Pramod Dutta

5 questions you should ask in your next SDET interview 🚀 Most candidates focus only on answering questions. Strong SDETs also ask the right ones. Here are 5 questions that help you understand things better - 1️⃣ How is test automation integrated into your CI/CD pipeline? (Reveals ownership, feedback loops, and how seriously quality is treated.) 2️⃣ What types of tests do you rely on most: UI, API, contract, or unit? Why? (Shows the test pyramid in action — or the lack of it.) 3️⃣ How do you handle flaky tests in the pipeline? (Great signal of engineering discipline vs “just re-run it”.) 4️⃣ At what stage are SDETs involved in feature design? (Early involvement = proactive quality. Late involvement = firefighting.) 5️⃣ How do developers and SDETs collaborate on test coverage and quality metrics? (Tells you whether quality is shared or siloed.) Asking these questions not only helps you evaluate the company — it also positions you as a thinking, senior SDET. follow jyoti singla for more !

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How to Start QA Freelancing (Step-by-Step) 1. Choose Your QA Freelancing Niche Pick 1–2 areas you’ll offer as services: Manual Testing Web & Mobile App Testing API Testing (Postman) Automation Testing (Selenium + Java / JavaScript) Test Case Writing & Documentation Bug Reporting (JIRA / Trello / ClickUp) Performance Testing (JMeter) For you, best niches (based on your profile): ✔ Manual + Web testing ✔ Test planning & documentation ✔ Basic automation (Selenium) 2. Create a Strong Freelance Profile Platforms: Upwork Fiverr LinkedIn (to get direct clients) Malt / Guru / PeoplePerHour Profile Must Include: 2–3 line professional summary Your experience (2+ yrs) Services you offer Tools you know: JIRA, Postman, Selenium, TestRail, etc. Portfolio samples (very important) 3. Build a QA Portfolio (Even Without Clients) Create 4–6 portfolio items: Test Cases PDF Bug Report with screenshots Sample Test Plan Sample Test Execution Report Video of you testing a website Automation script (small) You already create test cases and documents—use them as portfolio pieces. 4. What Services to Sell as a QA Freelancer You can offer gigs like: Manual Testing Website testing Mobile app testing E-commerce testing SAAS product testing Documentation Test case writing Test plan creation QA process setup Bug reporting Automation Selenium test script writing Regression suite creation 5. How to Find Clients On Fiverr Create gigs like: "I will test your website or mobile app and provide a detailed bug report" "I will write professional test cases for your product" "I will test your UI/UX for usability issues" On Upwork Bid on: QA Tester Website testing Automation script tasks Test case writing On LinkedIn Post content like: Testing tips Before/after bug examples Short videos of you testing something Your portfolio Add a CTA: 📩 “DM me for freelance testing services.” 6. Expected Earnings Fiverr: $10 – $200 per project Upwork hourly: $8 – $25/hr Long-term clients: $300 – $1200 per month (part-time QA) You can easily build a side income while doing your job. 7. What You Need to Start Laptop + internet JIRA/Trello Postman Selenium (basic) Screen recorder (for client video reports) 8. Most Profitable Offers for QA Freelancers Full website QA + bug report Monthly QA support API testing Regression testing Automation setup #qa #freelancing #automation #earning

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🚀 𝗤𝗔 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗗𝗘𝗧 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 – 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽-𝗯𝘆-𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲! In today’s evolving tech landscape, the traditional Manual QA role is transforming. 🚧 If you're looking to future-proof your career and unlock 🔓 better salaries, product ownership, and automation-led roles in top tech companies — becoming an SDET (Software Development Engineer in Test) is the move to make. 🎯 In my latest video, I break down a complete 6-step roadmap: 1️⃣ Choose one language (Java/Python/JS) and master programming basics 2️⃣ Practice DSA to boost problem-solving 3️⃣ Learn Manual Testing concepts thoroughly 4️⃣ Get hands-on with Automation Testing (Selenium, Playwright) 5️⃣ Learn API testing + DB validation 6️⃣ Integrate with CI/CD pipelines 👉 Watch here: https://lnkd.in/gawbwfTA Instagram link - https://lnkd.in/gp9PjxBv 💬 Let me know in the comments: Where are YOU in this journey? SDET Course Link - https://lnkd.in/giMHjNwn #SDET #QAtoSDET #TechByJerry #SoftwareTesting #AutomationTesting #CareerGrowth #DevOps #LinkedInLearning #TechCareer #Roadmap

