Application as Software Tester

Software Tester is a profession in IT / Quality Assurance, typically entered via IT Specialist EFZ. Anyone applying here should know these requirements and pitfalls - specific to the Swiss job market, not generic.

Technical Requirements

• ISTQB Foundation Level is effectively a ticket of entry in Switzerland
• Test case design and risk-based testing
• Test automation with Selenium, Playwright or Cypress
• Defect analysis and precise bug reports
• Basic knowledge of at least one programming language

Personal Requirements

• Precision and stamina during repetitive checks
• Diplomacy when reporting defects
• Critical thinking rather than working through a checklist

Common Mistakes in the Application

• The ISTQB certificate is missing or not prominently mentioned
• Manual testing is left unmentioned, even though it makes up the majority of the work in many roles
• No indication of test coverage or the number of defects found
• The profession is presented as a stepping stone towards development

Typical Employers in Switzerland

Avaloq, Temenos, SIX, Swisscom, SBB, insurance companies, medical device manufacturers, testing service providers.

Excerpt from a Cover Letter

Dear Ms. Zimmermann In my current role at a banking software provider, I am responsible for the test cases covering payment processing. When we supported the switch to ISO 20022 last year, my test area uncovered 47 discrepancies, four of which had a direct impact on booking logic - errors that would have been costly in production.

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