QA Engineer CV Template
QA Engineers ensure software quality through testing strategies, automation frameworks, and quality processes. UK employers seek QA professionals who can balance automated and manual testing while integrating quality practices throughout the development lifecycle. Your CV should demonstrate technical testing skills alongside a strategic understanding of quality assurance.
How to write a QA Engineer CV
A QA Engineer CV must position you as a quality advocate with genuine engineering skills, not merely someone who follows test scripts. Your personal statement should state your testing philosophy (shift-left, risk-based, behaviour-driven), your primary automation framework, and a quality metric: "QA Engineer building Cypress and Playwright automation frameworks, reducing regression testing time from 5 days to 4 hours while cutting production bug rates by 60% through shift-left testing practices."
In your experience section, describe your testing strategy and its impact, not just the tools you used. "Built API testing suite with 500+ automated checks integrated into CI/CD pipeline, catching 95% of defects before deployment" shows strategic thinking. By contrast, "Wrote Selenium tests" tells a recruiter almost nothing. Include the scale of the application under test (users, transactions, complexity) and the coverage you achieved.
A common mistake is focusing exclusively on automation and neglecting performance testing, security testing, and exploratory testing. UK tech companies want QA Engineers who can assess risk across multiple dimensions. If you have conducted load testing with JMeter, k6, or Gatling and identified bottlenecks before they hit production, include these as separate achievement bullets.
ISTQB Foundation Level remains a common screening criterion for UK QA roles, particularly at the senior and lead level. If you hold Advanced or Expert certifications, list them prominently. Include your programming languages (JavaScript, Python, Java), automation frameworks (Cypress, Playwright, Selenium), and CI/CD integration experience. If you have established QA guilds, mentored testers, or defined testing strategies for multiple squads, these leadership achievements are strong differentiators. Keep the CV to two pages and demonstrate that your testing prevented problems, not just found them.
What recruiters look for in a QA Engineer CV
- Test automation experience with modern frameworks (Cypress and Playwright are gaining over Selenium)
- Strategic testing approach — not just execution but test planning and coverage analysis
- CI/CD integration experience — tests running in pipelines, not just locally
- Performance and security testing capability alongside functional testing
- Programming skills in at least one language (JavaScript, Python, Java)
- ISTQB certification — still valued in UK market, especially for senior/lead roles
Key skills for a QA Engineer CV
Example experience bullets for a QA Engineer
Use these as inspiration — always tailor bullets to your own experience and achievements.
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Tailor my CV nowFrequently asked questions
Is ISTQB certification still relevant for QA Engineers in the UK?
ISTQB Foundation Level remains widely recognised and is often listed in UK job requirements, particularly for QA Lead and Manager roles. Advanced Level certifications (Test Analyst, Technical Test Analyst) add further credibility. While practical skills matter most, ISTQB demonstrates formal testing knowledge and is frequently used as an ATS screening criterion.
Should I present myself as a QA Engineer or Software Developer in Test (SDET)?
Use the title that matches the role you're applying for. SDET positions emphasise programming and framework development, while QA Engineer roles balance automation with strategy and manual testing. If you're technically strong, present yourself as an SDET to access higher-paying roles. Tailor your CV to emphasise coding skills for SDET and testing strategy for QA roles.
How do I show the impact of QA on my CV?
Quantify quality improvements: defect reduction rates, test coverage increases, automation time savings, and escaped defect rates. Business impact metrics are powerful: 'Reduced production incidents by 60%, saving an estimated 200 hours of engineering time per quarter.' Show how your testing prevented issues rather than just finding them — prevention is more valuable than detection.