Are you looking to hire or get hired? Looking for a new career or position in Software Testing? Looking to improve interviewing skills or your personal development?

TestBash Careers will help you achieve those goals!

Register now and stay tunned for more details coming soon...

What Happened

Select a session to learn more about it.

  • Mirza Sisic
  • Tip on How to Market Yourself Better as a Software Tester: Content Creation
    Mirza Sisic
    Talk

    Tip on How to Market Yourself Better as a Software Tester: Content Creation

    What

    Talk

    Description

    A brief overview of my tips on how to market yourself better as a Software Tester, and a few words about myself followed by tips on how content creation can help you in marketing yourself better, as a software tester.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Prioritise to put yourself out there with content creation
    • Recognise how blogging can help
    • Recognise how video tutorial creation can help
    • Recognise how podcast creation can help

    Speaker

    Mirza Sisic
    Mirza Sisic
    Testing Consultant
    Mirza has always been a technology geek, helping friends and family with computer-related issues. Started originally in tech support and moved to software testing and has been there since. Worked as a freelance web developer for a while as well. A casual RPG gamer and a Sci-fi fan. When he’s not sharing memes online Mirza is usually learning new things, taking part in the testing community, or writing posts for his blog.
  • Maryam Umar
  • Getting Back on the Horse After 10 Rejections
    Maryam Umar
    Talk

    Getting Back on the Horse After 10 Rejections

    What

    Talk

    Description

    I was jobless for 6 months. Not by choice but by fate. Updating your CV and interviewing when you are not mentally prepared to do so is a very difficult situation to go through.

    One would think that the current market is the candidate’s market, so why didn’t I have a job for 6 months? I went through a lot of interviews. And with each interview, I started losing hope in my skill-set. This happened not because I wasn’t doing well. I was continuously told that they really liked you, BUT… and nothing.

    I still don’t have useful feedback on why I got rejected 10 times. I even started questioning whether I want to be associated with the tech industry. A part of me also started thinking that I am being put forward only because I am a ‘diverse’ candidate. Turns out, it only took one person to give me a job offer during my first interview with them. They saw my strengths which was a great morale boost.

    However, my imposter syndrome had settled in nicely during these 6 months. So how do I learn to ride the waves again? This is where my previous career and life coaching sessions helped tremendously. In this session, I want to share how we can continue to learn from every interview rejection. And how we can use some help from mentors and coaches to keep our heads high.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Rejection is not always a bad thing
    • Having career goals helps to overcome the feeling of being stuck
    • It is actually not difficult to start riding the horse which you have ridden before. It’s just muscle memory

    Speaker

    Maryam Umar
    Maryam Umar
    Head of QA
    I work in London as Head of QA of an Instant Salesware firm. I started my career 15 years ago as a QA test engineer in the finance and mobile industry. After transitioning to the eCommerce sector, I performed QA in various capacities for online restaurant and travel services. I continue to work in QA as a manager now with special focus on sustainable delivery practices. I pay special attention to team dynamics and ensuring engineers are in roles which give them a sense of purpose. In addition to this, I have been a keen advocate of creating and sustaining diverse teams by speaking at schools and universities to educate students about what a creative space the technology sector can be.
  • Lee Marshall
  • Be More Pirate by Sam Conniff Allende
    Lee Marshall
    Book Suggestion

    Be More Pirate by Sam Conniff Allende

    What

    Book Suggestion

    Description

    In this session, Lee Marshall, aka 'The Pirate Tester' talks about the book 'Be More Pirate' by Sam Conniff Allende and how it has helped him with his career.

    Speaker

    Lee Marshall
    Lee Marshall
    Pirate Tester
    A self-confessed pirate tester, Lee has been testing since 2012. Lee also runs a testing YouTube channel, sharing his ideas and experiences, as well as having other testers guest to share their own experiences. Outside of testing he is a husband, father, enjoys cooking and playing computer games.
  • Srinivas Murthy
  • Ask Me Anything with Srinivas Murthy
    Srinivas Murthy
    Ama

    Ask Me Anything with Srinivas Murthy

    What

    Ama

    Description

    Srinivas Murthy works as a Principal Consultant for more than 14 years across various industries, domains, cultures and regions. Through these various roles, Srinivas has a strong influence on where the QA community can be taken to within the organisation at a global level and is hoping to share some of this knowledge with people outside the organisation and hopefully help people make an impact. 

