: Ability to align testing strategies with business goals.
  • Problem Solver: Proactively identifies inefficiencies and implements scalable solutions.
  • Adaptability: Stays current with emerging technologies and trends in automation.
  • Communication: Communicates complex concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Team Player: Collaborates across disciplines to foster a quality-driven culture.
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Of course it is. Thereā€™s always a threshold to it. Someone is lying otherwise.

Money is no object but I can only hire one person? and it has to be automation engineer? and I have to build a framework? and build regression?
Am I or am I not constrained on resources?
Will I be micromanaged on the problem solving design?
What role am I in? what power do I have for interviewing/hiring/leading/managing people, logistics, project, product?

Is it just me or have I missed the goal of whatā€™s expected of achieving together with the person Iā€™d be hiring?

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Later edit: I mistakenly confused Bluesky as an actual app name with a random made-up app nameā€¦
Iā€™ll think of something useful to add to the topic laterā€¦

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Shit happens jajaja.

What were the final results on this?

no final results - I have asked on developer favored platforms and the difference between a tester answering and developers is very different so far. Most developers and engineering managers have answered from the perspective of the question - as a task. The answer they have given is based on what they each want or need. Not one person has said ā€œcontext mattersā€ or anything similar. Just listed what they would look for. Around 40% have given more than one option to match market budget banding - so some have said - these are the 4 adverts based on these budget steps. Thanks everyone very interesting.

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It would be interesting to know how other roles (devs, C levels, etcetera) see the testers.

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