Erkan Yilmaz

Organization – Yilmaz Consulting

Role/Designation – Shareholder, Evangelist

Location – Karlsruhe, Germany

After working as Quality Manager for a German IT company, Erkan Yilmaz will make customers happy with his consulting company. In his free time he deepens his interest in systems thinking and history.

Q: How long have you been associated with software testing?

A: 6 years. Though I “tested” (software) much earlier, I just didn’t call it that way.

Q: How did you become a software tester?

A: During a particular university lecture I obtained an internship in quality assurance for an IT company. I liked the tasks + the people.

Q: By any means, do you regret being associated with software testing?

A: No. I had the opportunity to learn besides the so called software testing path. I got to know interesting individuals + learned more about my brain.

Q: Do you think software testing is less respected than other departments in IT industry?

A: It depends on whom you ask. One way to judge this could perhaps be by comparing the salary (though the question comes up how to generalize this). However, it becomes clearer when you tell people what you do for a living + see their reactions. I made the experience that when you give a more detailed description of your work people tend to respect it more. Some may see software testing just a repeating cycle, but actually it is all about learning (not at last about oneself).

Q: What will you suggest to people who want to join IT industry as software testers?

A: Don’t stop learning (e.g. engage in systems thinking)! Interact with people (from your field) outside the company! You will make errors but always be open about it!

Q: Where do you see software testing in next five years?

A: I see the rise of many Jane Doe + John Doe, providing inputs for others in the software testing field. I see how “tester clouds” will gain importance thus helping other testers to improve their skills. I also see better quality for open source software, since it is one good way to train testers in bug reporting. And this will help software testing in getting more acceptance + recognition (as a cognitive task).

Q: What qualities will you look for in a candidate when you want to recruit someone for software testing job?

A: I look how people approach problems. Since candidates are generally nervous at the beginning I give them items they are familiar with (pencil, pen, puncher, the chair they sit on …) + ask them to evaluate these. Later I want to see them working on a task that they actually expected (a “software” task).  Apart from that I also look if they are honest how they present themselves.

My advice for the interview: also swap tables and ask for the interviewer’s opinion. Don’t forget: the company must also suit you!

Q: Your weekend routine?

A: Talk with friends, listening to erhu + haegeum music + with a fresh coffee might even finish a book.

Q: Movie you would like to watch again?

A: Gladiator + from Bollywood genre: Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.

Q: “I am a social networking site geek” Or “I hate facebook /orkut / twitter”?

A: I use twitter + I’m using IRC a lot. I’m also enthusiastic about wikis (Wikipedia, Wikiversity, …).

https://i0.wp.com/www.testingcircus.com/wp-content/uploads/Erkan_Yilmaz-Testing-Circus.png?fit=373%2C506&ssl=1https://i0.wp.com/www.testingcircus.com/wp-content/uploads/Erkan_Yilmaz-Testing-Circus.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1Ajoy Kumar SinghaInterview with TestersInterview with TestersErkan Yilmaz Organization – Yilmaz Consulting Role/Designation – Shareholder, Evangelist Location – Karlsruhe, Germany After working as Quality Manager for a German IT company, Erkan Yilmaz will make customers happy with his consulting company. In his free time he deepens his interest in systems thinking and history. Q: How long have you been associated...