    In this session, hosted by the great Vernon Richards, Srinivas will be answering questions about Careers, from our attendees live on the Main Stage.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Confidence about growing in their careers, attending interviews and performance reviews

    Speaker

    Srinivas Murthy
    Srinivas Murthy
    Principal Quality Analyst
    I am working as a Principal consultant at Thoughtworks from the past 14 years prior to which I was at Capgemini and Siemens Apart from helping my clients deliver high quality software, I have also built the QA function within their organisations including recruiting and career progression. I represented GDS to co-create the DDAT QA job family which is now part of UK government departments Within Thoughtworks, I run the QA community in UK and also a Global Community Lead for Thoughtworks QA community worldwide. As part of these roles, I lead conversations on revising and rebuilding the QA job profiles and the recruitment process globally. I also lead the career progression at Thoughtworks globally having recently revised the archetypes and competencies for career pathways. I spend time mentoring QAs at Thoughtworks Over the years I have been a trainer multiple times for Thoughtworks University training over 200 graduates, along with revamping the course material Recently I have also co-created an onboarding guide for new joiners to help them assimilate in Thoughtworks
  • Mirza Sisic
  • Tip on How to Market Yourself Better as a Software Tester: Public Speaking
    Mirza Sisic
    Talk

    Tip on How to Market Yourself Better as a Software Tester: Public Speaking

    What

    Talk

    Description

    This session will focus on leveraging public speaking to your benefit. We will cover community meetups, user groups, workshops and conferences.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Identify the benefit of meetups and user groups
    • Identify benefits of conferences & workshops

    Speaker

    Mirza Sisic
    Mirza Sisic
    Testing Consultant
    Mirza has always been a technology geek, helping friends and family with computer-related issues. Started originally in tech support and moved to software testing and has been there since. Worked as a freelance web developer for a while as well. A casual RPG gamer and a Sci-fi fan. When he’s not sharing memes online Mirza is usually learning new things, taking part in the testing community, or writing posts for his blog.
  • Mirza Sisic
  • Tip on How to Market Yourself Better as a Software Tester: Social Media
    Mirza Sisic
    Talk

    Tip on How to Market Yourself Better as a Software Tester: Social Media

    What

    Talk

    Description

    Now we will cover how to use social media to your benefit, to become more visible to the recruiters, build up your online presence and reputation and the social aspect of your GitHub profile.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Identify benefits of social media, such as LinkedIn
    • Identify the social media aspect of GitHub

    Speaker

    Mirza Sisic
    Mirza Sisic
    Testing Consultant
    Mirza has always been a technology geek, helping friends and family with computer-related issues. Started originally in tech support and moved to software testing and has been there since. Worked as a freelance web developer for a while as well. A casual RPG gamer and a Sci-fi fan. When he’s not sharing memes online Mirza is usually learning new things, taking part in the testing community, or writing posts for his blog.
  • Conor Fitzgerald
  • Lessons From Both Sides of the Interview Table
    Conor Fitzgerald
    Talk

    Lessons From Both Sides of the Interview Table

    What

    Talk

    Description

    The interview process can feel like there are so many potential pitfalls including creating your resume, dealing with a technical interview and negotiating the best offer possible.

    Over my 15 years plus career, I have learnt many lessons from both sides of the interview table. 
    As a candidate, I have been hired in over 10 test roles including test leadership roles and interviewed for internal roles.
    From interviewing over 100 candidates from graduate to senior positions for both tester and developer positions, I have found ways to improve the interview process. which has led to many insights that are of value to candidates. 

    Whether you are looking for your first testing role or looking for your next opportunity this talk is packed with real-world interview experiences and lessons you can apply.
     

