The current job market is quite full of opportunities for testers, however it seems difficult to find the right job offer considering that a lot of companies (aware of it or not) use titles "Software Tester" and "QA Engineer" interchangeably. Tricentis addressed this issue in their article explaining differences between these positions, however I would like to expand it a little further with general definitions of testing and quality assurance.

Testing

Testing is a process which allows for the improvement of the software’s quality, therefore the more significant issues we find during testing, we can avoid more impactful faults before they reach the client, and ultimately improve the quality of the software (Singh, 2020, p.4). Testing itself enhances the quality of a product.

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance is mainly focused on adherence to appropriate processes to ensure that the sufficient levels of quality are achieved, moreover, implementation of these processes can further contribute to prevention of defects (Singh, 2020, p.5).

There is a thin line between testing and quality assurance, therefore it is vital to recognise their differences and similarities.

Tricentis’ description of a Software Tester is quite narrow and focuses mainly on responsibilities and traits of a QA Engineer. 

It specifies that QA Engineers have to step into the shoes of the user and further ensure that they communicate to the team if the software is high or low quality, and whether any improvements can be made to enhance the user experience. Furthermore, Tricentis describes that Testers are responsible for ensuring that these set standards are met (even if that means that they need to break the software to later improve it).

I believe that it is important for employers to understand these differences and ensure that jobs which they offer correlate with their actual expectations for a certain position. This could have a significant impact on recruitment of appropriate job candidates, and it would also highlight that the company is knowledgeable about the topic.

Singh, N., K., (2020) A Guide to ISTQB Foundation Certificate. White Falcon Publishing.