How to hire a tester

How to hire a tester, step by step

Here's a step-by-step 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 tester job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new tester
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a tester do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your 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 a 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

   A tester's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, 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 shows salaries for various types of testers.

   Type of Tester	Description	Hourly rate
   Tester		$20-47
   Quality Assurance Engineer	A Quality Assurance Engineer's role is to oversee the overall production and ensure that the product is cost-efficient and aligns with the company's standards. The responsibility mainly revolves around conducting activities that examine and scrutinize the condition of a product or service to identify issues and come up with possible solutions to resolve the issue or attain stronger customer satisfaction... Show more	$29-52
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Java
   • Test Results
   • Web Application
   • Test Scripts
   • QA
   • Regression
   • Metasploit
   • Linux
   • Test Data
   • Regression Test Cases
   • Jira
   • API
   • Test Plan
   • Scrum

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage requirements and maintain test repository using QC.
   • Manage departmental inventory and troubleshoot testing, reporting and inventory issues.
   • Network scanning using tools like NMap and Nessus.
   • Perform unit testing using Junit for class, method, & web services testing.
   • Perform functionality testing, UI testing, integration testing, regression testing, system testing and browser compatibility testing.
   • Analyze new test cases or test cases from regression test suites store in ALM to pick the automation candidates.

   More tester duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your tester job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A tester salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a tester in Mississippi may be lower than in Maryland, and an entry-level tester usually earns less than a senior-level tester. Additionally, a tester with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average tester salary

   $65,202yearly

   $31.35 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level tester salary

   $42,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average tester salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$78,481	$38
   2	Maryland	$75,728	$36
   3	Washington	$75,618	$36
   4	New Jersey	$70,825	$34
   5	Virginia	$70,468	$34
   6	District of Columbia	$70,336	$34
   7	New York	$67,292	$32
   8	Ohio	$65,319	$31
   9	Illinois	$64,778	$31
   10	North Carolina	$62,373	$30
   11	Pennsylvania	$62,164	$30
   12	Minnesota	$61,996	$30
   13	Texas	$61,070	$29
   14	Georgia	$60,604	$29
   15	Colorado	$60,151	$29
   16	Massachusetts	$58,656	$28
   17	Oregon	$58,505	$28
   18	Arizona	$57,109	$27
   19	Maine	$56,155	$27
   20	Utah	$54,458	$26

   Average tester salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$125,455	$60.31	203
   2	Microsoft	$125,092	$60.14	14
   3	Bloomberg	$120,133	$57.76	9
   4	Apollo Global Management	$118,771	$57.10
   5	Morgan Stanley	$117,342	$56.41	10
   6	Barclays	$115,328	$55.45
   7	Cisco	$107,140	$51.51	91
   8	Lam Research	$106,403	$51.16	2
   9	Avid	$104,291	$50.14	3
   10	MoneyGram International	$104,286	$50.14
   11	Data	$103,588	$49.80	1
   12	ICAP	$102,723	$49.39
   13	Mandiant	$102,716	$49.38
   14	FireEye	$102,439	$49.25
   15	Parsons	$101,713	$48.90	23
   16	Wabtec Corporation	$100,695	$48.41	3
   17	WebMD	$99,949	$48.05
   18	SAS Institute	$96,987	$46.63	8
   19	Maxim Integrated	$96,865	$46.57
   20	Accelerated Production Systems	$94,948	$45.65

4. Writing a tester job description

   A 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 tester job description:

   Tester job description example

   • Repairs and tests all mechanical equipment at the area yard/shop and rig locations.
   • Conducts safety inspections of all major pieces of equipment, making repairs, adjustments/ calibrations as required.
   • Ensures that an adequate amount of spare parts are on hand at all time. Submits requisitions as needed.
   • May participate in rig down/ rig up activities in a field location to ensure proper disconnect, transportation and connection of mechanical equipment. Qualifications MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS • 2-3 years oil field experience, preferably working with BOP, Chokes, VBRs
   • High school diploma or equivalent
   • Basic knowledge of electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical devices
   • Must be able to comprehend equipment design schematics
   • Ability to perform essential functions of this position with or without reasonable accommodations
   • Previous experience as a mechanic or similar role
   • Ability to wear required personal protective equipment (PPE)
   • Must have reliable transportation to and from the worksite
   PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS • Certifications pertaining to electronics, small engine, and/or hydraulics
   • Prior military experience specializing in repair and maintenance of mechanical devices
   ESSENTIAL SKILLS / PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS / WORKING CONDITIONS • Applicant must be able to work in a shop and/or field environment for prolonged hours without supervision.
   • Must have good time management skills with the ability to prioritize work.
   • Attention of detail is a must as the mechanic is responsible for all quality control components of the work being performed. Job: OPERATIONSPrimary Location: United States Of America-Texas-Odessa-(Nabors Drilling, USA) West Texas

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find testers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your tester job on Zippia to find and attract quality tester candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit testers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a 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 tester

   Once you have selected a candidate for the tester position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the 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.

   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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