QA Engineer Job Description & Resume Guide
QA engineers ensure product quality through manual and automated testing. The role combines technical skill with attention to detail. This guide covers typical job requirements and resume keywords for QA and SDET roles.
Responsibilities
- Design and execute test plans and cases
- Build and maintain automated test suites (e.g. Selenium, Cypress)
- Report bugs and work with development on fixes
- Participate in release and regression testing
- Improve test coverage and CI integration
Required skills
- Test design and methodology
- Automation (e.g. Selenium, Cypress, Playwright)
- Programming (e.g. Python, JavaScript) for test code
- API and database basics for test data
- CI/CD and agile practices
Salary range
Often $70,000–$130,000 depending on level and location.
Typical career path
QA Engineer → Senior QA → SDET → QA Lead
Top resume keywords for this job
automationSeleniumtestregressionCIbugcoverageAPIqualityrelease
QA resumes should show impact: coverage improved, bugs caught, release quality. Include automation stack and scale (number of tests, environments). Tailor to the product type and stack in the job description. WadeCV can help you align your QA experience with job descriptions.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Only listing test types; show outcomes and scale
- No automation or tool depth
- Vague defect descriptions without impact
Frequently asked questions
Should I list manual vs automated testing on my QA resume?
Yes. Show both—manual for exploratory and edge cases, automation for regression and scale. Quantify where you can (e.g. 'Maintained 500+ automated tests').