How do you put test skills on a resume?

The best way to demonstrate test skills on a resume is to first define what key testing skills are. Key skills for a testing engineer will include analytical thinking, problem-solving, engineering knowledge, and product development.

Next, you should consider how you have used these key test engineering skills in your work experiences. Some examples of job duty descriptions that showcase test skills include:

• Develop functional validation workbooks for performing site-to-site failover, workload redistribution, recovery, and fail-back

• Work with the Continual Process Improvement framework to suggest and influence process improvements and acts as a change agent for the organization

• Performs analysis and dispositions of PCB boards based on workmanship and improves rework procedures and process controls when necessary

• Ensure continuous development, improvement, and update of test programs from early development until the end of product life on assigned products

• Prepare and execute Developmental Test Evaluation (DTE) plans and procedures according to established test methodologies.

These four examples take both keywords and skills (like developing functional validation workbooks, Continual Process Improvement framework, and established test methodologies) to describe the duties and responsibilities within the testing engineer role.

However, the best resumes focused on showcasing test skills will not only tell what was done within the role but will highlight the accomplishments with quantifiable information. The four prior examples would then look like this:

• Develop functional validation workbooks for performing site-to-site failover, workload redistribution, recovery, and fail-back, improving processes by 15% in six months.

• Work with the Continual Process Improvement framework to suggest and influence process improvements and acts as a change agent for the organization alongside a team of five testing engineers

• Performs analysis and dispositions of PCB boards based on workmanship, which resulted in the rework of procedures and process controls that eliminated five problematic work processes.

• Ensure continuous development by instituting the update of 95% of the test programs from early development until the end of product life on assigned products and causing a 35% increase in process efficiency

• Prepare and execute Developmental Test Evaluation (DTE) plans and procedures according to established test methodologies.

By showing the quantifiable accomplishments of your test engineer skills, your ability and skills are able to truly shine through the resume.

You should also have a skills section that lists all the key skills you have related to being a test engineer. Some options for this include:

• Test design techniques

• Defect management process

• Knowledge of the business domain

• Experience in a variety of testing efforts

• Understanding of common software failures and faults

• Knowledge of the system or application-under-test

• Understanding of the test automation process