QA Automation Engineer positions are very competitive, and you’ll need a good resume. Your QA Automation Engineer resume should consist of experience, projects, technical skills, results, and accomplishments to showcase business impact.
We’ll be going over what QA Automation Engineers do, how much they get paid, where they can work, and how to write a resume as one.
What is QA Automation Engineering?
QA Automation Engineering is a form of engineering that relies on the oversight of repeatable and reproducible tasks at a company.
Companies require different forms of tasks and testing, and many times, they are repeatable.
Executives at companies see repeatable tasks as something to optimize because the downstream cost savings are huge. 30 minutes saved in a process done thousands of times per year adds up to a lot of money.
Remember, companies pay people by the hour, but there’s also associated burden and overhead costs.
Per hour costs companies pay consist of
- Employee hourly wages and yearly salaries
- Network maintenance costs
- General bills – electricity, gas, water
- Food/Beverage
- Furniture
- Software
And much more.
As a result, the need for QA Automation Engineers to perform at the highest level will be there.
What do QA Automation Engineers do?
QA Automation Engineers will do tasks such as script writing, process monitoring, and process planning. From a quality assurance standpoint, they will utilize technology such as machine learning and artificial intelligence to drive process repeatability and reproducibility.
They will be involved in the determining of manufacturing, designing, testing, and inspection procedures and processes.
QA Automation Engineers need to make company tasks do the minimum in order to gain the maximum amount of effort (and profit).
How do I write a resume for QA Automation Engineers?
A QA Automation Engineer resume needs to be clear and concise, display quantitative results and accomplishments, and showcase your business impact.
The bullet points in your QA Automation resume need to display your metrics and accomplishments. Things such as improvements of efficiency or the budget that you have dealt with must be on there.
Make sure to include figures such as revenue supported from the tasks and projects you’ve been working on.
QA Automation Engineer Resume Format
Experience
The experience in your QA Automation Engineer resume should all be relevant – consisting of instances where you’ve improved processes efficiency, created processes, or overhauled existing automation processes.
Make sure you include the following when you determine your bullet points:
- Subject
- Action
- Result
Example
Boeing – Seattle, Washington
QA Automation Engineer – June 2019 – May 2021
- Incorporated machine learning and artificial intelligence technology for non-destructive examination of composite skins, resulting in saving $100MM annually
The bullet point framework above consists of the subject (non-destructive examination of composite skins), action (incorporation of machine learning and artificial technology) and the result (savings of $100MM annually)
Learn how to say you saved the company money on your resume and recruiters will instantly notice your QA Automation Engineer resume.
Education
Ideally, you’ll want education at a top-tier or target school. (Recruiters will actually scan for resumes looking for these target schools, especially at Top Tier Companies)
This is why they emphasize the importance of college and building a network. The alumni network relationships between employers and colleges are a big one and could determine your chances of getting your dream job.
Additional
The additional section of your QA Automation Engineer resume should consist of skills and certifications.
Skills
Include powerful technical words in your resume such as Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Statistics, SQL, and many other technical buzz words.
Skills should also consist of programming languages such as C/C++, Java, HTML, CSS, Epic, React, Python, or MATLAB. Place any and all coding/programming frameworks that you’re familiar with.
Certifications
Include specific certifications that you’ve taken that will supplement your skills in QA Automation Engineering.
If you’re looking to add certifications to your resume as a QA Automation Engineer, look for those that implement Scrum or Agile frameworks. Recruiters love to see words such as Scrum and Agile on resumes.
Best Companies To Work For As a QA Automation Engineer
Top Tier
The best companies to work for as a QA Automation Engineer will be the FAANG companies, no doubt. Facebook (now META), Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google are the top tier tech companies and have high level business objectives to meet regarding QA Automation Engineering needs.
Companies like these higher top tier talent and love to see the resume that we have presented along with clear quantitative results. Do not apply with a colorful Canva template, your resume will be thrown in the trash – especially at top tier companies like these.
Mid Tier
Examples of some Mid Tier companies that will pay well for QA Automation Engineers are Chipotle, McDonalds, Boeing, Deloitte, and any other company that is comparable in terms of brand, revenue, and industry outlook.
Mid tier companies such as these will still pay well so don’t be concerned if you don’t meet requirements for top tier companies.
As always there are always options and paths that you can take to get to where you want. Don’t get discouraged by challenging barriers.
QA Automation Engineer Salaries
According to Salary.com, the median QA Automation Engineer salary in a high cost of living state such as California is $94,216 per year.
Keep in mind, when you work for mid-tier or even top-tier companies like the ones mentioned earlier, you will likely see a higher base salary + stock option compensation package.
Want to know how to maximize your compensation? Check out our tips on salary negotiation.
QA Automation Engineer Job Outlook
The job outlook for QA Automation Engineers (or similar such as Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers) come out to 25% growth between 2021-2031. This is a much faster pace that the average job outlook for other positions.
It’s very evident that the more lucrative positions in the future will be involving some sort of tech, automation, or software development. If you’re on the fence regarding what career path you want to take, look into jobs that involve these principles.
Understand that companies will always have the need to optimize business performance and there will always be executive pressure to cut costs or increase efficiency.
Simply put, if you can save the company money, you’ll be swimming in the big bucks.
About the author
Kazuyoshi Fujimoto, PE
Founder | Engineering Career Coach | Principal Mechanical Engineer
Kazu oversees all of ultmeche’s engineering services. He provides consulting such as resume reviews, rewrites, mock interviews, and all services career related. Additionally, Kazu performs consulting work regarding Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense. Kazu is licensed as a professional engineer in the state of California and has 9+ years of experience in Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense.
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