My Applover Path as a Software Tester – an interview with Jakub Kadulski

Jakub is one of the few people that built Applover from the ground up. He works at Applover for over 3 years now! Jakub is a Software Tester and a Tech Leader for the team. So let’s meet him and see what his Applover Path looked like!

Thank you for finding time for this interview, we know how busy you are! Let’s start with an easy question – How did you get a job at Applover?

When planning my career, my main goal was to gain real work experience quickly. I decided to study IT as part of my studies and work in it. When looking for an internship, I did not think that I would go towards software testing. I already had general experience in app and website development, so it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. 😉 I submitted my CV, after a successful interview, my internship began. The first thing I felt was a great comfort and the really positive people around me. And so I have been working at Applover for over 3 years now.

How did the recruitment process look like then?

Initially, the process was not too complicated. In the case of the software testing internship, the requirements were not too high, there was no need to program, but good communication and knowledge in ‌IT were required. In addition, if you knew someone who could certify that you are a fine fit for a given position, the road was easy. In this case, it was my sister who was working as a UX Designer at the time, for which I would like to thank her.

Currently, the entire recruitment process looks completely different, as previously Applover was focused on training new people, now we are looking for true professionals with experience. First, there is an initial interview with a person from the HR department, and after a positive CV verification, a technical interview with a tech lead (in this case with me) and one person from HR. As you know, such conversations are often stressful, which is why we focus on the great comfort of the applicants to get to know them better.

What did you beginnings at Applover look like?

I was introduced to work by Maciek – who holds the title of the first Applover’s software tester. The beginnings were difficult because most of the things were new and you had to learn a lot. The company also started to operate, not everything was arranged yet, there were almost no processes. After two months, I became the only tester in the company, so you can say that I jumped into the deep water. Although now I think it was a positive experience – I gained a lot of confidence. Soon after, a new tester, Michał, was hired, who had a lot of knowledge and taught me the test path. Then Bartek also joined, so there was not a small group of us hunting for bugs. The projects themselves varied, thanks to which I gained experience in various fields.

When did you become a tech leader, how did it change your day-to-day work?

I have been a tech leader for a year. My job so far has not changed much, only new responsibilities have come. The whole idea of ​​the leaders is to support the teammates on three levels: organizational, technical and communication with the management board. I started taking part in recruitment interviews, solving everyday department problems or supporting members of the department in making difficult project decisions, choosing a career path and exchanging knowledge. I am satisfied with the additional function because it really works in our company and in the testing department itself.

What is the most important for you at your job as a leader?

I think the most important thing for me is supporting the team. That they would know where to go with a given problem and not be left alone with it. Support is one of the core values at Applover so it’s really essential that we work accordingly. It is also important for me to indicate appropriate development paths and help in achieving personal goals.

How do you combine leadership commitment with work in the project?

The role of the leader didn’t affect my work too much, I managed to reconcile my new responsibilities with working on the projects. I like to help others, at the beginning of my career I missed a bit of a leader in the team, i.e. a person to whom I can go when I have a problem or do not know in which direction I could develop. It gives a lot of motivation for further work.

What project was the most challenging here for you and why?

Software for a container substitution and retrieval company, I believe. It is a web and mobile application for drivers and customers – you can read more about this project for Eko-logis here. The very idea is that the customer orders the container via the web / mobile application. After that, the forwarder sends the driver to substitute or pick up the container using a map or a form. In the beginning, the project didn’t seem too complicated, but as it happens in life, a lot of new threads emerged that had to be dodged. The very testing of such a large application takes a lot of time, and in addition, it had to be secured against potential shipper errors. It was highly challenging, but also very rewarding.

What tools do you use in your projects? Do you have any that you prefer better?

One of the more useful tools for the tester is the BrowserStack. It allows you to quickly reproduce the error reported by the client or show the developer an error if there is no such device. Another interesting tool is the Swagger, which allows you to perform backend requests from the browser level and is also documentation.

Edu sessions – how did they look like at your team?

Depending on the ideas and needs for edu, they are held every 2-3 weeks. From time to time, we also order a meal from integration funds to combine both learning and pleasure. During the edu session, one person prepares and displays the presentation and talks about a given topic. If it is a new tool, we try to make everyone familiar with it and click through it for themselves, because then everyone learns the most and questions arise.

Any plans or challenges that you await in the nearest future?

My biggest plan is to develop the QA department, adapt the testing process to the current form of application development at Applover and unify the testing responsibilities. Additionally, in the first quarter of 2022, I’m passing the ISTQB foundation-level exam. So keep your fingers crossed for me!

Do you have any advice for people who want to start their career as Software Testers? Maybe you can share your favorite knowledge sources?

In the beginning, I would consider which direction you would like to go, mobile or maybe web applications? Experience with rest API, knowledge of the HTTP protocol, postman and of course the English language will work in both. The advantage is also ISTQB and knowledge of a programming language, for example, JavaScript or Python.

I think ‌it is also worth taking an internship in order to gain experience and see what such work looks like in practice – most companies even when they don’t have open recruitment for internships, are keen to hire new people and train them. You can also check our Careers page. 
Moreover, an excellent source of knowledge for beginners is the Facebook groups, for example, “Tester oprogramowania – wsparcie na starcie” or the website testerzy.pl.