A quality assurance inspector makes sure that products of a certain industry meet the prescribed quality standards. They might work in a wide variety of fields from IT to insurance, from manufacturing to finance or consulting. The list goes on, although quality inspection processes greatly differ from one area to the next.
Depending on the sector they work for, quality inspectors use a variety of tools, from handheld measurement devices to electronic inspection equipment. Sometimes all they have to do is monitor automated vision inspection systems. Other times quality assurance inspection can be a complex process that requires a team of experts to come up with the most efficient system to determine if the desired quality of products is met and sustained. The profession has evolved significantly since its first occurrence, which entailed testing the performance of ammunition in World War II.
Regardless of what kind of product they inspect, they will record their inspections and create reports to present to their supervisors. At the end of the day, the job earns them $15.41 an hour, on average.
Quality Assurance Inspector Overview
Working as a Quality Assurance Inspector
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a quality assurance inspector. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.57 an hour? That's $34,461 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -18% and produce -100,900 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Quality Assurance Inspector Do
There are certain skills that many quality assurance inspectors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed dexterity, mechanical skills and physical strength.
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a quality assurance inspector, we found that a lot of resumes listed 7.1% of quality assurance inspectors included quality standards, while 5.9% of resumes included micrometers, and 5.6% of resumes included product quality. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the quality assurance inspector job title. But what industry to start with? Most quality assurance inspectors actually find jobs in the manufacturing and technology industries.
How To Become a Quality Assurance Inspector
If you're interested in becoming a quality assurance inspector, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 25.9% of quality assurance inspectors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.6% of quality assurance inspectors have master's degrees. Even though some quality assurance inspectors have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a quality assurance inspector. When we researched the most common majors for a quality assurance inspector, we found that they most commonly earn high school diploma degrees or bachelor's degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on quality assurance inspector resumes include associate degree degrees or diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a quality assurance inspector. In fact, many quality assurance inspector jobs require experience in a role such as quality control inspector. Meanwhile, many quality assurance inspectors also have previous career experience in roles such as inspector or cashier.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the right jobs to get there.
Quality Assurance Inspector Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of quality inspector you might progress to a role such as quality technician eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title quality assurance manager.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Average Salary for a Quality Assurance Inspector
Best Paying Cities
Recently Added Salaries
Job TitleCompany  | Company | Start Date | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
Employ-Temps Quality Assurance Inspector/CMM Operator Quality Assurance Inspector/CMM Operator | Employ-Temps Employ-Temps | 01/31/2021 01/31/2021 | $39,65301/31/2021 $39,653 |
Kelly Services QA Inspector QA Inspector | Kelly Services Kelly Services | 01/28/2021 01/28/2021 | $31,30501/28/2021 $31,305 |
Star Staffing QA Inspector QA Inspector | Star Staffing Star Staffing | 01/25/2021 01/25/2021 | $33,39201/25/2021 $33,392 |
TRC Staffing Qa/Qc Inspector Qa/Qc Inspector | TRC Staffing TRC Staffing | 01/17/2021 01/17/2021 | $45,00001/17/2021 $45,000 |
TRC Staffing Services Qa/Qc Inspector Qa/Qc Inspector | TRC Staffing Services TRC Staffing Services | 01/16/2021 01/16/2021 | $45,00001/16/2021 $45,000 |
Calculate your salary
Use Zippia's Salary Calculator to see how your pay matches up.
Quality Assurance Inspector Resumes
Designing and figuring out what to include on your resume can be tough, not to mention time-consuming. That's why we put together a guide that is designed to help you craft the perfect resume for becoming a Quality Assurance Inspector. If you're needing extra inspiration, take a look through our selection of templates that are specific to your job.
Learn How To Write a Quality Assurance Inspector Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Quality Assurance Inspector resumes and compiled some information about how best to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Detailed InformationTop Skills For a Quality Assurance Inspector
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 7.1% of quality assurance inspectors listed quality standards on their resume, but soft skills such as dexterity and mechanical skills are important as well.
- Quality Standards, 7.1%
- Micrometers, 5.9%
- Product Quality, 5.6%
- Safety Standards, 5.0%
- Raw Materials, 4.6%
- Other Skills, 71.8% See All Quality Assurance Inspector Skills
Best States For a Quality Assurance Inspector
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a quality assurance inspector. The best states for people in this position are Louisiana, Washington, Alaska, and Maryland. Quality assurance inspectors make the most in Louisiana with an average salary of $50,120. Whereas in Washington and Alaska, they would average $46,577 and $44,630, respectively. While quality assurance inspectors would only make an average of $42,181 in Maryland, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Washington
$46,577
Avg. Salary
2. Pennsylvania
$37,747
Avg. Salary
3. Connecticut
$39,958
Avg. Salary
How Do Quality Assurance Inspector Rate Their Jobs?
3.0
3.0
What do you like the most about working as Quality Assurance Inspector?
Very repetitive work schedule, so no huge surprises or having to carve out time in addition to the regular work week. Little supervision, which could be a plus if you are looking for a job where there is no micromanagement. Show MoreTop Quality Assurance Inspector Employers
Quality Assurance Inspector Videos
