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Salary Negotiation

Salary negotiation is most tricky part in joining any company, it requires home work following are few note worthy points.

What is the salary trend?
Do some research and have some kind of baseline in mind. What is the salary trend based on number of years of experience?
Discuss this with your friends.
Let the employer first make the salary offer. Try to delay the salary discussion untill the end.
If you are asked your expectations come with a figure a little high and say negotiable.
Remember never say negotiable on a number you have aimed for; HR guys will always bring it down. Negotiate on AIMED SALARY 1 something extra.
The normal trend is to look at your current salary and add a little to it so that they can pull you in.
Do your homework and be firm about what you want.
Do not be harsh during salary negotiations.
It’s good to aim high, but at the same time, be realistic.
Some companies have hidden costs attached to salaries.
Clarify rather than be surprised.
Many companies add extra performance compensation in your base salary which can be surprising at times.
Ask for a detailed breakdown.
Talk with the employer about the frequency of raises.
Get everything in writing and, look it over with a cool head.
Is the offer worth leaving your current employer?
Do not forget: once you have the job in hand you can come back to your current employer for negotiation.
The best negotiation ground is not the new company where you are going but the old company which you are leaving. So once you have an offer in hand get back to your old employer and show them the offer and then make your next move.
Remember somethings are worth more than money: Job Satisfaction. So whatever you negotiate, if you think you can get more, go for it.
All the best!

The quality hierarchy of positions in a testing project

The hierarchy for QA projects for various reasons comes under the project manager of the project. Let’s start from the bottom of the hierarchy:
Junior tester:
Junior testers normally have 1 to 2 years of experience or are entry level. Their main task is executing test
Procedures prepared by seniors.
Senior tester:
Senior testers generally have 2 to 4 years of experience and are expected to know how to prepare test plans. They are also aware of various metrics and testing techniques which help them to communicate project health. But the main expectation from a senior tester is that he should independently prepare test plans based on the requirement documents.
Team lead tester:
Team lead testers mainly help and guide the senior testers. They are primarily involved in deciding the testing strategy, what kind of automation tool used, etc. They also act as a bridge between the project manager and the other team members.
Project test manager:
The main job of a project test manager is to collect accurate metrics and report them to the project manager. He is also responsible for interacting with SQA to give updates on the quality of the project. They are also involved in the requirement phase.
SQA: If you are starting your career as a tester then you would surely aim to become an SQA leader somewhere down the line. The main job of SQA is to define the quality standard of the organization and to ensure that every project follows the quality process.

The quality hierarchy of positions in a testing project
Junior tester:
Junior testers normally have 1 to 2 years of experience or are entry level. Their main task is executing test
Procedures prepared by seniors.
Senior tester:
Senior testers generally have 2 to 4 years of experience and are expected to know how to prepare test plans. They are also aware of various metrics and testing techniques which help them to communicate project health. But the main expectation from a senior tester is that he should independently prepare test plans based on the requirement documents.
Team lead tester:
Team lead testers mainly help and guide the senior testers. They are primarily involved in deciding the testing strategy, what kind of automation tool used, etc. They also act as a bridge between the project manager and the other team members.
Project test manager:
The main job of a project test manager is to collect accurate metrics and report them to the project manager. He is also responsible for interacting with SQA to give updates on the quality of the project. They are also involved in the requirement phase.
SQA: If you are starting your career as a tester then you would surely aim to become an SQA leader somewhere down the line. The main job of SQA is to define the quality standard of the organization and to ensure that every project follows the quality process.
Common questions asked during software testing interviews

Most of the Software testing interviewers ask below questions:

    • One of the first questions asked during an interview is “Can you tell me something about yourself?”
    • Can you describe yourself and some of your achievements?
    • Why do you want to leave your current company?
    • Where do you see yourself in three years?
    • How well do you rate yourself in software testing, on a scale of one to ten?
    • Are you looking for onsite opportunities?
    • Why have you changed jobs so many times? (Prepare a decent answer; do not blame companies and  Individuals).
    • Have you worked with software automation?
    • What do you know about our company?
    • Can you describe the best project you have worked on?
    • Do you work on Saturday and Sunday?
    • What is the biggest team size you have worked with?
    • Can you describe your most recent project?
    • How much time will you need to join our organization?
    • What certifications do you have?
    • What motivates you?
    • Which type of job gives you the greatest satisfaction?
    • What type of environment are you looking for?
    • Do you have experience in software testing projectmanagement?
    • Do you like to work on a team or as an individual?
    • Describe the best project manager you have worked with.
    • Why should I hire you?
    • Have you ever been fired or forced to resign?
    • Can you explain some important points that you have learned from your past projects?
    • Have you worked on some unsuccessful projects, if yes can you explain why the project failed?
    • Will you be comfortable with onsite offshore model?

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