A quality assurance automation engineer is tasked with designing automated tests used to validate the functionality of different web and mobile applications. They come up with the first test designs, write scripts and input the automation testing protocols before reporting the results, making them important players in IT teams.
If you have an upcoming QA automation engineering interview, you are in the right place. We will look at some of the questions you should expect in your upcoming interview to increase your chances of landing the job. Make sure that you are well-versed with the technical aspects of this job to prevent being caught off-guard. Take a look at the following:
1. Why Are You Interested In This Role?
I believe that it is time to build a career in quality assurance automation after seven years of freelancing and occasional contracts. I have worked for several organizations and acquired lots of experience that I believe will come in handy in this job. I have also been following your organization for some time now and therefore decided to apply when I saw a chance. I can quickly adapt to different settings, which will help me move smoothly from freelancing to a full-time job. I will definitely have a good time working here as a QA automation engineer.
2. What Are The Roles Of A QA Automation Engineer?
A QA automation engineer plays an essential role in the software development process. They are primarily charged with designing automated tests to validate the functionality of different software and applications. Other roles include arranging and attending meetings with the software design team, reviewing bug reports and singling out the problem areas, identifying the target areas in different software applications, designing and installing databases, generating test reports after identifying quality issues, solving application faults in collaboration with the design team and troubleshooting the software used for automation.
3. What Are The Qualities That A QA Automation Engineer Needs To Be Successful?
A QA automation engineer needs a set of qualities given their importance in the software development process. These are excellent analytical skills, attention to detail, impressive project management skills, a good grasp of verbal and written communications, familiarity with different programming scripts such as Java, excellent programming skills, extensive experience as an automation engineer and the right academic qualifications, often a degree in software engineering or computer science.
4. What Major Challenges Did You Face During Your Last Role? How Did You Manage Them?
I have been a freelancer ever since I graduated. I work remotely, performing automation tests for clients at the comfort of my working desk. However, some refused to pay despite the time I usually invest in building and testing software applications. After several such occurrences, I decided to use Escrow for further projects.
5. Describe Your Daily Routine As A QA Automation Engineer?
I normally spend most of my time running tests on different software. I identify software application weaknesses and the different target areas, meet with different design teams to talk about verification protocols, write automation scripts and implement software applications, design and perform software database installation, identify quality issues, troubleshoot automation software and work together with the design team to rectify application problems.
6. Describe Briefly About Your Experience
This is my fifth year as a QA automation engineer. However, I have worked with several clients on the side and got a chance to sharpen my skills. I worked at ABZ company, where I got a chance to share teams with renowned software engineers and QA automation engineers. I have also worked with Google on a six-month contract where I got to rub shoulders with the best of the best. I believe that all the experience I have had in this field will help me succeed here.
7. What Kind Of Strategies And Mindset Is Required For This Role?
A QA automation engineer should choose a cost-effective and result-oriented test automation strategy as it ensures maximum success. Such a strategy ensures that the business is t par with the market and the software development team does not fail. However, the QA automation engineer should be conversant with the test automation life cycle and feasibility analysis. As for the right strategy, one needs to be result-oriented. The main reason we conduct automation tests is to discover bugs and issues that need immediate attention.
8. What Is The Biggest Challenge That You Foresee In This Job?
Even though I have vast experience in QA automation as a freelancer, this will be my first time in active employment. Even though it isn’t necessarily a challenge, given that I have had the chance to work with others on projects, I will still have to work extra hard to adapt to the change in my surroundings. However, I am confident that it won’t be a problem, given my ability to adapt fast to changes. I hope that I will get all the help I need.
9. How Do You Stay Motivated In Your Work?
I decided to pursue a field I love, and therefore, I have never struggled with motivation. I usually love spending time by my computers, running tests cases, and preparing reports. Also, I love quality products, which explains why I am always choosy when making purchasing decisions. Therefore, I am constantly motivated to provide high-quality software products to customers, which is possible through test automation. I am intrinsically motivated, which has helped me succeed in this job.
10. Describe A Time When You Failed In This Role And The Lesson You Learned?
I wasn’t used to teamwork at the beginning of my career, and therefore, instead of asking questions at some point, I decided to assume, believing that my assumptions were correct. It backfired on me, and I earned a severe reprimand from the quality assurance manager. This experience taught me the importance of teamwork and constantly liaising with my team members on projects, which I have since done dutifully. I am positive that I will blend in well with your team if I get this job.
11. Why Do You Feel You Are The Most Suited For This Role?
I grew up in a family of software engineers and therefore started coding at a pretty young age. My dad worked for Google while my mum was a senior software engineer at Apple. I was therefore introduced to the world of computers early enough. I have mastered almost all the scripting languages, which I believe will come in handy in this job. As indicated in my resume, I have also worked on many renowned projects and have the right experience needed for this role.
12. Share With Us Your Greatest Achievement.
My most outstanding achievement was working on the ABZ foundation to develop health tracking and awareness software. I decided to be a volunteer after discovering that the app was meant for girls in low-income neighborhoods, helping them track their help and access help at any time. The app was featured in some of the most-read periodicals and has since helped over 50,000 girls access healthcare.
13. What Are Some Of The Test Cases That Don’t Have To Be Automated?
As a QA automation engineer, I know when I should perform automated testing or not to save the team resources and time. I do not always automate test cases that are rarely executed or can be quickly executed manually. I don’t also automate test cases that stretch to exploratory and usability tests. Even though there are several reasons for the last mentioned test cases, it is mainly to prevent misuse of time and resources. I will also do the same in this organization unless directed otherwise.
