Here are 5 reasons it’s smart to hire certified testers and certify anyone involved in software QA who isn’t already certified.
1. You Will Mitigate the Risk of Software Failures
Software failures can be disastrous, with 95% of CEOs expressing concern about job security following such incidents. Certified testers are trained to detect defects that developers might miss, significantly reducing the risk of these failures and the associated consequences.
2. You Will Preserve and Enhance Your Company’s Reputation
Software glitches have damaged the reputations of 77% of companies over the last five years. Certified testers focus on defect prevention and rigorous testing, ensuring that your software is reliable, which helps maintain and enhance your company’s public image.
3. You Will Improve Software Quality While Reducing Costs
Achieving high software quality doesn’t have to be expensive. Certified testers can remove up to 99% of defects before release, leading to lower post-launch costs and reducing the need for expensive fixes. The ROI for ISTQB certification can exceed 1500%, making it a cost-effective strategy.
4. You Will Accelerate Development Timelines
In today’s fast-paced environment, delivering software on time is crucial. Certified testers contribute to smoother development processes by catching issues early, which helps keep your project on schedule and reduces the time spent on rework.
5. You Will Support Career Growth and Employee Retention
Investing in certification not only enhances your team’s skills but also supports their career development. This investment increases job satisfaction and reduces turnover, saving your company the costs associated with hiring and training new employees.
Here are 5 Practical Steps to Accomplish the Above and Strengthen Your Testing Process
1. Certify Your Team: Begin with ISTQB Foundation Level certification and continue with role-specific testing certifications. QA micro-credentials can also quickly be used to address any gaps in your team’s expertise.
2. Improve Your QA Testing RFPs: Require that any software testers provided by testing services companies have ISTQB certifications and AT*SQA micro-credentials. This testing services RFP requirement will ensure these testers will use the same terminology and principles as your existing team, avoiding miscommunication and ensuring the same risk-based testing priorities.
3. Request Certification and Credentials in Your Job Listings: You can find job postings every day that ask for ISTQB certification. There is a reason for that. By requiring ISTQB certification and AT*SQA micro-credentials in your job postings, you can ensure you’re hiring testers who use the same terminology and principles.
4. Utilize the AT*Work™ List: Make hiring easier by selecting certified testers from the AT*Work™ List of Testers for Hire, where they are ranked based on their Testing Tiers™ levels that take into account ISTQB certification and AT*SQA micro-credentials.
5. Verify Tester Qualifications: Check the Official U.S. List of Certified & Credentialed Software Testers™ to confirm that your testers have the necessary qualifications to work with your team. The testers on this list have proven their American English skills during the exam process, so that shows they are committed to communicating well with your team.
Avoid Risk for You and Your Company
Certified software testers lower your risk, improve speed, and reduce costs. Given the high-profile IT outages caused by poor software testing, this should be an easy sell for your company.