Hiring a tester fresh out of college sounds like you will be working with a clean slate. But it’s also like working with a blank page, and you'd better know which story you want to write.
If you’re thinking, “Let’s train them in test automation first”: stop. Test automation isn’t the foundation. Thinking is. Observation is. Caring about your work is. They’ve never tested before. You want to train them. But you don’t want testers who are checklist bots or Jira-filing machines.
Your goal? Guide your new hire to be a great tester. One who notices weirdness that others miss, asks uncomfortable but useful questions, and helps your team deploy your product with fewer regrets.
Step 1: Clarify your training goal
Training without a purpose is just random movement. You’ll exhaust both your new tester and yourself.
So start here:
- What’s broken in your team’s process or product right now?
- What does this new tester need to work on in the next three to six months?
Example: Want fewer bugs in production? That breaks down into:
- Catch bugs earlier: learn exploratory testing
- Give faster feedback: improve observation and communication
Now define how you’ll know they’re growing:
- Do they ask sharper questions than they did at the beginning?
- Have their bug reports become clearer?
- Are they bringing to light risks that others miss?
Growth isn’t linear. It’s layered like an onion.
Also, skip the automation-first mindset. Start with testing-first: exploratory, risk-focused, feedback-driven.
Step 2: Design the actual training
Here’s the core of it.
Thinking like a tester
Much of testing is noticing what others don’t see. Start with open-ended tasks.
First round
- Give them a simple feature. No checklist. Just: "Test this."
- Debrief with them: What did they explore? What did they assume?
Second round
- Add a lens for focus, such as accessibility, risk, or edge cases.
- Debrief again: What changed from the first round?
Third round
Then bring in techniques:
- Introduce them to heuristics like SFDPOT (Structure, Function, Data, Platform, Operations, Time) or RCRCRC (Recent, Core, Risky, Configuration, Repaired, Customer Reported).
- Don’t explain and move on to the next task. Instead, apply them to the same task.
Example:
- Test a log-in form.
- Ask: What would a real user do? What if they entered 3,000 characters into a field? What’s the worst that could happen?
Fourth round
Introduce oracles:
- Is the software correct?
- Is it consistent with expectations?
- Is it reasonable?
Let them feel that gap between “it works” and “it makes sense.”
Try this classic mind-hack: “Mary had a little lamb.” Ask them to test that sentence. (If they are not sure where to start, direct them to read the discussion about Mary and the lamb in I think, therefore I test: the importance of thinking for testers or watch this 404 talk, Finding test cases in acceptance criteria.) It seems absurd. But it trains them to pay attention to assumptions.
Teaching testing fundamentals
Bring depth to their practice.
- Boundaries: A great place to begin is form fields. Direct them to brainstorm varying inputs, limits, emojis, scripts, long text, and so on.
- Phases: What do we test before coding begins, during development, after release?
- Risk: If something breaks, what’s the worst-case user impact?
Make them:
- Debug flaky bugs.
- Test only from user docs.
- Explore with weird inputs. What breaks and what doesn’t?
Teaching soft skills (yes, they matter)
Testing is 50 percent finding bugs and 50 percent knowing how to be heard.
So:
- Make them talk to developers instead of silently filing Jira tickets.
- Use fuzzy bugs to teach clarity and diplomacy: “This fails” versus “Users might struggle with this step because…”
- Try persona-based testing. And yes, The Inmates Are Running the Asylum is worth a read, not just for great quotes, but also for mindset.
- Practice rewriting bug reports. Take real examples and improve them.
This isn’t only testing education. It’s team integration.
Pair up
Real growth is possible when you compare what you do with what others are doing.
- Let them test something while you or another senior tester tests the same thing. Compare notes.
- Ask: “What did one of us find that the other didn’t? Why?” Then reverse the next time.
- Pair them with a developer: watch how they debug. What do they notice? What shortcuts do they take?
Let them shadow, then let them drive. Slowly.
Step 3: Give adequate feedback
Growth needs mirrors. Build feedback into the week.
- Set non-negotiables: Repeated carelessness, obvious bugs that were missed: call them out early.
- Celebrate wins: Caught a gnarly bug? Wrote a solid report? Point it out.
- Repeat when needed: If they repeat a mistake, explain again in a different way.
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Weekly reflections:
- What did you notice this week?
- Where did you get stuck?
- What are you proud of?
Adapt to their style but don’t lower the bar.
Step 4: Reflect on whether you have a good tester in the making
It’s tempting to rely on early impressions. But testers grow in unexpected ways.
So, observe:
- What comes naturally to them?
- Where do they stumble?
- What’s causing the stumbles? Is it a skill gap or a mindset block?
Example: They miss edge cases. Is it carelessness, or were they never shown how to think outside the boundaries?
Key thing to watch for: plasticity. How fast do they adapt? That beats “brilliance” every day.
More traits to watch for:
- Can they stay calm in a mess? Give them an ambiguous bug, like “This app crashes sometimes.” Observe how they untangle it.
- Do they say, “I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out?” Huge green flag. Curiosity beats confidence.
- Are they open to feedback? Do they reflect on how to improve, or do they get defensive? Reflection beats perfection every time.
These are qualities they can grow into, but it helps to notice which seeds are already there.
To wrap up
The goal isn’t to teach them how to follow test scripts. It’s to help them:
- Think sharper
- See deeper
- Ask better questions
- Communicate with confidence
You know it’s working when they:
- Approach problems with curiosity
- Apply feedback constructively
- Spot risks no one else is talking about
This isn’t just onboarding. It’s guiding someone to be the best tester they can be. It’s shaping a mindset.
Great testers aren’t found. They’re trained. Just as my mentor, Varun and my team helped me become one heck of a tester, you can help ensure your new hires become great testers too.
What do YOU think?
Got comments or thoughts? Share them in the comments box below. If you like, use the ideas below as starting points for reflection and discussion.
Questions to discuss
- When you trained your first tester, what surprised you the most?
- What’s one thing you wish every new tester learned in their first month?
- If you could redesign onboarding for testers, what would you add or remove?
Actions to take
- Review your current onboarding plan for new testers. What’s missing in terms of thinking skills?
- Review new testers’ bug reports together. Can you make them clearer, more user-focused, more diplomatic?
- Share with new testers one resource or article that helped you think differently about testing. Start a mini learning loop.
For more information
- When hiring software testers doesn't work (and what to do BEFORE you hire them), Susanne Abdelrahman
- Perspectives from a QA Mentor and Mentee: How Melorship Can Help Your Testing Career, Tamoya Beckford and Davina Scott
- Becoming An Effective Coach, Laveena Ramchandani