    Learning Outcomes

    • How to navigate the entire interview process 
    • How to create great resumes and cover letters 
    • Tips for standing out from other candidates
    • How to prepare for the interview and what to do during the interview
    • How to approach technical interviews
    • Negotiating the optimum offer

    Speaker

    Conor Fitzgerald
    Conor Fitzgerald
    Engineering Manager - Quality
    Conor Fitzgerald is a Quality Advocate with over 15 years of experience. He is passionate about whole team testing and working with teams on quality improvements. Currently, he is working as an Engineering Manager(Quality) for Poppulo| FWI in Cork, Ireland. He has spoken at a number of conferences in recent years, including SoftTestDublin, TestBash, OnlineTestConf, AgileLeanInternational, Romania Testing Conference and RebelCon. Conor is an active member of the test community and is a Co-Founder of the Ministry of Testing Cork. Previous positions included Test Consultant, Test Lead/Manager, and Automation focused roles. These positions were held in a wide variety of industries from embedded systems to financial systems with companies ranging from startups to large multinationals such as Intel. Occasionally blogs at conorfi.com and frequently tweets at @conorfi.
  • Rahul Parwal
  • How Come No One Told Me That? by Prakash Iyer
    Rahul Parwal
    Book Suggestion

    How Come No One Told Me That? by Prakash Iyer

    What

    Book Suggestion

    Description

    A great many self-improvement books exist that claim that they can change your life. Yet stories and real-life observations are what make us better human beings and can help us advance in our careers and enrich our lives.

    This book by Prakash Iyer has nudged me to unlearn, relearn, and reflect. I now understand the importance of taking action to boost my career.

    I will cover some insights from this book during this talk.

    Speaker

    Rahul Parwal
    Rahul Parwal
    Senior Software Engineer
    Rahul Parwal is a Software Tester & Generalist. Presently, He is a Senior Software Engineer with ifm engineering in India. Reading, learning, and practicing the craft of software testing is something he enjoys doing. He also shares his knowledge and experience with testers via LinkedIn, Twitter, Blog, Youtube, and meetups. His recent accolades include the ‘Jerry Weinberg Testing Excellence Award‘ from the “Tea-time with Testers” and the 'Super Voice Award' by Synapse QA. Want to know more, Check out: https://testingtitbits.com/
  • David Williams
  • The Most “Valuable” Talk Ever?
    David Williams
    Talk

    The Most “Valuable” Talk Ever?

    What

    Talk

    Description

    KPI's/OKR's, Speed, Quality, Efficiency, Effectiveness, Communication - the buzzword list goes on, but is there actually any point in many of these buzzwords? And what “buzzword” do I feel is the most important?

    VALUE!

    How often do you look at the "Value" of your work? Do you evaluate the Value of what you are doing, before, during, and (importantly!) after you do it? Do you understand your Value to your business, your department, your team, your career and even to your daily life?

    This talk will teach you about "Value", from my perspective as a hiring manager and an engineering professional.

    What do I look for in the candidates I interview, and how can you "sell" your Value to a potential employer to show what you bring to a business?

    You can start right now to track the Value you generate each day, building-up a wealth of real-world examples that you can use to talk confidently in your career growth conversations, in interview settings, and even at conferences with peers.

    By sharing my own experiences and anecdotes from a 19 year career in engineering, testing, quality and leadership, I will paint high-level pictures of some of the responsibilities I had, for you to map to your own experiences and spot the (often hidden!) opportunities to generate Value.

    Come and listen to the strategies that I have used as an employee that helped me understand the context and scope of my work and team, which then helped me to start understanding how I could generate Value in that role, and how I used that to drive my career growth?

    Stories like:
    • How thinking about Value helped me get promoted to a "team trainer" a year into my career.
    • How using Value helped me to move from a product team I didn't want to be on, to one that I did!
    • How I used Value to persuade my employer to fund a 4 day training course to further my career.
    • And many more similar Valuable (hah!) stories for you to think about how you too can tap into Value

    Learning Outcomes

    • Understand different roles and responsibilities, and have ideas on generating Value in them
    • Use the concept of Value to better structure your role and responsibilities on the impact you can make
    • Track the Value of your daily work (I've helped 3 people to get promoted using these ideas)
    • Talk confidently about Value and impact using your own examples to absolutely catapult your career

    Speaker

    David Williams
    David Williams
    Software Engineering Manager
    Award-Winning International Conference Speaker | Software Testing Veteran | Father | Mental Health First Aider | STEM Ambassador | Humanist | He/Him

    Across his 19 years in the field of engineering, quality and testing he's been a web developer, tester, senior, team lead, test manager, head of testing, and has helped businesses to build quality-centric engineering practices and a focus around delivering customer value. He's now leading mobile application engineering at Ada Health, to improve their mobile apps, and to mature their consumer domain's engineering and delivery practices.