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Netomi recent SDET interview questions: Q1. Given logs with timestamps, find the longest idle period Input : Logs (sorted by time): 10:00:05 10:00:20 10:02:10 10:02:40 10:10:00 Output: Longest idle period: 440 seconds (From 10:02:40 to 10:10:00) Q2. Find the first non-repeating word in a sentence. Input: "this is a test this is simple" Output: "a" Q3. A feature works correctly for 90% of users but fails for power users. How do you approach testing? Q4. You have 9 identical-looking batteries, one is defective and drains faster. You can use the device only twice. How do you find the bad battery? Q5. What tests would you add if API responses are cached at multiple layers? Q6. How would you test an API that accepts files up to 5GB? Q7. How do you validate backward compatibility when a field is deprecated but still supported? Q8. The UI loads fast locally but slow in CI. how do you debug? Q9. How do you test UI features that depend on time zones? Q10. Have you worked with AI products. How do you test hallucination risk in AI outputs? Q11. Have you ever written a test that later became irrelevant. What did you learn from it? Q12. Have you ever found a bug or done some testing activity of which you are proud of? #SoftwareTesting #QATesting #SDET #TestingInterviews #QAInterviewQuestions #ProblemSolving #APITesting #AITesting #QualityEngineering

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🎯 Test Automation Tools - Every SDET Must Know ✅ UI Automation Tools:   - Selenium   - Playwright   - Cypress   - WebDriverIO  ✅ API Automation Tools:   - Postman   - Rest Assured   - Karate  ✅ Version Control Tools:   - GitHub   - GitLab   - Bitbucket  ✅ Build Automation Tools:   - Maven   - Gradle   - Bamboo  ✅ CI/CD Tools:   - Jenkins   - Azure DevOps   - GitHub Actions   - Kubernetes  ✅ Performance/Load Testing Tools:   - JMeter   - Gatling   - Locust  ✅ Mobile Automation Tools:   - Appium   - Espresso   - XCUITest  ✅ Security Testing Tools:   - OWASP ZAP   - Burp Suite  ✅ Other Essential Tools:   - TestNG   - JUnit   - Allure   - Extent Reports   - Docker   💡 Pro Tip: Mastering these tools ensures you're ready for real-world automation challenges! Follow Kushal Parikh for insightful content on Automation Testing! 🚀 Ultimate QA/SDET Interview Preparation Kit https://lnkd.in/dskETMfb 🚀 Automation Testing Practice Websites https://lnkd.in/dBzp5RAy Like, Follow & Share it with your friends if you find it useful! Happy Testing! #AutomationTesting #Selenium #SoftwareTesting #QA #Testers

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Manual testing is running out of time. Look at the last 20 years of software: > 2000s → Manual QA dominated. Releases every few months. > 2010s → Selenium, Cypress, and test frameworks automated pieces, but broke constantly. > 2020s → Agile + CI/CD forced teams to test every day, not every quarter. Now AI is the next jump. Self-healing automation means tests adapt as the code changes. Teams aren’t maintaining tests anymore, they’re shipping faster. The pattern is clear: testing has always evolved when release cycles demanded it. Today, AI is that evolution. Takeaway: If your testing strategy still looks like it did in 2018, you’re already behind. 👉 If this resonates, book a 15-minute conversation and let’s review how your current QA process can realistically improve: https://lnkd.in/efwumeQ4 👉 Or you can learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dvRTRgk9

