How to hire an automation tester

How to hire an automation tester, step by step

Here's a step-by-step automation tester hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an automation tester job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new automation tester
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an automation tester do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your automation tester job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an automation tester for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an automation tester to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an automation tester that fits the bill.

   This list presents automation tester salaries for various positions.

   Type of Automation Tester	Description	Hourly rate
   Automation Tester		$30-51
   Quality Analyst	Pumpers are individuals who take responsibility for setting the pumping system controls for product maximization. Their job requires them to set density, concentration, rate, and pressure... Show more	$26-44
   Test Analyst	The duties of a test analyst depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. In the information technology setting, a test analyst is responsible for testing computer software or hardware to ensure its quality before being released in the market... Show more	$26-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Jenkins
   • QA
   • Jira
   • Scrum
   • Regression
   • Cucumber
   • UI
   • Python
   • API
   • GIT
   • Automation Framework
   • Api Testing
   • Test Results

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage departmental inventory and troubleshoot testing, reporting and inventory issues.
   • Prepare Java /Selenium script for subsequent regression testing.
   • Involve in creating output values using QTP.
   • Involve in creating automation test suites for progression & regression testing in SOAPUI.
   • Involve in system integration and user acceptance testing (UAT) on later stages of SDLC.
   • Participate in the agile/SCRUM process and collaborate with development and production team throughout all stages of the SDLC.

   More automation tester duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your automation tester job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An automation tester salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, automation testers' average salary in oklahoma is 35% less than in delaware.
   • Seniority. Entry-level automation testers earn 41% less than senior-level automation testers.
   • Certifications. An automation tester with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an automation tester's salary.

   Average automation tester salary

   $82,429yearly

   $39.63 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level automation tester salary

   $63,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average automation tester salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$106,917	$51
   2	Virginia	$92,474	$44
   3	Maryland	$89,347	$43
   4	District of Columbia	$88,698	$43
   5	Pennsylvania	$83,998	$40
   6	New Jersey	$83,899	$40
   7	North Carolina	$83,675	$40
   8	New York	$82,889	$40
   9	Texas	$82,136	$39
   10	Ohio	$81,262	$39
   11	Massachusetts	$80,756	$39
   12	South Carolina	$79,653	$38
   13	Florida	$79,513	$38
   14	Michigan	$79,305	$38
   15	Illinois	$77,850	$37
   16	Minnesota	$77,237	$37
   17	Missouri	$77,203	$37
   18	Mississippi	$75,390	$36
   19	Georgia	$74,258	$36
   20	Arkansas	$72,425	$35

   Average automation tester salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Bloomberg	$129,982	$62.49	9
   2	Ci&t	$118,044	$56.75	1
   3	TEKsystems	$113,052	$54.35	6
   4	Randstad North America, Inc.	$111,219	$53.47	6
   5	global staffing solutions	$109,275	$52.54
   6	Motion Recruitment	$107,269	$51.57	6
   7	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$106,880	$51.38	79
   8	ABBTECH	$106,122	$51.02
   9	Midas	$105,769	$50.85
   10	The Omega Co Inc.	$104,772	$50.37
   11	Populus Group	$104,248	$50.12
   12	DIVERSANT	$103,628	$49.82
   13	Susquehanna International Group	$102,791	$49.42	3
   14	Capstone IT	$102,543	$49.30
   15	Hewlett Packard Enterprise	$101,928	$49.00	18
   16	Samsung Electronics Device Solutions (Semiconductor & Display)	$101,582	$48.84	12
   17	Crown Equipment	$101,505	$48.80	6
   18	I3 INFOTEK	$100,997	$48.56
   19	AGCO	$100,840	$48.48	1
   20	GENESYS Consulting Services, Inc.	$100,822	$48.47	2

4. Writing an automation tester job description

   A job description for an automation tester role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an automation tester job description:

   Automation tester job description example

   The Challenge:
   
   When a user tries a new system, they expect it to be intuitive and run smoothly. Functionality, reliability, and user experience are key to successful information systems - and that means rigorous testing. That's why we need you, an experienced Quality Assurance Specialist who knows how to thoroughly test software and ensure that our team releases the best system possible. As a quality assurance expert, you'll work with analysts, testers, developers, engineers, and more on a team that evaluates developed systems for federal clients. You'll develop and implement a test plan based on requirements, functional specifications, and design specifications.
   
   Using requirements analysis and software quality assurance, you'll generate problem resolutions and track quality assurance standards to see how the system performs, then document the results and communicate defects to the development team so they can start improving the tool. You'll build your experience in various types of testing, including automation, performance, accessibility, usability, user acceptance testing, and testing process improvement. This is an opportunity to broaden your skills in documenting and solving system deficiencies and leading and mentoring others. Are you ready to develop systems solutions that impact the lives of millions of taxpayers? This position is open to remote delivery anywhere within the U.S., to include the District of Columbia.
   
   Join us. The world can't wait.
   
   You Have:
   
   * 2+ years of experience with automation, functional, regression, and integration
   * Experience with automations frameworks including Selenium and Jenkins
   * Experience with Rational Test Manager
   * Experience with working in an Agile environment
   * Ability to obtain a security clearance
   * Bachelor's degree
   
   Nice If You Have:
   
   * Knowledge of DevOps, SOAP UI Automation, Rational Functional Tester Automation, JUNIT Automation, and JMETER Automation
   * Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously
   * Possession of excellent verbal and written communication skills
   
   Clearance:
   
   Applicants selected will be subject to a security investigation and may need to meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
   
   Compensation:
   
   At Booz Allen, we celebrate your contributions, provide you with opportunities and choice, and support your total well-being. Our comprehensive benefit offerings include healthcare, retirement plan, insurance programs, commuter program, employee assistance program, paid and unpaid leave programs, education assistance, and childcare benefits.
   
   The salary for this position will be determined based on various factors. The proposed salary range for this position in Colorado is 100,000 to 120,000.
   
   Build Your Career:
   
   A challenging and dynamic work environment isn't all we have to offer. When you join Booz Allen, you'll have access to:
   
   * experts in virtually every field
   * a culture that focuses on supporting our employees
   * opportunities that provide stability while offering variety
   
   You'll also be exposed to a wealth of training resources through our Digital University, an online learning portal featuring more than 5000 functional and technical courses, certifications, and books. Build your technical skills through hands-on training on the latest tools and tech from our in-house experts. Pursuing certifications that directly impact your role? You may be able to take advantage of our tuition assistance, on-site boot camps, certification training, academic programs, vendor relationships, and a network of professionals who can give you helpful tips. We'll help you develop the career you want as you chart your own course for success.
   
   We're an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer that empowers our people to fearlessly drive change - no matter their race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, or related medical conditions), national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, veteran status, military or uniformed service member status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local, or international law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right automation tester for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your automation tester job on Zippia to find and recruit automation tester candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting automation testers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with an automation tester applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new automation tester

   Once you've found the automation tester candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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