Test Analyst (preferably contract)

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johcar

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#236384 30-May-2018 15:12

I am based in Auckland - looking for work around the CBD or the Shore. This is the first time in ten years I have have any kind of extended hiatus in my roles.

I've been testing now for a couple of decades - mostly for large corporates, various industries, enterprise systems, with a fair amount of data migration thrown in.

My last role finished at the end of February - so I thought, well, there won't be much advertised in March, so I'll take a couple of weeks off and start looking in earnest in late March.

There have been a few contract roles advertised, but most have required test automation experience (which I haven't had any exposure to). The roles that I have applied for because they seem to fit my skillset, I don't even get the courtesy of a reply! And most ads seem not to have a contact name/number, so I can't even follow up to find out what I'm not seeing! I think I have lost what little confidence I used to have in recruiters.

So here I am at the end of May, with savings rapidly depleting, still looking.

I am listed at a number of agencies (which has done me no good so far), and I have reached out to my LinkedIn network, plus family and friends.

I am even considering permie work (despite having contracted for most of my IT life) but can see employers thinking that "he'll be off as soon as a contract role comes up", despite my individual contract roles averaging over two years...

I'm not at the end of my tether yet - but I can see it!

Any assistance/advice gratefully received.

surfisup1000

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#2026154 31-May-2018 12:04

The problem is your age.

Good luck though.

[edit] why do I say this? because i have never had any trouble finding jobs...until i turned 40. Very hard worker, excellent references from very well known people/organisations, but can't get work.

The only reason I can fathom is that I am older, and probably should get out of technical side of IT.

kryptonjohn

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#2026208 31-May-2018 13:09

You've been around the traps for a while so probably know and are known by a lot of clients, who maybe don't always advertise their vacancies. I think you should get in contact with all your old clients and see if there's anything they need your help with. They could be sitting there thinking "gee I wish we could get hold of johcar". This has worked for me in the past.

johcar

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#2026270 31-May-2018 14:16

surfisup1000:

The problem is your age.

Good luck though.

[edit] why do I say this? because i have never had any trouble finding jobs...until i turned 40. Very hard worker, excellent references from very well known people/organisations, but can't get work.

The only reason I can fathom is that I am older, and probably should get out of technical side of IT.

Beginning to think you maybe right - although why a highly experienced person is more desirable than a pimply-faced youth I have no idea (apart from what it might cost, of course!)

johcar

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#2026271 31-May-2018 14:17

kryptonjohn:

You've been around the traps for a while so probably know and are known by a lot of clients, who maybe don't always advertise their vacancies. I think you should get in contact with all your old clients and see if there's anything they need your help with. They could be sitting there thinking "gee I wish we could get hold of johcar". This has worked for me in the past.

Cheers. Yup. Done that...

Wiggum

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#2026349 31-May-2018 16:13

surfisup1000:

The problem is your age.

Good luck though.

[edit] why do I say this? because i have never had any trouble finding jobs...until i turned 40. Very hard worker, excellent references from very well known people/organisations, but can't get work.

The only reason I can fathom is that I am older, and probably should get out of technical side of IT.

Surely you dont need to disclose your age anymore in CV's/job interviews etc? If they ask then surely this is bordering on the lines of discrimination? You either fit for the job or not. Age/sex/pregnancy plans dont have anything to do with it :-p

johcar

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#2026356 31-May-2018 16:31

Wiggum:

surfisup1000:

The problem is your age.

Good luck though.

[edit] why do I say this? because i have never had any trouble finding jobs...until i turned 40. Very hard worker, excellent references from very well known people/organisations, but can't get work.

The only reason I can fathom is that I am older, and probably should get out of technical side of IT.

Surely you dont need to disclose your age anymore in CV's/job interviews etc? If they ask then surely this is bordering on the lines of discrimination? You either fit for the job or not. Age/sex/pregnancy plans dont have anything to do with it :-p

No you don't - and you're correct, it's illegal for them to ask.

But it's easy enough to take a stab in the dark with the timeline of work history in the CV. I've even chopped off some of the earlier stuff to see if it makes a difference...

HP

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surfisup1000

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#2026364 31-May-2018 16:45

Wiggum:

surfisup1000:

The problem is your age.

Good luck though.