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As a Sr. SDET, I’ve realized that testing is no longer just about validating features or writing automation scripts. To build reliable, scalable, and production-ready systems, SDETs must think like system designers. 🔹 Why system design is important for SDETs Modern systems are distributed, cloud-native, and failure-prone by design Bugs today often come from architecture gaps, not just code issues Understanding system design helps SDETs test behavior under stress, failures, and scale—not just happy paths 🔹 How system design thinking helps in my current role In my current work across Resiliency, Performance, and Availability, system design plays a critical role: ✅ Resiliency Design-level understanding helps simulate real-world failures—pod crashes, dependency failures, network latency—and validate whether the system self-heals and recovers gracefully. ✅ Performance Knowing request flows, bottlenecks, and data paths allows meaningful load, stress, and soak tests that reflect real production traffic—not synthetic benchmarks. ✅ Availability Testing redundancy, failover mechanisms, and graceful degradation ensures systems remain up even when parts of the system go down. 🔹 Impact This approach helps keep systems: Highly available Predictable under load Resilient to failures Production-ready, not just release-ready 💡 For SDETs aspiring to grow into senior or lead roles: System design isn’t optional anymore—it’s a force multiplier. Testing systems without understanding their design is like validating a bridge without knowing how it handles load. #SystemDesign #SDET #QualityEngineering #Resiliency #PerformanceTesting #Availability #DistributedSystems #EngineeringMindset

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Your QA Team Isn’t Slow - Your Process Is Broken. Too often, QA gets unfairly blamed when a release slips: “QA is taking too long.” “They always block the release.” “Why can’t they just approve it?” But let’s be honest - QA isn’t the bottleneck. Poor planning is. 🚨 What Actually Causes Delays? Here are the real reasons teams miss release deadlines (and it’s rarely QA’s fault): ❌ Last-minute handoffs - QA gets the build the night before release. ❌ No clear acceptance criteria : QA is expected to "just know" what to test. ❌ Buggy builds - QA wastes time reporting obvious issues instead of testing real features. ❌ No automation ,Yet teams expect lightning-fast regression testing. ✅ Good QA Doesn’t Slow Down Delivery On the contrary ,it protects your product and your users. Great QA = fewer production issues + happier customers. It’s time we fix the process, not the testers. So, How Do We Fix This? Here are proven tips & tricks to avoid common pitfalls and empower your QA team: 1. Involve QA Early (Shift Left Testing) Let QA join sprint planning, grooming, and design discussions. This helps them write test cases early and clarify ambiguities before development starts. 2. Define Clear Acceptance Criteria Make every user story testable. Use formats like Gherkin (Given/When/Then). Don’t assume - document expectations clearly for devs and testers. 3. Ensure Stable Builds Run unit and integration tests before giving builds to QA. If QA spends 50% of their time reporting crashes, you're wasting valuable test cycles. 4. Automate Repetitive Tests Automate smoke, regression, and sanity checks. Let testers focus on edge cases and exploratory testing, not clicking the same buttons daily. 5. Give QA Time to Test Last-minute builds = rushed testing = missed bugs. Plan realistic time for test execution, bug fixing, and retesting. 6. Foster Cross-Team Collaboration Encourage daily Dev-QA syncs and bug triage meetings. Treat QA as a partner, not an afterthought. 7. Track and Learn from Metrics Use KPIs like: • Defect rejection rate • Test case-to-requirement mapping • Bug leakage to production • Use data to improve the process, not to blame individuals. Final Thought Quality isn’t the job of one team, it’s the responsibility of the entire organization. A high-performing QA team can’t save a broken process. Fix your SDLC. Not your testers. Do you agree that QA gets blamed too often? What challenges do you face in your release pipeline? Let’s start a real conversation 👇 #QualityAssurance #SoftwareTesting #QAEngineer #DevVsQA #AgileTesting #ProductQuality #ReleaseManagement #SoftwareDevelopment #TestAutomation #SDLC #ShiftLeft #BugFixing #Teamwork #QACommunity #LinkedInArticles #SudhanshuYadavQualityExpert #Synorixaitechnologies