    We've also seen his award-winning talks at several international testing conferences, including TestBash Brighton, where he spoke about Mental Health in Testing.

  • Mirza Sisic
  • Tip on How to Market Yourself Better as a Software Tester: Portfolio Website
    Mirza Sisic
    Talk

    Tip on How to Market Yourself Better as a Software Tester: Portfolio Website

    What

    Talk

    Description

    In this part, we will discuss how can a personal portfolio be used to impress a potential employer.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Develop a professional tester portfolio website
    • Identify the social media aspect of GitHub

    Speaker

    Mirza Sisic
    Mirza Sisic
    Testing Consultant
    Mirza has always been a technology geek, helping friends and family with computer-related issues. Started originally in tech support and moved to software testing and has been there since. Worked as a freelance web developer for a while as well. A casual RPG gamer and a Sci-fi fan. When he’s not sharing memes online Mirza is usually learning new things, taking part in the testing community, or writing posts for his blog.
  • Ajay Balamurugadas
  • Executive Presence by Sylvia Ann Hewlett
    Ajay Balamurugadas
    Book Suggestion

    Executive Presence by Sylvia Ann Hewlett

    What

    Book Suggestion

    Description

    Would you consider yourself a leader? In the book, Executive Presence, Sylvia Ann Hewlett, an expert on workplace power and influence, shows how to identify and embody the Executive Presence one needs to succeed in their career.

    We have seen many people not succeed as leaders, even though they have the potential to be a leader. A key missing piece is Executive Presence.

    In this book recommendation, I will share some insights into how to demonstrate executive presence and why it's so imperative for having a long-lasting and fulfilling career.

    Speaker

    Ajay Balamurugadas
    Ajay Balamurugadas
    Senior Director - QE, GSPANN Technologies
    Ajay Balamurugadas, goes by the handle ‘ajay184f’ in the testing community and is continuously re-inventing his testing methodology. He co-founded Weekend Testing - a worldwide movement for skilled testing, authored multiple books available at bit.ly/booksaj and bit.ly/ajleanpub. His friends associate the terms - ‘Change Agent, Idea Man, Motivational’ to him. He tweets under @ajay184f and loves to have long conversations on software testing and life in general. He is currently working at GSPANN Technologies, Inc. as Senior Director - QE. When not testing, he spends time with his wife and two children.
  • Eduardo Fischer dos Santos
  • Career Advice Session
    Eduardo Fischer dos Santos
    Advice Session

    Career Advice Session

    What

    Advice Session

    Description

    In this session, Eduardo Fischer dos Santos, will be giving advice and answering any questions attendees might have about their careers.

    This is an open session, during one of the breaks, that everyone can join in (with video or just on the chat).

    Speaker

    Eduardo Fischer dos Santos
    Eduardo Fischer dos Santos
    Quality Assurance Engineer
    Is a quality assurance engineer who focuses on mobile test automation and is currently working for an international stockbroker. He discovered his passion for testing during his time as a back-end developer and eventually made testing his full-time job.
  • Mirza Sisic
  • Tip on How to Market Yourself Better as a Software Tester: Volunteer Activities
    Mirza Sisic
    Talk

    Tip on How to Market Yourself Better as a Software Tester: Volunteer Activities

    What

    Talk

    Description

    In this part we go through examples of volunteer activities and see how these can help you stand out.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Recognise the advantages volunteer activities can bring to your career development

    Speaker

    Mirza Sisic
    Mirza Sisic
    Testing Consultant
    Mirza has always been a technology geek, helping friends and family with computer-related issues. Started originally in tech support and moved to software testing and has been there since. Worked as a freelance web developer for a while as well. A casual RPG gamer and a Sci-fi fan. When he’s not sharing memes online Mirza is usually learning new things, taking part in the testing community, or writing posts for his blog.
  • Jokin Aspiazu
  • Our Own QA Academy
    Jokin Aspiazu
    Talk

    Our Own QA Academy

    What

    Talk

    Description

    How would you hire Junior Testers? In my place, we have a method. We hire people whiling to learn how to test, we train them for 10 weeks, we train them in Exploratory Testing, Java, Selenium... we run some practice sessions and at the end of this program, we have our Junior testers ready to join projects.

