People tend to get the most satisfaction from something they really like doing. Is that also the case for you?
The nice thing about testing is the versatility. It's very rare that I spend all day behind my laptop looking for bugs and errors. Most of the time I'm busy networking, bringing all the different parties together and talking to them about requirements and specifications for the end product.
In most companies, analysis is infrequent or poor, with a corresponding lack of clear requirements. My job is therefore all about creating my own evaluation framework, entering into a dialog with everyone who will come into contact with the application. I find the application's users and figure out how they need it to work. By listening carefully and thinking creatively, a senior tester can always bring things to light that haven't yet been considered. Creative thinking in co-creation mode and the constant discussion throughout that process really energize me.
When asked what you wanted to be when you grew up, was 'tester' your fall-back answer?
No, I had a very different answer. A job I think far more children tend to prefer, namely flight attendant. That is also what happened. I was a flight attendant on long-haul flights for thirteen years. Thanks to that job, I saw the world. I even lived abroad. At a certain stage, I got the urge to settle down after all. I took a job as an executive secretary and had my lovely daughter. My (now former) husband was a tester, and he brought me into contact with that world. After my divorce, I thought: "Don't get mad, get even," and looked for courses to become a tester myself. I found a training course online, learned the material inside out and passed the exam. Although I didn't have much of a feel for testing yet back then, the certificate opened up a world of job opportunities. I started working as a junior tester, learning on the job. It was a purely emotional gamble, but one that brought about a very significant career change.
You have been testing for 10 years now. Is there a particular moment that stands out for you when your experience really made a difference?
At one point, I arrived at a customer site where testing was an unknown discipline. They did do some testing, but only by the end users, as a bit of an afterthought. They did not create any scenarios, use any tools, or document anything. I had just walked into a company without any test approach at all. It was quite a challenge. Because nothing was in place, I made do with the tools that were available to me, such as Excel. A lot of people don't know all the possibilities hidden away in that application. One day I opened a closet and saw a box for Quality Center, an expensive testing tool. It had probably been purchased at some point with the very best of intentions and then completely forgotten. Of course to me it was a godsend. I grabbed the tool and started explaining it to the people there. Testing is now hugely important to that company. They have realized how much money testing can save if it is included in the process from the start. Many companies do not yet understand the importance of the pre-production testing phase. The company had not hired me to set up testing as such, but my pragmatic approach and experience did set in motion quite a transformation. Thanks to my perseverance, nurtured by my experience, I managed to create something beautiful despite the blank canvas.
Because of your experience, your job title now includes the word 'senior'. What does that word mean to you?
It gives you a certain confidence, allowing you to stand your ground, both as an individual and in your dealings with others. Experience and being a senior tester lead to a lot of independence. You are at the forefront of the decision-making process and are given the freedom to find your own way through a project. Over the years, my pride in my achievements has grown, the successful marketing of an application for instance. In a senior position, you are a lot more closely involved in the project. You often have the right to make decisions in your own domain, which increases your responsibility, and therefore also your pride.
Your professional knowledge also reaches a certain level. Certain things become more automatic and that gives you room to focus on other aspects of a project. For example, I currently immerse myself a lot more in business processes, which certainly benefits our testing.
You work on-site at the customer site as a full-time external consultant. Does that prevent you from feeling a true connection with Realdolmen?
I joined Realdolmen thanks to a friend in IT. My job at the time made me feel more and more like just a number. The human aspect was missing and that was eating away at me. On visiting the Realdolmen job page, I felt confident that aspect would be more present here. Now, one year later, I am glad that I went with my gut feeling. You can feel the passion for people. Here we refer to it as employee centricity. Even though I am always at the customer, I stay intrinsically connected to Realdolmen. That feeling is important to me. A customer assignment is always finite, but working for Realdolmen is permanent. After all those years up in the air, I know for certain that I have made a safe landing here.