IT's testing the new waters

The apparent downturn in the IT sector has left one segment untouched: software testing services. According to industry estimates, testing services will grow at more than 50 per cent per annum at present and also, over the next couple of years. This rapid growth has translated into a rise in demand for software testing services professionals across the levels.

Says Makarand Teje, CEO, AppLabs, a software testing services company: “Global testing services delivered out of India will come to about $2-3 billion (Rs 8,600-12,900 crore) in 2008-09. According to industry estimates, it will grow fourfold by another 3-4 years.”

AppLabs has 1,600 employees in India, spread across three sites in Hyderabad. The company is looking at ramping up its workforce by 500 during the year ending March 2009.

“The slowdown in unlikely to impact testing services because testing solutions are being done for sectors across industry— including retail and BFSI, among others,” says Kris Lakshmikanth, founder CEO and Managing Director, The Head Hunters India.

The job of a software testing professional is to verify and validate that the application being developed is functioning as per specifications. Sai Chintala, Vice President for Testing Services at AppLabs, explains: “Software testing is the process used to measure the quality of computer software that’s built against a set of requirements.” Testing can also involve development because one needs to build tools to automate the testing.

If you are looking for an edge in a testing services career, it will pay to hone your soft-skills. Says Teje: “A tester’s job is to think and write as many scenarios as possible. Analytical ability and aptitude is important.” Professionals with sales backgrounds and technical delivery backgrounds are much sought after as they are suited for client management roles.

—Saumya Bhattacharya

Fact box Who’s hiring: Software services companies such as Infosys Technologies and Wipro Technologies and, testing services companies like Applabs and Aztek, among others. Who’re they hiring: Engineering graduates at the entry level, engineering graduates with exposure to domains like retail, insurance and auto for lateral hiring. At what levels: Associate Software Engineers, Software Engineers, Senior Software Engineers (3-5 years of work experience), Team Leads (over 6 years work experience), and Test Process Consultants (10 or more years of work experience). At what salaries: Entry level salaries range from Rs 2-4.5 lakh per annum. Testing professionals with more than two years of experience command Rs 4-6 lakh p.a. The compensation grows with experience. The compensation package for Vice President and Industry Specialist is in the range of Rs 25-40 lakh per annum. What are the numbers like: Industry estimates put the requirement for testing services professionals in India at around 25,000 in 2008 alone. This demand is expected to grow over the next few years.