When did you start working in RareJob Philippines, Inc.?

I started working at RareJob Philippines, Inc. just 5 months ago, in March 2024.

What made you choose RareJob as your company?

When I was still job hunting, I had a lot of invitations for interviews. Some of them were very chill and fun, and some were kind of nerve-wracking. But upon meeting the few people who interviewed me here at RareJob, every interview I had with them felt a little bit different to me. I felt challenged and I realized this is the kind of environment offered the growth I sought.

How has your experience been so far as a Senior Quality Assurance Engineer-I?

I would say it has been both challenging and fulfilling. I think it’s challenging because as a new employee, there are a lot of information that is still beyond my comprehension. At the same time, it is very fulfilling, because even if there are challenges that arise from time to time, I get to be a part of a team that creates solutions, and I get to see the successful application of these solutions.

Share with us how your day usually goes in the Quality Assurance Team.

I start my work day by checking messages to catch up on missed announcements and important updates from team group chats. I also check my calendar to view my upcoming meetings for the day, and shortly after, I create a task checklist (sometimes on a piece of paper, sometimes just on the computer notepad) that I need to prioritize for the day.

After all of that, I will just work on my project and non-project related tasks, and attend the scheduled meetings for the day. Aside from the scheduled meetings, I also meet with my teammates (usually unexpected) virtually to discuss concerns and investigate issues together to be able to come up a solution quickly.

I usually end my day by checking the tasks off my checklist just to know if there would be items that will be carried over to the next day.

What do you think is the most important aspect of your job, and what do you enjoy the most?

In a non-technical term, I think the most important aspect of my job is to ensure that our customers are able to use our online platforms effectively and efficiently while enjoying the experience through improved UI accessibility.

And as cliché as it sounds, what I enjoy the most about my job is finding issues and helping produce a successful end product that will be used by thousands of people.

What techniques do you employ to ensure that you are able to meet your deadlines and uphold quality in delivering your outputs at work?

I allocate a sufficient time for each task and prioritize them based on importance and impact. I also use our sprint plan as a guide for my project-related tasks and my notes for my non-related project tasks. Aside from that, I regularly communicate with my other team members to ensure clarity for each task that I need to complete.

But on a personal level, the most important technique that really works for me is knowing when to pause to reflect on my progress and regain the focus to meet deadlines and deliver high-quality work.

What do you think are the pros and cons of working from home, especially with the nature of your work?

For the pros, for an employee who lives very far from the office, it definitely eliminates the need to commute to work, meaning I have more time to do other things that I enjoy, and also more time to improve my technical skills.

As for the cons, first is the risk of overworking. Sometimes I get too focused on my tasks and I lose track of time resulting to working longer than I’m supposed to. Another is miscommunication – since we heavily rely on digital communication tools, we cannot really see the expressions of our colleagues, and sometimes this can potentially cause misinterpretations.

What hobbies and activities do you do to relax and destress from work?

My hobbies are watching random videos, TV series, and movies on streaming platforms. I also like to paint because it gives me so much comfort, and lastly I enjoy reading poetry books as it provides me a different perspective in life. Above all, I love playing online games with friends, and visiting different coffee shops because I really love coffee. 😀

With the increasing interest in the field of Software Quality Assurance, what advice can you give to our readers who aspire to build a career in the field?

Learn the basic fundamentals of Software Testing and have a deep understanding of Software Development and Software Testing Life Cycle. I personally believe that technical skills can be learned easily because we are in an era where everything is readily available online, so take advantage of these resources for your continuous improvement. But going beyond the technical skills, the advice I can give is to learn the ability to communicate your point of view well.