4 Manual Tester Resume Samples & Templates (+ Guide)

"A manual tester is just a failed software developer." Have you heard that one already? The truth is, the recruiter doesn't really know what the manual testing job is about. They might think you're just an error hunter.

Prove you're ten times more than that with a manual tester resume that will pass every possible scenario.

The guide will show you: 

• A manual tester resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a manual testing resume sample that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a manual testing resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a manual tester to get any job you want.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

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Manual Tester Resume Example

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Entry-Level / Junior Manual Tester Resume Example

A junior manual tester is an entry-level position in software quality assurance. Their primary role involves executing predefined test cases to identify software defects, documenting bugs, and verifying fixes under the supervision of senior testers. They assist in ensuring that applications function as expected before release. Here’s a sample junior manual tester resume:

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Mid-Level Manual Tester Resume Example

A mid-level manual tester, often referred to as an intermediate manual tester or QA analyst, occupies a role between entry-level and senior positions within the QA hierarchy. This position typically involves more complex testing tasks, greater responsibility, and a higher degree of autonomy compared to a junior role. Here’s a sample resume for mid-level manual testers:

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Experienced / Senior Manual QA Tester Resume Example

A senior manual tester, often known as a lead manual tester or senior QA analyst, holds a high-level position within the QA hierarchy. This role involves significant responsibility, advanced testing expertise, and leadership in managing complex testing processes. Senior manual testers design test strategies, mentor junior testers, and ensure high-quality software delivery. Here’s a sample resume for senior manual testers:

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Resume Templates for Manual Testers

Based on the analysis of 11 million resumes made in the Zety Resume Builder, here are the top 3 resume templates chosen by manual testers.

Cascade

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Introducing one of our pride-and-joys here at Zety: the Cascade resume template—a super-modern design crafted using our intuitive resume builder.

Ideal for quality testing professionals, this template highlights your attention to detail and structured approach, ensuring your resume stands out in the competitive job market.

Diamond

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This template focuses on data over infographics, ensuring your key information is presented clearly. However, some infographic resume elements will still be found in the skills area to highlight your expertise. The left-hand timeline elegantly connects your education and experience, creating a cohesive and professional narrative. 

Concept

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How about this clean resume template? Ideal for those who prefer the reverse-chronological format, this design features a sleek, thin sidebar on the left dedicated solely to dates, ensuring a clean and organized look.

Enhancing its modern appeal, it includes icons for each resume section and item in the contact info area. This template allows you to highlight your detailed work history and testing methodologies with a contemporary flair, offering dozens of color combinations to suit your personal style.

How to Write a Manual Tester Resume:

1. Gather Format Requirements for Your Manual Testing Resume

What’s the rule for building an app? Making sure it’s easy to grow. Venmo took it to heart and see where they got. Your resume will grow with time, too. To save you time for regular maintenance, follow the below standards for formatting a resume:

• Set 1-inch resume margins to give yourself enough whitespace.
• Choose one 10–12pt resume font. Don’t test extreme configurations here. Make the headings a bit larger than regular text.
• Make 1–1.5 line spacing between sentences and double space between paragraphs.
• Pick the reverse-chronological resume format and stick to it throughout.
• Refer to the job description to find out what file format recruiters need. Have both PDF and Word resumes at hand.

Unless you have several years of professional experience, write a one-page-long resume or face the consequences of tl;dr.

Structure your resume and divide it into the following sections: 

• Contact Information
• Resume Summary / Objective
• Work Experience
• Education
• Skills
• Leave room for other parts of a resume like languages, certifications, awards, or hobbies and interests. 

You can hear here and there that you shouldn’t be afraid of testing in production. But don’t do that with your resume. Make it according to the standards because there’s no going back from hitting that send button.

Here’s our guide that answers all questions about resumes: How To Write A Resume

2. Analyze Your Work Experience With Scrutiny

Now’s time for some serious stuff. I won’t talk about breaking things but destroying the illusion that they work.

Check out these possible bugs in the work experience section of a resume:

• Overloaded resume with irrelevant experience—recruiters are interested only in the work experience that has to do with the job you’re after.
• No experience at all—as a junior, you think you don’t have relevant experience. That’s wrong on so many levels. Any internship or volunteering you did, student club or association you joined, and even independent projects can play to your advantage.
• Passive voice—you’ve been an active team member, so don’t hide behind the passive voice and use resume action verbs.
• Responsibilities—to get the gig, use bullet points with the PAR formula. Hiring managers are looking for accomplishments in your resume.
• Random sentences—your hiring manager wants specific qualities and skills. Guard the end-user satisfaction realm, find the resume keywords, and scatter them all over the resume.
• Incomplete or confusing details—you can’t fail to give correct information about your job title and previous companies, i.e., name, address, and employment dates.
• Lies—you won’t get away with lying on your resume or cover letter. If your story doesn’t add up, you’ll get busted. And job-less.

Here are some examples of responsibilities for a manual tester resume:

QA Manual Tester Keywords for a Resume

• Execute Test Cases: Conduct thorough testing of applications according to specified test cases and scenarios.
• Identify and Report Bugs: Detect, document, and report software defects and inconsistencies to the development team.
• Perform Regression Testing: Re-test applications after bug fixes or enhancements to ensure existing functionalities are unaffected.
• Create Test Plans: Develop detailed test plans and test cases based on software requirements and specifications.
• Collaborate with Development Team: Work closely with developers to understand application functionality and resolve issues.
• Validate Application Functionality: Ensure that the software meets specified requirements and user expectations through systematic testing.
• Maintain Testing Documentation: Keep comprehensive records of test procedures, results, and any identified issues.
• Participate in Test Reviews: Engage in peer reviews of test cases and test plans to ensure coverage and accuracy.

