Quality Assurance resume examples & templates

Your title says a lot about the expectations for your job application. You assure quality, therefore, your quality assurance resume must be of the highest quality. Every detail counts in your job, so you need to show your high standards from the start.

To ensure a positive outcome in your job hunt, you need to use the same skills you apply to inspecting new products and processes. You have made many judgments in your career and now your future employer will make judgments about you.

To ensure that you show off your very best, you may consider using professional job-hunting  tools such as the resume examples and resume guides at Resume.io, where you will also find an online resume builder. 

This resume guide, along with the corresponding quality assurance resume example will cover the following topics:

• What does a quality assurance professional do?
• How to write a quality assurance resume (tips and tricks)
• The best format for a quality assurance resume
• Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education, skills)
• Professional resume layout and design hints.

What does a quality assurance professional do?

Quality assurance professionals have tremendous responsibility when it comes to the safety and functionality of their projects. They are not the same as quality control inspectors, whose job it is to check finished products to ensure they are good enough for market.

Increasing automation and technological advances have led to a steep decline in quality control positions, but quality assurance professionals may be in high demand, depending upon the niche in which you work. Industries such as software engineering, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical devices, health care, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and chemical development all use quality assurance professionals.

How to write a quality assurance resume

You know the devil is in the details. That’s why, before you even start thinking about your quality assurance resume, you need to know what should go into it. Your CV should contain the following elements:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

You will appreciate the structured approach to resumes as you are detail-oriented and process-driven. Each element above should maintain a consistent tone that falls in line with the culture of the company to which you are applying and the nature of your role. That means personalizing each application. Your resume should also reflect your attention to detail and the streamlined processes you develop.

You can achieve that by:

• Keeping your future employer’s needs in mind and write as if you are communicating with that company
• Make a winning first impression with a clean, professional design and template that represents your style visually
• Optimize your resume with keywords and phrases that will help you overcome the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) hurdle.

Choosing the best resume format for quality assurance

The tried-and-true reverse chronological order resume is most likely to be your best bet format. Why? Because it works and because it makes it easy for recruiters to find the information they seek within your quality assurance resume. 

If you are in a technology or specialty field and need to highlight niche or complex skills, you may want to use functional resume format instead. Within this format, you can expand your skills section to show off your expertise and contract your employment history to a simple listing of employers or contract engagements. 

Other life situations that call for different resume types are gaps in work history, first-time entry into the job market or career changing. Check out our alternate formats for more information on how to write resumes in those circumstances.

Resume summary example

What is a resume summary? Don’t get hung up on the word summary. If it helps you to imagine this section better, think of it (or even call it) a profile. While the rest of your quality assurance resume is concisely written, here you have about five sentences to delve into your personal work philosophy and explain exactly why you are the right person for the job.

Essentially, you are answering the following question the hiring manager has: How will you alleviate my pain point? Hiring managers have a position to fill for a reason and they crafted the job description to find the person to solve their problem. Make sure you tell them how you will do that in your summary. Don’t be shy! Include complimentary words to describe your personality and work style as well as your quality assurance abilities.

Since this may be the toughest section to compile, check out some of our related resume samples for more guidance. We offer a production worker resume sample, manufacturing technician resume example, material handler resume sample, machine operator resume example and operations manager resume sample among others.

See the quality assurance resume example text below to get you started.

Employment history sample

Your employment history section is where reverse chronological order comes into play on your quality assurance CV. Start with your most recent job and work your way back no farther than 10 years. Think through all the responsibilities you’ve had as a starting point. Then, try to show how you solved problems and improved processes through those responsibilities.

There’s no need to write in complete sentences on a CV. Start out with a strong verb that describes an action you took and how it solved a problem. Include hard data, if you have it, or details that show your results. The more specific you can be, the better your resume is.

The resume sample text below gives you an idea of an employment history.

Resume skills example

Why do you need a skills section? After all, these attributes appear in your summary and work history sections. You need this section of your quality assurance resume because it allows hiring managers to quickly decide whether you’re a great candidate without drilling further down into your document.

Within this vital component of your resume, you should list your top 5-7 skills, tailored to each individual job. Above, we mentioned that you need to be excellent at understanding people, and that is true. Make sure you list those soft skills as well as the technical skills you have developed throughout your career.

See the quality assurance professional resume example content below.

Quality assurance resume education example

The education section of a quality assurance resume sample shows off your academic successes. You probably have a bachelor’s degree and maybe even an advanced degree. List those here. (No need to include your high school diploma if you have a master’s degree.)

You may also choose to list any professional certificates you have earned or classes you have taken that are relevant to your career.

If you have more than one or two professional affiliations, awards or publications and you have the space, consider adding a section to include those.

See resume example content for formatting this section below.

Resume layout and design

Presentation may not be everything, but it sure is a lot. You’re a detail-oriented person so make sure your attention to detail extends to your design and layout. Make your design stand out without getting flashy. Your goal is to keep it clean and organized, just like your work process. Check out our resume samples for ideas.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Go easy on your reader’s eyes by leaving plenty of white space.
• Stay away from gimmicks and flash -- you want hiring managers to read the content, not be distracted by the layout.
• Resist the temptation to narrow the margins or lower the type size to fit in more of your amazing accomplishments. If it’s too hard to read, your carefully crafted bullet items won’t matter.
• Proofread, or use an online resume-builder (like ours) that includes spellcheck.

Consider using one of our expertly-designed resume templates to save time and the hassle of formatting your document. 

Quality Assurance text-only resume example

Key takeaways for a quality assurance resume

1. Depending on the niche, quality assurance professionals have some good opportunities, if they can show higher-level skills.
2. Understanding people is as important as your highly developed technical and data analysis talent.
3. Take the time to focus your resume sample for each prospective employer.
4. Make sure your detail orientation shines through in your layout and design.
5. Using the online resume maker as a way to make your life easier and the job application process - faster!