Junior Software Testing Analyst Review

My role is to prepare the devices which are being tested. This involves speaking to a variety of external parties, and updating various documents. I also assist with resolving any issues which occur during testing. Furthermore, I provide general assistance (such as updating devices as per the test requirements). My role involves lots of emails and communication.

Most of the skills used for my role were completely new to me - I have learnt a lot about Linux commands, for example. I've vastly developed my Excel skills and my communication skills. As my role involves so much communication, it is vital that I am able to communicate over calls, emails and messages in a clear and polite way.

Generally, I enjoy the programme quite a lot. At the time, I felt like a lot of the content of the apprenticeship wasn't relevant to my work, but since completing the programme I have realised how much of it is still useful now. My learning mentor with the training provider was incredibly friendly and helpful which helped with my experience.

My programme was very well structured and organised, with clear deadlines and courses spread across the duration of it. I had regular meetings with my learning mentor in which we discussed my progress. However, the work I was doing in the working day often did not relate to what I was supposed to be learning, and no attempt was made to fix this until the end of my programme which resulted in a lot of unnecessary stress.

Generally speaking, the support from my employer was good. I was able to choose the day I had off every week to work on my apprenticeship, and whenever I had a question or needed some information people were quick to respond and offer assistance. However, the people responsible for ensuring I was getting the necessary experience did not do this when promised, which affected my ability to meet the final deadline.

I received a lot of support. My apprenticeship involved completing the ISTQB Foundation Exam. My training provider put me on a course to teach me the required information, and provided a book of information and practice questions. I had regular meetings with my learning mentor who was always quick to offer support and resources to help me to work towards my qualifications.

A lot of my course was designed to be inline with the ISTQB qualification, which is the standard qualification for software testers to hold. I therefore feel like most of what I learnt helps me with my role, as it has given me a fundamental understanding of the practises used.

There's a club at my company which you can join for a small monthly fee. Outside of Covid, there are always lots of events going on, and they are all organised by employees so you have the option to set up your own event which will be company funded. There is a football club outside of this, and there are regular competitions between the different teams in the company. We're given 1 day a year to use for charity work, and are encouraged to use this to give back to the community. There are also regular training opportunities and we are encouraged to look for courses to advance our careers.

Yes

The company is very welcoming to apprentices who have not yet started their working life, and everyone makes an effort to make you feel included and to teach you what you need to know. We have a group chat on teams dedicated to those of us who are early in our careers, so there's a lot of support available.

CGI cares a lot about fitting into the company image of being friendly, polite and hard working. In your application, make sure you talk about any volunteering or charity work you have done and how that has helped you to develop as a person. Skills and experience are important too, but most of the interview process is geared towards getting to know you so just be open, honest and friendly.