    In this talk, I want to explain the training program, the budget and why we are betting on these people instead of just hiring Senior testers.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Inspire other testers to run similar initiatives in their local markets
    • How there is space in the testing world for more people, and this is a good way to enter it
    • By explaining our numbers, we want to demonstrate that our model is reasonable and profitable for others to copy

    Speaker

    Jokin Aspiazu
    Jokin Aspiazu
    Fellow Tester
    Jokin as been a Software Tester since 2008, he had moved from Waterfall to Agile, from Test cases to Exploratory testing, from Excel to Rapid Software Testing. He has learnt from James Bach & Michael Bolton, from Huib Schoots & Richard Bradshaw, from Lisa Crispin & Fiona Charles, from Pekka Marjamäki & Martin Hynie … and one night he invited Pradeep Soundararajan to dinner, so he knows about the secret sauce of testing. After a couple of years experimenting as Product Owner, he is back to testing, now trying the test consultant way.
  • Mahathee Dandibhotla
  • The Professional by Subroto Bagchi
    Mahathee Dandibhotla
    Book Suggestion

    The Professional by Subroto Bagchi

    What

    Book Suggestion

    Description

    A book that has had an impact on my career: The Professional by Subroto Bagchi.

    A manifesto on what it takes to be a true professional in the modern world. By common definition, a professional is anyone who possesses the skills and knowledge necessary for a career-whether as a surgeon, a software engineer, or a plumber.

    But according to Subroto Bagchi, our increasingly global marketplace demands more. In a world where the foolish, selfish, and unethical decisions of a few have affected the lives of millions, The Professional urges readers to act responsibly and reexamine "business as usual".

    By exploring a variety of professional dilemmas across many industries, Bagchi defines the qualities of true professionals and the attributes that separate them from the merely competent. These include:

    • Suffer no false attractions: It's always tempting to take the path of least resistance, but true professionals can separate the genuine from the phoney.
    • Know when to say no: True professionals are not afraid to say no to things that are not worth their time, their energy, or their creativity.
    • Take the long view: True professionals understand that every action, decision, and relationship, no matter how small, can have a lasting impact

    Speaker

    Mahathee Dandibhotla
    Mahathee Dandibhotla
    Senior Engineering Lead Quality
    I'm Mahathee and I work as Senior Engineering Lead Quality at Persistent Systems Hyderabad, India.
  • Niko Mangahas
  • Evolving the Role of the Quality Engineer
    Niko Mangahas
    Talk

    Evolving the Role of the Quality Engineer

    What

    Talk

    Description

    This short presentation offers an updated perspective on what most modern organizations value in terms of quality, and how Quality Engineers and QE Teams will need to broaden their sphere of influence and skillsets to meet those expectations.

    We will look at it from 2 perspectives – how Testing needs to evolve as a discipline, and how Quality could expand to take on emerging roles in the organization.

    Learning Outcomes

    • The Quality Engineer role needs to keep evolving to be considered a high-value discipline in the organization
    • The Quality Engineer can expand existing software testing scope farther (TestOps), wider (Experience QA), and deeper (Data Quality)
    • The QE Team can also evolve to take on emerging Business, Process and Technology roles in a DevOps environment

    Speaker

    Niko Mangahas
    Niko Mangahas
    Head of Quality Engineering Practice
    Niko has over 15 years of Quality and Process Strategy Consulting for Information Systems across virtually every industry. After starting as a developer, he found his true passion in Testing and Quality roles. Formerly, Niko was Lead Solution Architect for QA at Hewlett Packard Asia-Pacific, growing the team in headcount, revenue, and clients through impactful capabilities and exciting innovations - touching all aspects of functional and non-functional testing. He also started and led the Enterprise Quality program for CareerBuilder as Director of QA, and now leads the Quality Engineering Practice for RCG Global Services, where he drives best practices, standards, innovation, and capability building internally and through technology partners. In addition, he has stood up and ran a number of testing COEs, teams, squads, and communities and has developed roadmaps, architecture, and automation programs for enterprise clients. He is passionate about leveraging AI and RPA technologies in Quality Engineering.
  • Elizabeth Zagroba
  • Nicola Martin
  • Peet Michielsen
  • Creating CVs That Get Noticed
    Elizabeth Zagroba, Nicola Martin, Peet Michielsen
    Panel Discussion