Remember to use action verbs that convey your dynamism. Here are some action verbs for manual tester resumes:

Manual Tester Resume Action Verbs

• Executed
• Identified
• Reported
• Performed
• Created
• Developed
• Collaborated
• Validated
• Maintained
• Participated
• Documented
• Reviewed

3. Design Your Way to Success With Your Education Section

You can, but not necessarily will, get a manual tester job without a degree related to computer science or engineering. So, if you’re lucky to have one, don’t hold your breath and put your degree in the resume. You’ll be a lot closer to meeting the business requirements.

In the reverse-chronological format, the education section usually sits between employment and skills. If you’re an entry-level candidate, education is your leverage—move it above the work experience section.

If you’re about to graduate, don’t worry about an unfinished bachelor's degree on your resume. Writing an expected date of graduation will do. Hiring managers understand you’ll be trying to secure a job while finishing school.

You can also strengthen your chances by listing volunteering, memberships, or relevant coursework. They’ll introduce you to the market as an engaged and growth-driven candidate.

Should you include extracurriculars in your resume? Check here: Best Extracurricular Activities for Resumes

4. Write a List of Manual Testing Skills in Your Resume

You have to keep up to be on top. I am not here to disappoint, but it all comes down to growing your knowledge and skill set. See the list of resume skills Jerry Weinberg would approve of:

Manual Testing Skills in a Resume

• Development and Agile methodologies
• Web & mobile services
• Software development life cycle
• Selenium
• Jira, Bugzilla
• Programming languages: Java, SQL
• Test scripts
• User interface
• Quality assurance
• Attention to detail
• Analytical skills
• Communication skills
• Computer skills
• Creative thinking skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Customer service skills
• Decision-making skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Leadership skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Project management skills
• Teamwork skills
• Technical skills
• Time management skills

So here’s the deal. You can’t just take a few of the above and paste them into your resume. Your resume needs to pass the Applicant Tracking Software to land on your hiring manager’s desk.

To make your resume ATS-friendly, use resume keywords. You’ll find them in the job description. Tailor your skills section by taking out the skills and qualifications your employer mentions in the job ad.

Pay attention to the format you’re using. See more: What’s the Best Resume Format for ATS?

5. Test Out Other Sections on Your Manual Tester Resume

Remember your parents say: “You could at least learn something useful since you’re sitting on your computer all day.” Well, apparently, you did, and if you haven’t already mentioned it in the previous entries, extra resume sections are the right place to do it.

Additional sections will give you bonus points for each bullet. It’s almost as if you were testing a feature, and it worked. That’s how your hiring manager feels when they see one of the below sections with relevant examples:

• Licenses & certifications 
• Achievements & awards
• Volunteering
• Extracurricular activities
• Manual testing projects
• Publications
• Languages

Wondering what to write on your resume to beat the competition? See Ways to Improve Your Resume

6. Deploy Your Manual Testing Resume Intro

You’re almost done, so it’s time for software testing documentation. Report on the characteristics and include a strategy on how to bring improvements. There are two ways of doing it:

• A resume summary is a summary of your key accomplishments, work experience, and skills, so it’s recommended for experienced professionals.
• If you’re just kicking off your career, a resume objective is the right choice. A resume objective includes your skills and distinctive traits while highlighting your career goals. You use it to reinforce what you wrote in other resume sections. 

For both, relevant and ATS-compliant are the buzzwords. Look at your resume and mark all the items you are the most proud of. Choose 2 or 3 of them—the statement shouldn’t be long—and use the below formula to create your selling points:

Strong character trait + Job title / Position you’re applying for + Company name + What you want to do for the employer and how + Key achievement / 2–3 Skills

You don’t think you can personalize your resume? See: How To Describe Yourself In A Resume

7. Maintain Your Hiring Manager’s Interest With the Cover Letter

Good news! Employment of manual testers is projected to grow 25 percent from 2022 to 2032. You’re probably asking yourself now: why, then, is a cover letter necessary? Around 50% of hiring managers still expect to get one. Plus, some job ads will require one…

So here’s a checklist of what you need to do to write the perfect cover letter to support your manual tester resume:

• Be consistent. Use the same cover letter template as you used for your resume.
• Format your cover letter similarly, too, so that it doesn’t make an impression of coming from another candidate. 
• Think of a clear cover letter outline that transitions from your career purpose to qualifications to a call to action.
• Greet the reader properly in your cover letter. Using Dir Sir or Madam will do you no good.
• Stay away from writing a generic cover letter.
• Start your cover letter with an intriguing thought that makes your hiring manager carry on. Why not use one of your accomplishments for that?
• Sell yourself in the cover letter middle by referring to your relevant qualifications and skills. Prove you’ve got everything your hiring manager needs from an entry-level or experienced manual tester.
• Finish your cover letter with a bomb call to action, and ask to schedule a meeting with you.

Read more: What to Include In a Job-Winning Cover Letter

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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Here are a few guides you might find useful:

• QA Resume Example
• QA Tester Resume Example
• Quality Control Resume Example
• Quality Engineer Resume Example
• Software Engineer Resume Example
• UI Developer Resume Example
• UX Designer Resume Example
• UX Researcher Resume Example
• SDET Resume Example
• 500+ Resume Examples for All Professions

About Zety’s Editorial Process

This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines. We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.

Sources

• https://www.wellesley.edu/careereducation/resources/how-write-effective-resume-bullets
• https://youth.gov/youth-topics/youth-employment
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm