Meet a Tester: Hayk In Meet a Tester, we feature QA experts from our community who share their love for quality and Testlio. This time, the spotlight is on our long-standing Armenian TestLion, Hayk. Hayk Where are you from? I am from Goris, Armenia. My native language is Armenian, but I also speak Russian and English. What is your educational background? I have a bachelor’s degree in business economics and management, graduating from the University with a red diploma. (editor’s note: a red diploma is awarded for outstanding performance, equivalent with Magna Cum Laude) How did you end up testing for Testlio? I had been working on different platforms but weren’t happy with them. So I tried to find another platform to work with and came across Testlio’s job post on a freelancing job site 5 years ago. I had an interview with Kristel via Skype and was invited to test a messaging app (I still remember the app’s name but obviously can’t name it here for confidentiality reasons). I love testing and I don’t imagine myself without it. At Testlio I feel appreciated and that’s why I am still here. Some of my specialties include: Test Plan Design Functional testing Regression Testing Defect Management Mobile Device Coverage Management How does Testlio’s pay compare to your market rate? Testlio’s pay rate is very competitive compared to my market rate which is also one of the benefits of Testlio. And everything we do (even calls with project managers and etc.) are also tracked and compensated. What motivates you professionally? In general, I want to be a better tester and am always open to constructive feedback. I’m happy that I found myself in this field as I’ve never enjoyed any other work the way I enjoy testing. I believe that if you do what you like, you always do it professionally and give it your 100%. I set myself different goals that keep me motivated: at first, I just wanted to learn as much as possible from other testers and be generally better; from then on I wanted to become a Test Lead, which I’ve accomplished. Most of all, I just want to continue perfecting my skills and show that it’s never too late to learn something new and develop yourself. My favorite #lovetesting quote is: In God we trust. Everything else, we test. How do you manage the balance between testing and personal life? At Testlio we choose the hours we are available for testing and that makes my schedule flexible. I work from home and after the testing is done, I have time for my personal life and my friends. What motivates you professionally? Learning: as I said above, I love testing and can’t imagine myself without it. The variety of projects at Testlio gives me the opportunity to learn new technologies, new products, etc. Being appreciated: a person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected. What’s something interesting that has happened to you? One story that pops into my mind is from that one time I was in Zürich (Switzerland) for a business trip. Before going to Zürich, I had planned to learn some common German words as I knew that most people speak German over there, but unfortunately, I never actually got to it. So here I was with my friend at the local supermarket, and they announce something in German. Of course, we couldn’t understand anything and didn’t think twice about the announcement. But what happened was that they said the doors were closing at 9:00 pm… and long story short, my friend and I got locked inside the supermarket for a while until the security noticed us and took us out through the back door 🙂 What are some personal apps you like to use? One of my favorite apps is PicsArt (photo editor) which is one of the leading photo editing apps on mobile. How would you convince a friend to join Testlio? I’ve already invited several testers to sign up on the platform. They were looking for additional income and were working with other outsourcing companies, but they weren’t happy there. So I recommended Testlio and they joined. They have been happy ever since 🙂