    Creating CVs That Get Noticed

    What

    Panel Discussion

    Description

    In this Discussion session, our wonderful host Jenna Charlton is joined by three career experts to discuss ways to improve your CVs and make them stand out.

    Elizabeth Zagroba is Quality Lead at Mendix in Rotterdam. Her goal is to guide enough testers, leaders, etc. to make herself redundant so she can take on new and bigger challenges. You can find Elizabeth's big thoughts on her blog.

    Nicola Martin is passionate about increasing diversity and inclusion in software engineering. She is a panellist and speaker with over 20 years of experience in tech and she speaks at global conferences focusing on quality, testing, diversity, women in tech and mentoring.

    Peet Michelsen is a seasoned software tester with over 20 years of experience who specialises in test automation, test management and continuous integration. In his work, he wants to be challenged and is always on the lookout for the next problem to solve. And when not working, Peet likes to explore the Scottish countryside and enjoy a good ale or whisky.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Ways to improve your CVs and how they can get noticed

    Speakers

    Elizabeth Zagroba
    Elizabeth Zagroba
    Quality Lead
    Elizabeth is Quality Lead at Mendix in Rotterdam. She reviews and contributes code to a Python test automation repository for 15+ teams building Mendix apps across three units. She builds exploratory testing skills by asking pointed questions throughout the unit, facilitating workshops, and coordinating an ensemble (mob) testing practice. She injects what she learns from conferences, books, and meetups into her daily work, and spreads her knowledge through the company-wide Agile guild she facilitates. She's presented at conferences throughout North America and Europe, and co-organizes the Friends of Good Software conference (FroGS conf http://frogsconf.nl/). She coaches people to success when possible, but isn't afraid to direct when necessary. She's the go-to person for things like supporting new presenters, reviewing documentation, navigating tricky organizational questions, and thinking critically about what we're building. Her goal is to guide enough testers, leaders, etc. to make herself redundant so she can take on new and bigger challenges. You can find Elizabeth's big thoughts on her blog (https://elizabethzagroba.com/) and little thoughts on Twitter @ezagroba.
    Nicola Martin
    Nicola Martin
    Head of Quality Engineering
    Nicola is currently Head of Quality Engineering at Adarga, a UK-based AI software company. Nicola is passionate about increasing diversity and inclusion in software engineering. She mentors and coaches professionals wanting to either change or develop their careers. Nicola is a Council Member for the British Computer Society. She is also a professional member of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES). Nicola is a speaker and panellist at global events on diversity, women in tech, quality, AI, software testing and mentorship. Nicola has been included in the 2022 Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech List top 30. She has also been a judge for the UK Tech Awards and will be part of the judging panel for the Black Tech Achievement Awards in 2023.
    Peet Michielsen
    Peet Michielsen
    Lead systems verification engineer
    I am a seasoned software tester with over 20 years of experience. I specialise in test automation, test management and continuous integration. I started my career in The Netherlands and later moved to Scotland. On both sides of the North Sea, I have worked on numerous projects in a wide range of industries. I'm currently working as a senior systems verification engineer at Optos in Dunfermline, Scotland. In my work I want to be challenged and am always on the lookout for the next problem to solve. And when not working, I like to explore the Scottish countryside and enjoy a good ale or whisky.
  • Niko Mangahas
  • CV Advice Session
    Niko Mangahas
    Advice Session

    CV Advice Session

    What

    Advice Session

    Description

    In this session, happening during one of the breaks, Niko will be answering any questions live and giving tips on how to create a good CV.

    You'll be able to join Niko, with video or just on the chat.

     

    If you would like Niko to review your CV before the event and chat to him about it, during this session, please upload your CV here or send it to Niko Mangahas with the subject: TestBash Careers - CV Advice Session with Niko.