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Why does a Senior SDET need to know Binary Search? If an interviewer asks you to find the most frequent error in a 10GB log file, a Junior might say Put it all in a Hash Map. Why might a Senior candidate hesitate to put a 10GB file directly into a Hash Map in memory? (Hint: Think about the hardware limits of the machine running the test). I hear this question all the time. I automate UI, I write API tests, why do I need LeetCode patterns? Forget theoretical definitions. Think about these high-stakes scenarios where a DSA mindset saves you: 1. When Logs are Crashing Your System (And You Need the Root Cause FAST) Problem: You have 10GB of streaming logs. You need the top 5 most frequent error messages right now to know what's breaking. Storing it all in memory? Good luck with that OOM error. The DSA Solution: Heaps / Priority Queues: Senior Move: Instead of sorting 10GB (O(N log N)), use a Min-Heap of size 5. Process log entries in O(N log K) time. You're efficient, you're scalable. You found the bug while others are still loading the file. 2. When Deployments are a Minefield (And You Need to Bisect a Failure) Problem: A critical bug appeared somewhere between 100 recent builds. Manually testing each build to find the culprit will take days. The DSA Solution: Binary Search: Senior Move: Apply the git bisect logic to your test suite. If tests pass on build 50 and fail on build 75, the bug is between them. You cut down your search space from 100 builds to 7 in log_2(100) steps. 3. When API Responses are a Mess (And You Need to Validate Complex Structures) Problem: You get a deeply nested JSON response from a microservice. You need to verify if status: SUCCESS exists anywhere in the object, even if it's 20 levels deep, without hardcoding paths. The DSA Solution: Tree/Graph Traversal (BFS/DFS): Senior Move: Use BFS for the shortest path to a key or DFS for an exhaustive search to find a specific value. Your test code is robust to structural changes, not brittle. Follow Sahil kapoor for more ! Start your journey: https://lnkd.in/gnka-4K8

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9 years in QA. 4 years leading teams. Applied to 25 QA Lead roles. Not a single interview. When I read his resume, I found the gap. His experience section was still written like an IC. → "Wrote test cases" → "Performed regression testing" → "Found critical bugs" Nothing about leadership. Nothing about team building. Nothing about process improvement. I asked: "What did you actually do as a lead?" He'd: → Built a QA team from 2 to 8 members → Reduced release cycle from 3 weeks to 1 week → Implemented automation that saved 120 hours/month Why wasn't this on his resume? "I didn't want to exaggerate." Here's the truth: Writing facts isn't exaggeration. It's marketing. We rebuilt his resume around leadership: ❌ "Led QA team" ✅ "Built and scaled QA team from 2 to 8 engineers — established automation framework that reduced release cycle by 66%" Added a "Leadership Highlights" section: → Team scaling (2 → 8) → Process design (Agile QA implementation) → Stakeholder management (directly reported to CTO) And positioned him clearly: "FinTech QA Lead | Payments & Lending | Team Building & Test Automation Strategy" Result: Sharp increase in Naukri profile views and inbound calls. If you're a lead, your resume should lead with leadership. Not with test cases. DM your resume — let me show you what's missing.

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🚀 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐀𝐏𝐈 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐐𝐀 / 𝐒𝐃𝐄𝐓 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 API testing is no longer optional for QA and SDET roles — it's a core expectation in both projects and interviews. To help QA engineers prepare practically and confidently, I've created a set of new hands-on tutorials and a practice playground focused on real-world API testing skills. 🔗 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞: 📘 API Testing Fundamentals: https://lnkd.in/gi3_YCkf 🧪 API Playground (Practice APIs): https://lnkd.in/g43C269D 📘 REST Assured Tutorial: https://lnkd.in/gnQf9NdG 💡 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧: API testing concepts from QA & SDET interview perspective Writing clean, maintainable REST Assured tests Validating status codes, headers, payloads, and schemas Handling authentication, negative scenarios, and edge cases Thinking beyond "happy path" and testing APIs like an engineer 👥 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫: Manual QA engineers moving into API automation Automation testers preparing for QA/SDET interviews SDETs looking to strengthen backend testing fundamentals Anyone who wants hands-on API practice, not just theory 🎯 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: Most QA interviews don't just ask "Do you know REST Assured?" They ask: How would you test this API? What validations really matter? How would you design maintainable API tests? These tutorials are built to help you answer those questions with confidence. 🔗 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: API Basics: https://lnkd.in/gi3_YCkf Practice APIs: https://lnkd.in/g43C269D REST Assured: https://lnkd.in/gnQf9NdG If you're preparing for QA/SDET roles, feel free to comment, DM me, or tag someone who's currently working on API testing skills. #QA #SDET #APITesting #RESTAssured #TestAutomation #InterviewPreparation #QualityEngineering