[edit] why do I say this? because i have never had any trouble finding jobs...until i turned 40. Very hard worker, excellent references from very well known people/organisations, but can't get work.

The only reason I can fathom is that I am older, and probably should get out of technical side of IT.

Surely you dont need to disclose your age anymore in CV's/job interviews etc? If they ask then surely this is bordering on the lines of discrimination? You either fit for the job or not. Age/sex/pregnancy plans dont have anything to do with it :-p

No, but when you say you have 20 years of experience that puts you at probably 40+.

I've been out of work for a year or so now. Just can't get back in. Not even getting interviews.

The IT places round here seem staffed by 30 and unders.

surfisup1000

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#2026378 31-May-2018 17:14

Wiggum:

Surely you dont need to disclose your age anymore in CV's/job interviews etc? If they ask then surely this is bordering on the lines of discrimination? You either fit for the job or not. Age/sex/pregnancy plans dont have anything to do with it :-p

They know from your work history. I've been out of work for a year or so now. Not even getting interviews. I suspect my age could be the issue.

I've never had trouble looking for a job before 40, opportunities appear and I got them. So actually looking for jobs is a bit of a novel experience for me.

One job was an almost perfect match, but not even an interview. I have amazing references (best employee ever, from one Telco CIO), but employers never even read the refs as I don't get the interview.

Much of my work has been for overseas companies though, so while i have a great foreign network the local one ain't so great (tip: keep in contact with workmates from old jobs haha).

Fortunately, because I was good at what I do I was highly paid , so have good savings and mortage free house, no debt etc. Could possibly retire with a bit of budgeting but I would prefer working.

Admittedly, I have treated the last year as a bit of a holiday, only really seriously started looking in the last couple of months. Fortunately I am not the type to get depressed, so whatever happens happens. .. .

marpada

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#2026444 31-May-2018 19:05

You can be on top our your game as long as you keep your skills sharp, having 20 years of experience doesn't mean that you're only good at Cobol and AS/400. OP identified a gap in his resume (lack of automation experience) that it's a huge competitive disadvantage against other candidates with that skill. But honestly I even see tested with automation skills struggling as the current trend is that developers take ownership of the testing process.

Wiggum

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#2029748 5-Jun-2018 12:06

marpada:

You can be on top our your game as long as you keep your skills sharp, having 20 years of experience doesn't mean that you're only good at Cobol and AS/400. OP identified a gap in his resume (lack of automation experience) that it's a huge competitive disadvantage against other candidates with that skill. But honestly I even see tested with automation skills struggling as the current trend is that developers take ownership of the testing process.

Developers taking ownership of the testing process is very bad practice IMO. Developers often lack the skills as to how the software is going to be used in the real world. Its best to leave the acceptance/integration/system testing to the Test Analyst to avoid bias. This does not mean the developer does not test before handing over to the Test Analyst. In my experience software is more prone to be released with bugs when testing is owned or tested completely by developers.

Wiggum

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#2029749 5-Jun-2018 12:08

Something else for the Op: If you want to stay ahead of your game make sure you have agile (scrum/kanban) experience. I see this trend with a lot of IT companies these days. The waterfall model in software development is mostly dead.

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kryptonjohn

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#2029770 5-Jun-2018 12:34

Wiggum:

marpada:

You can be on top our your game as long as you keep your skills sharp, having 20 years of experience doesn't mean that you're only good at Cobol and AS/400. OP identified a gap in his resume (lack of automation experience) that it's a huge competitive disadvantage against other candidates with that skill. But honestly I even see tested with automation skills struggling as the current trend is that developers take ownership of the testing process.

Developers taking ownership of the testing process is very bad practice IMO. Developers often lack the skills as to how the software is going to be used in the real world. Its best to leave the acceptance/integration/system testing to the Test Analyst to avoid bias. This does not mean the developer does not test before handing over to the Test Analyst. In my experience software is more prone to be released with bugs when testing is owned or tested completely by developers.

Very true. As the developer wrote it he won't spot any bugs as he didn't knowingly code any! (speaking from personal experience).

I think developers and testers are best with different personality types. Free-spirited creative types versus detail-attentive types. Reminds me of the old joke: In Heaven: the cooks are French, the policemen are English, the mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian and the bankers are Swiss. In hell: the cooks are English, the policemen are German, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss and the bankers are Italian....