    Speaker

    Niko Mangahas
    Niko Mangahas
    Head of Quality Engineering Practice
    Niko has over 15 years of Quality and Process Strategy Consulting for Information Systems across virtually every industry. After starting as a developer, he found his true passion in Testing and Quality roles. Formerly, Niko was Lead Solution Architect for QA at Hewlett Packard Asia-Pacific, growing the team in headcount, revenue, and clients through impactful capabilities and exciting innovations - touching all aspects of functional and non-functional testing. He also started and led the Enterprise Quality program for CareerBuilder as Director of QA, and now leads the Quality Engineering Practice for RCG Global Services, where he drives best practices, standards, innovation, and capability building internally and through technology partners. In addition, he has stood up and ran a number of testing COEs, teams, squads, and communities and has developed roadmaps, architecture, and automation programs for enterprise clients. He is passionate about leveraging AI and RPA technologies in Quality Engineering.
  • Kiruthika Ganesan
  • Career Breaks and How They Shaped Me and My Career
    Kiruthika Ganesan
    Talk

    Career Breaks and How They Shaped Me and My Career

    What

    Talk

    Description

    Career breaks are becoming more common now-a-days whether it is a paid one or an unpaid one.
    Mental health has taken a centre stage and more companies and individuals are focussing on work life balance, sabbatical leave, flexible working, reduced hours, remote working, better benefits and much more.
    A break from the mundane day job can give you perspective, rekindle the lost passion, and maybe even take a new direction towards your career. 
    My career journey has those ups and downs too, such as handing in my resignation, moving to a new country, starting again from ground level, learning new skills, going on maternity breaks and coping with all of it.
    This talk is about my experiences, what worked, what were the struggles and how it has enriched my career.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Career breaks could be good, relaxing and fun if planned a little. How to leave the door open to return back to work within the same organisation?
    • How to cope when the career break is not a planned one- How to join the workforce again after the break?
    • Some stories both personal and from others which helped me make the decisions during tough times

    Speaker

    Kiruthika Ganesan
    Kiruthika Ganesan
    Head of Quality Assurance
    I am someone who is passionate about testing and approaches testing with a holistic view. I have over 17 years of experience in the IT industry, working as a tester, developer and a trainer. I believe in the power of people and collaborating to build a safe environment where the teams can thrive and work on creating great software. I enjoy teaching and getting involved in community activities like speaking at conferences, delivering workshops. I am one of the tutors in the Coders Guild and a core member of Synapse QA-a testing community. Also, a keen advocate of Women in Tech initiatives and a global ambassador! When I am not working, I love spending time with my kids and enjoy writing short stories.
  • Ioan Solderea
  • Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug
    Ioan Solderea
    Book Suggestion

    Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug

    What

    Book Suggestion

    Description

    In this talk, Ioan shows how this book by Steve Krug has improved his testing and consequently, his career.

    Speaker

    Ioan Solderea
    Ioan Solderea
    Lead QA
    I am one of those people who want to know all about all but will also be happy knowing a lot about a lot. Because of this I choose to be a tester since you get to learn always new technologies, you get to test in the most diverse areas and it is always fun to tell people you found a bug.
  • Suman Bala
  • Landing a Job on The New Island
    Suman Bala
    Talk

    Landing a Job on The New Island

    What

    Talk

    Description

    Finding your next role can be a bit exciting and overwhelming at the same time. Another layer of complexity adds when you must find a job in a new country.
    In this talk, I’ll share my experiences in job hunting when I moved to the UK in 2014 and the tips on how to land a job on a new island.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Understand the challenges of finding a job in a new country
    • Learn how to tackle the above challenges
    • Identify how can you help someone new on your team

    Speaker

    Suman Bala
    Suman Bala
    Test Architect
    Suman Bala is a Test Architect with a passion for improvement in quality processes and is a strong believer in Test Automation. She feels proud of how people’s perspective has changed regarding testing throughout her career. She is striving to instil the idea that quality is everyone’s responsibility as opposed to merely laying it at the feet of QA. She is a co-organiser for the Ministry of Testing Bucks meet-up. She is a mentor and coach at work and within the wider testing community. She is co-designing and delivering the “Software Testing Bootcamp” sponsored by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
  • Mirza Sisic
  • Conclusion: How to Market Yourself Better as a Software Tester
    Mirza Sisic
    Talk

    Conclusion: How to Market Yourself Better as a Software Tester

    What

    Talk

    Description

    After sharing a number of tips that worked quite well for me to get a lot of job interviews and got negotiate better salaries.
    The topics discussed were:
    • Content Creation
    • Public Speaking
    • Social Media
    • Portfolio Website
    • Volunteer Activities

    In this session, I'll draw a conclusion to the above and will be answering live all the questions you have.