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🚀 New in Selenium 4: Official Support for Opening New Tabs & Windows! Earlier, opening a new tab required JavaScript hacks like window.open() — not ideal, right? Now, Selenium 4 makes it clean and simple with: driver.switchTo().newWindow(WindowType.TAB); // For new tab driver.switchTo().newWindow(WindowType.WINDOW); // For new window 🔍 Use Case: Imagine testing a scenario where clicking a link opens a new tab (e.g., "Terms & Conditions" or a payment gateway). Now, you can handle it without relying on JavaScript or brittle workarounds. 💻 Sample Code: import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver; import org.openqa.selenium.WindowType; import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver; public class MultipleTabsTest { public static void main(String[] args) { WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(); driver.get("https://www.google.com"); // Open a new tab and switch to it driver.switchTo().newWindow(WindowType.TAB); driver.get("https://www.wikipedia.org"); // Go back to original tab if needed for (String handle : driver.getWindowHandles()) { driver.switchTo().window(handle); } driver.quit(); } } 🧠 Note: While this works smoothly in Chrome and Edge, browsers like Firefox may still open a new window instead of a tab. #Selenium4 #TestAutomation #QATools #Java #SeleniumTips #SoftwareTesting #WebDriver #AutomationEngineer #QualityAssurance #SDET #LinkedInTech

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🎯 **Tips to Crack SQA Interviews** 🔹 **1. Master the Fundamentals** Understand the core QA concepts deeply: * **SDLC**, **STLC**, **Bug Life Cycle** * **Functional vs Non-Functional Testing** * **Smoke, Sanity, Regression, UAT** 📘 *Pro Tip:* Be able to explain each with a short real-world example. --- ### 🔹 **2. Write Test Cases Confidently** Interviewers often ask you to design test cases for: * Login Page * Signup Form * E-commerce Cart ✅ *Follow this pattern:* **Test Case ID | Test Scenario | Steps | Expected Result** --- ### 🔹 **3. Learn Common Tools** Get hands-on with: * **JIRA** → Bug Tracking * **Postman** → API Testing * **Selenium / Cypress** → Automation Basics * **SQL** → Data Validation 📘 *Even basic knowledge shows initiative!* --- ### 🔹 **4. Be Strong in Bug Reporting** Learn to write clear, concise, and reproducible bugs: 🪲 Include → *Steps to reproduce, Expected vs Actual Result, Severity & Priority.* --- ### 🔹 **5. Expect Scenario-Based Questions** These test your real-world thinking. 🧠 Examples: * “You find a bug just before release — what do you do?” * “How do you prioritize test cases under tight deadlines?” --- ### 🔹 **6. Learn a Bit of Automation** Even if you’re a manual tester, understanding automation concepts like **locators**, **frameworks**, or **test scripts** gives you an edge. --- ### 🔹 **7. Revise API & Database Testing** * Understand **GET, POST, PUT, DELETE** methods in Postman. * Practice **basic SQL queries** (SELECT, UPDATE, DELETE). --- ### 🔹 **8. Communicate Clearly** Explain your thoughts step by step. Even if you don’t know the exact answer, show logical reasoning and testing mindset. --- ### 🔹 **9. Prepare for Behavioral Questions** Examples: * “Tell me about a bug you found in production.” * “How do you handle disagreements with developers?” 📘 *They test your teamwork and ownership skills.* --- ### 🔹 **10. End with Smart Questions** At the end of the interview, ask: > “What testing tools or frameworks does your QA team use?” > “How do you ensure quality in your CI/CD process?” 🎯 It leaves a confident, professional impression. #qa #sqa #tester

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🎯 Cracking QA Interviews at Top Companies Top tech companies are raising the bar for QA/SDET roles. Interviews now test: ✅ Problem-solving & coding skills ✅ Automation frameworks & engineering principles ✅ Test strategy & risk analysis ✅ Communication & stakeholder alignment Preparing for interviews isn’t just about solving LeetCode problems — it’s about demonstrating end-to-end QA thinking. 💬 What’s one tip you wish you knew before your last QA interview? 📢 Follow Aswin Edavalath for more tips on QA/SDET interview prep and career guidance! #QualityAssurance #SDET #TestAutomation #InterviewPreparation #SoftwareTesting #CareerGrowth

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Everyone wants to be an SDET. No one wants to read the actual docs. You can binge tutorials & copy scripts — still doesn't mean you understand testing. Tutorials are Netflix 🍿, docs are the gym 🏋️‍♂️ — one entertains, the other transforms. Real growth starts when you stop following & start exploring. 🫡 #QA #SDET #TestAutomation #LearnByDoing #CareerInTech

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