14. Walk Us Through How You Decide On The Tools Used For Automation Testing
My first considerations when picking the right tools for automation are the requirements, as they help me with the right testing scenarios to automate. Once I know all the requirements, I extensively research the tools that will meet the project requirements. However, I also consider whether the budget can cover the necessary tools, resources, and skilled personnel. I would then compare all the needed tools to determine if they can do the work without overstretching the provided budget. I am glad that I always end up with the right tools.
15. How Do You Normally Select Test Cases For Automation?
A QA automation engineer should always determine the test case’s execution frequency and whether it is critical for business features and functions. Therefore, I usually determine whether the test case is necessary and whether it is more of an end-to-end scenario. I then consider the automation needs when setting the execution frequency and monitor different defects once the test run begins. I finally analyze the results within the given time frame at the end of the automation test, ensuring that I save time that would have been spent on manual execution.
16. Do You Know Selenium?
I haven’t worked with Selenium, but I know quite a lot about it. I learned it a while back, even though I mostly use the scripting language it supports, such as PHP and Java. I know that Selenium does an excellent job in functional and regression testing. I can assure you that I will do a good job when called upon to use this framework, even though I haven’t had a chance to work with it on projects.
17. What Are The Advantages Of Automation Testing?
As a QA automation engineer, I can attest to the advantages of automation testing as it primarily determines how automation impacts a company. The results obtained from the test can be used to delegate resources to other departments, lower the company’s operating costs, and save on labor, allowing members of a particular team to engage in other roles. Automation also saves time and times resources. I am confident that I will help the company enjoy all these benefits by performing automation tests.
18. How Many Cases Can You Automate In A Day?
I don’t have a particular value since I have once spent the whole day automating a single test whose impact was more prominent than 50 smaller tests. The number of tests I run in a day depends on how complex the test cases are. I can automate seven to ten test cases in a day if they are less complex, but one or two for more complex cases. I also prefer breaking down challenging test cases into smaller elements, such as calculation and output verification, helping me achieve proper organization. Therefore, the number of tests in a day depends on their complexity.
19. Can You Mention The Different Types Of Automation Frameworks
There are five automation frameworks that one can use. The linear framework is the easiest as it entails writing a single program without any modularity in sequential steps, whereas the data-driven framework runs a similar set of operations on various data sets stored in different files, which are excel sheets in most cases. The hybrid framework combines the linear and data-driven frameworks, making it partly data and keyword-driven. Lastly, the BHT framework allows programs to be broken down into business components and used with either of the frameworks mentioned above.
20. What Do You Understand By Automation Testing?
Automation testing is done using automation processes and testing tools. In automation testing, the automation engineers develop automated tests processes for various systems and tools. These tests ensure that a given software or technological product meets all the requirements to benefit the end-user. It, therefore, confirms that the given product does whatever it is destined to. Therefore, the test cases check for defects, bugs, and any issue that needs attention.
21. How Would You Convince A Client That They Need Automation Testing?
The best way to convince someone to try automation testing is to mention its benefits. Automation serves teams that do not have the time or resources to test software manually, therefore helping them save on both. It is a quicker and more efficient method of testing products. I would also tell the client that automation testing allows frequent testing, which enhances functionality given that software development requires several tests or the same one repeatedly. Lastly, I would let the client know that automation testing allows continuous development.
22. What Are Some Of The Tests That Should Be Automated?
Any QA automation engineer will tell you that not all tests can be automated and, therefore, one needs to choose wisely. Some of the tests that qualify to be automated include high-risk tests, tests that would waste time when tested manually, tests that are impossible to perform manually, repetitive and monotonous tests, tests that can fail due to human error, extensive tests, and those that need to run on several hardware or software platforms.
23. Differentiate Unit Tests From Smoke Tests
Smoke tests are generally used to confirm the stability of a product. It tells whether a given product is stable or not. This product is often sent back to developers, who run further tests to identify the cause if found to be unstable. On the other hand, unit tests assess every component of a given software or product. It thoroughly tests these elements before the final version is released. Developers usually write unit tests, a requirement phased out by automation testing.
24. Can You Walk Us Through The Automation Testing Process
The automation testing process has different stages. First, the QA automation engineer must select the tool to utilize depending on the test goals and needs. Luckily, there are several tools and web apps in the market. The next step is to establish the scope of automation, which is the area test to be automated. This is where the QA automation engineer prepares the test data and the proper testing environment before moving to the planning stage, which focuses on creating a testing strategy. We then have the execution stage, where one runs the test and performs API testing. The last stage is the ongoing maintenance stage necessary for running future tests.
25. What Is Your Biggest Attribute That Qualifies You For This Job?
I have several attributes that qualify me for this job. However, I believe that my attention to detail and proficiency in different tools and coding make me a great QA automation engineer. I always know what to look for when performing automation tests and rerun tests for better results. I have worked on many complex projects owing to these attributes, which makes me optimistic that I will do a good job here if given a chance.
Conclusion
We have covered the 25 most common QA automation engineer interview questions and answers. We hope that you will take some time to brainstorm and come up with even better answers to increase your chances of landing the job. We wish you all the best in your upcoming interview.
