Experience
When starting out in the software testing industry, it can prove difficult finding your first job. This goes for almost every kind of industry, previous experience is needed in order to get work, and a job is needed to get experience. This turns into a bad circle where basically you need a job to get one. So what can we do about this? There are several ways to make yourself more attractive to employers. Getting a software testing certificate from one of the big companies can definitely increase your chances of landing a job. But another way to get experience, and earning a bit of money at the same time, is through crowdsourcing. For those of you who have never heard of this, it is like outsourcing to a large group of people, where everyone gets smaller tasks to complete.
How does it work?
There are various resources online, where game/software testers can sign up and apply for work. After registration, there is usually a trial period for new employees, where they get to learn and show their skills. Some sites assign new people with a mentor during the starting period, who will help them and answer questions. So when registration is completed, all you have to do is look around the site for projects that you wish to participate in. The more active you are, the more projects will become available to you, assuming that the previous ones are correctly completed. The reward varies between different projects, and some of them offers provisional payment when bugs are found. By working with crowdsourcing as a tester, you improve the skills needed, get experience working in this field, and make some money on the same time.
Resources
So now I guess you’re eager to start, and wondering where to find these sites. One of them is called Crowdsourcing, and can be found HERE. Just click the “For testers” tab, then “Become a tester”, and you’ll find additional information as well as a link to sign up. Another great site is UTEST. You can sign up as a tester by clicking the “Join Our Community” button on the top right corner of their site. These are just suggestions, so feel free to look around and see if you find something that suits you better. Hope you find this article helpful, feel free to contact us if you have any further tips.