How to hire a junior quality assurance tester

How to hire a junior quality assurance tester, step by step

Here's a step-by-step junior quality assurance tester hiring guide:

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

What does a junior quality assurance tester do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a junior quality assurance tester, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A junior quality assurance tester's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, junior quality assurance testers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents junior quality assurance tester salaries for various positions.

   Type of Junior Quality Assurance Tester	Description	Hourly rate
   Junior Quality Assurance Tester		$20-44
   Tester	The role of technical testers is to test computer software for defects, bug errors, or any issues that may come across by an end-user. They mainly conduct product testing and prepare reports about any problems or recommendations for improvements... Show more	$20-47
   ETL Tester	An ETL tester is responsible for validating data sources, extracting data applications of transformation logic, and uploading data in target tables. They are responsible for designing, testing, and troubleshooting the company's data storage system before it goes live... Show more	$31-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • QA
   • Manual Test Cases
   • Regression
   • SQL Server
   • Test Plan
   • Web Application
   • Test Scripts
   • Status Reports
   • User Acceptance
   • Test Results
   • Development Life
   • Bug Fixes
   • Test Scenarios
   • Jira

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage departmental inventory and troubleshoot testing, reporting and inventory issues.
   • Install Java add-ins for QTP for application under test.
   • Perform end to end testing using production data and log the defects in JIRA.
   • Experience with testing GUI components with positive and negative test cases.
   • Analyze the gap between actual and expect results and report bugs using JIRA application.
   • Execute UNIX/ Linux commands to traverse around the directories and view the log files.

   More junior quality assurance tester duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, junior quality assurance testers' average salary in vermont is 38% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level junior quality assurance testers earn 55% less than senior-level junior quality assurance testers.
   • Certifications. A junior quality assurance 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 a junior quality assurance tester's salary.

   Average junior quality assurance tester salary

   $62,660yearly

   $30.13 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level junior quality assurance tester salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average junior quality assurance tester salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$83,758	$40
   2	Maryland	$70,253	$34
   3	Virginia	$70,017	$34
   4	Massachusetts	$64,790	$31
   5	Texas	$59,334	$29
   6	Ohio	$58,454	$28
   7	North Carolina	$56,773	$27
   8	Georgia	$56,176	$27

   Average junior quality assurance tester salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cnsi	$73,144	$35.17
   2	Spectraforce Technologies	$67,811	$32.60	1
   3	TEKsystems	$67,214	$32.31	26
   4	Monster Products	$64,707	$31.11	2
   5	Granite Telecommunications	$62,108	$29.86	2
   6	Randstad North America, Inc.	$60,534	$29.10	12

4. Writing a junior quality assurance tester job description

   A junior quality assurance tester job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a junior quality assurance tester job description:

   Junior quality assurance tester job description example

   ALTA IT Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of System One, a leading provider of specialized workforce solutions and integrated services. ALTA is an established leader in IT Staffing and Services, for both government and commercial enterprises across the United States, specializing in Program & Project Management, Application Development, Cybersecurity, Data & Advanced Analytics, and Agile Transformation Services.
   
   ALTA IT Services is seeking a Jr. QA Analyst to join our client on a long-term contract basis. This will be a hybrid role in the Washington, DC area.
   QA Tester
   12+ month contract
   Hybrid (Washington, DC area)
   Pay range: 40-50/hr W2
   
   QA Analyst
   * Under supervision, debugs software products through the use of systematic tests to develop, apply, and maintain quality standards for company products.
   * Ensure proper procedures are followed to introduce changes and fixes into the operating environment in order to ensure the lowest possible error rate.
   * Develops, modifies, and executes software test plans, test scenarios, defines and solves for test data needs, automated scripts, and programs for testing. Analyzes and writes test standards and procedures
   * Testing may include application, network, system, functional and user acceptance testing.
   * Maintains documentation in system of record of test results to assist in debugging and modification of software. Tracks defects and documents results and resolutions.
   * Ensures quality and conformance to software requirements and standards or models.
   * Consults with development engineers in resolution of problems.
   
   Requirements:
   * This position required Bachelor Degree in (Information Technology, Engineering or Computer Science) with 2-5 years of prior experience in the specific technical discipline, or equivalent experience.
   * Knowledge and understanding of software development life cycle (SDLC) & Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)
   * Good communication skills both written and verbal
   * Ability to recognize, analyze, and solve a variety of problems.
   * Basic programming skills on a programming language
   * Familiarity with databases, Microsoft Office products, bug reporting tools
   * Prior Healthcare Experience would be plus

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right junior quality assurance tester for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with junior quality assurance testers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit junior quality assurance testers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit junior quality assurance testers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 a junior quality assurance 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 junior quality assurance tester

   Once you've decided on a perfect junior quality assurance tester candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new junior quality assurance tester. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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How much does it cost to hire a junior quality assurance tester?