test engineer

The duties and responsibilities of test engineers involve using creativity to think of unique ways to test products. Your job involves troubleshooting solutions for specific issues and concisely but thoroughly writing up reports on the final test results. The specific duties and responsibilities of test engineers include the following:

• Studying available documents and consumer research to understand what needs to be tested in a given product
• Deciding how products should be tested
• Performing the tests according to strict criteria and controls and documenting the results
• Designing scripts, test plans, and scenarios, as well as tests for quality control
• Performing final tests to detect product weaknesses, strengths and opportunities for improvements
• Troubleshooting any errors and streamlining the testing process
• Writing up all the details of testing procedures so that quality control technicians can take over routine testing for quality assurance purposes

The work environment of test engineers usually matches that of other office professionals who work indoors. Offices are typically climate-controlled for comfort, and more and more offices recognise the benefits of supplying workers with ergonomic chairs and desks. Depending on where you test products, you might visit testing sites. These might not even be in the same city, so you can expect work in varied environments.

As a test engineer, you work closely with other development engineers. These are specific to the sector in which you work and could include software developers, electrical engineers or machine operators. You also report to managers on the results of your tests and concerns about quality levels in production.

In theory, you can work normal business hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. However, the excitement of creating a test and finding actionable information often inspires overtime work. Your clients frequently demand progress within limited timeframes, so you may work longer hours. Around 30% of your work as a test engineer is on standard tasks. The remaining time is spent on urgent matters, meeting deadlines and socialising with clients for their input.

weekend work and unpredictable work schedules

Although you can work a predictable schedule as a test engineer, don't be surprised if things change. You might work on weekends or late on Friday evenings to meet a deadline. Developing resilience and flexibility makes it easier to adapt to unexpected demands. 

Test engineers are currently much in demand. The role was recently reported as the number one sought-after digital job by employers in India. Bengaluru reported the highest demand for testing skills, at 43%. Test engineers have good prospects for the foreseeable future with the continued growth of the technology and engineering sectors.

Remote test engineer jobs are always possible in every aspect of your role. You can work remotely to test software if your employer allows it. Depending on the type of project, you might need to set up specific test environments on your computer. These are easier to do in situ, but you can also handle them remotely.

Finding your test engineer job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:

• a wide variety of training and development opportunities
• an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
• a range of opportunities in your area
• get paid on a monthly basis
• temporary and permanent contracts

Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a test engineer is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!

Test engineers usually have at least a bachelor's degree. Gaining extra certifications helps you to achieve higher-paying jobs. Typical fields of study for test engineers include electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering, computer systems, computer science and information technology. Courses in any of the hard sciences are excellent training for test engineers charged with finding new ways to test technological products. Coding skills and knowledge of several programming languages are a big plus. You also benefit from any industry-related experience, so any program that offers internships gives you a significant advantage. 

Getting professional testing training qualifies you for better-paying jobs, makes your employment application more attractive to hiring managers and leads to professional growth. The top certification courses for test engineers include:

• Calibration Techniques for Process Parameters
• Calibration Techniques for Dimensional Parameters
• Estimation of Uncertainty in Non-electrical Measurement
• Estimation of Uncertainty in Electrical Measurement
• Measurement Uncertainty
• Dimensional Measurement Techniques

The skills and competencies you need for a successful career as a test engineer include a working knowledge of tools, assembly methods and quality assurance processes. Previous experience in quality control or quality assurance gives you a big advantage in this role.

Your attitude is critical to the job. You benefit from an insatiable curiosity about how and why things work as they do, so you can design the best ways to test them. The strengths of a successful test engineer include the following:

• Attitude geared toward breaking things constructively
• A deep-seated desire for quality in products
• Customer empathy that puts you in the customer's shoes to test products
• Critical people skills of diplomacy and tact to help you interact with customers, manufacturing team members and product developers.
• Outstanding communication and analytical skills
• Ability to listen actively and focus intensely to quickly understand what's required of you
• Self-confidence that allows you to pursue innovative ideas confidently but without arrogance
• Ability to solve many common problems intuitively
• Flexibility and adaptability to allow you to learn as much from mistakes as successes

You can acquire additional technical skills over time if you have the aptitude. These include:

• Some knowledge of regulatory standards
• Ability to understand mechanical, electrical and technological systems intuitively
• Data collection skills
• Ability to translate technical jargon into non-specialist terms for various company stakeholders and clients 
• Ability to work as a team player with clients, company stakeholders, other engineers and supervisors
• Advanced time management skills
• Understanding protocols around bug tracking, issue ticketing and tests

Test engineers have important professional duties and usually work in quality assurance departments. The engineers create a process to test different products and their limits in many key areas, including speed, durability, functionality, safety and other criteria.

Test engineers typically have a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field like software engineering and other types of engineering. Picking up industry certifications strengthens your chances of landing high-profile test engineer jobs at top companies.

Working as a test engineer provides great job satisfaction and a high salary. You gain knowledge from direct experience of tests and the installation of equipment. You work independently to design tests and perform hands-on testing that leads to product improvements, giving you a sense of accomplishment.

The average salary for test engineers in India is ₹434,525 and can go up to ₹988,000 for more experienced engineers. However, your salary depends on many factors, such as your willingness to work overtime, the level and quality of your education and your company's location. You can also earn more with industry certifications.

Test engineers design and administer software and product tests to determine how well products perform. QA engineers work on the production of the product and design and perform quality control inspections while monitoring manufacturing processes.

Applying for a test engineer job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!