    Learning Outcomes

    • Prioritise to put yourself out there by leveraging content creation - writing blog posts about testing, and creating video tutorials and podcasts
    • Plan to establish yourself as a relevant professional, using public speaking at meetups, conferences, user groups and practical workshops
    • Use social media to improve your online presence
    • Develop a GitHub profile which illustrates your practical knowledge, to demonstrate you can make an automated checking framework, and more
    • Identify how to develop a professional tester portfolio website, which can give you better visibility in search engine results - have basic SEO in mind
    • Collaborate with the testing communities, and their members to increase the number of people in your personal network - a good referral can give you a big advantage over other candidates when applying for jobs
    • Recognise the advantage of volunteer activities, such as pro-bono mentoring, or contributing to Open Source
    • Conclude how to use all the above, to get more lucrative job offers, negotiate more perks, explain to recruiters why you are worth more than the initial offer, and/or after applying the above for a while, use it to explain at your current job why you deserve a better raise

    Speaker

    Mirza Sisic
    Mirza Sisic
    Testing Consultant
    Mirza has always been a technology geek, helping friends and family with computer-related issues. Started originally in tech support and moved to software testing and has been there since. Worked as a freelance web developer for a while as well. A casual RPG gamer and a Sci-fi fan. When he’s not sharing memes online Mirza is usually learning new things, taking part in the testing community, or writing posts for his blog.
    Our Famous 99-Second Talks TestBash Careers
    99 Second Talks

    Our Famous 99-Second Talks TestBash Careers

    What

    99 Second Talks

    Description

    It's not a TestBash without 99-Second Talks!

     

    The 99-Second Talks is the attendee's stage, an opportunity for you to come on stage and talk for, that's right, 99 seconds.

    This time we will be experimenting with something new: you will be given the opportunity to pre-record your 99-Seconds Talk throughout the conference. This will then be shown at the end of the day and/or added to the MoT Learning Platform after the event.

    You can talk about anything, a testing topic you want to share, a personal experience, an idea sparked by all the amazing talks you've just listened to... the stage is yours, for 99-Seconds!

     

    If doing the talk live on the main stage, our awesome host Callum will introduce you on stage and start the clock. As soon as the time's up, a noise will be heard and that's it: time's up!

    Prerequisites

    You will need to give your web browser permissions to allow your camera and microphone. Make sure these are enabled before you go on screen.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How to Attend

    TestBash Careers as well as all online TestBashes are included in Pro membership which makes it by far the most affordable way to attend. Pro MoT is £249.99 per year with discounts for teams and a monthly option for individual memberships. Alternatively, you can buy a ticket just for the event for £75 - these are now available!

    Sponsorship

    We want this online conference to be all about Careers and are actively looking for sponsors for the event. Email marketing@ministryoftesting.com to learn more about our sponsorship options.

    Where is the event hosted?

    TestBash Careers is hosted on Hopin, an excellent platform for events like this. You'll need to create a Hopin account to access the event.  

    How do I join the event?

    1. Double check you're logged into your MoT Account. You'll see your avatar and name in the top right-hand corner.
    2. Visit the Hopin event space at https://hopin.com/events
    3. Enter the password sent to you in an email/or by visiting the top of the event page (Look for the "Join Details" section, on the page you're reading this FAQ) - Available one week before the event!
    4. On the Hopin event space,  select "Join Event"
    5. When prompted to SELECT TICKETS, select "Sign in to join the event" (at this point you can create a Hopin account if you don't have one already)
    6. Close the "CHECKOUT" page
    7. Select "Join Event" again
    8. Congrats, you're now in the reception area of the event 🎉