Life at Grape Solutions: an interview with our Senior Software Tester, Attila Katona-Nagy

Attila is a core member of the testing team, contributing to fine-tuning the quality of Grape's and our partners' software. We asked him to tell us more about his weekdays at Grape, what a day in the life of a software tester looks like.

Why did you choose to work at Grape Solutions?
Throughout the recruitment process, communication was open and honest. I also liked that the team was amiable, which was already noticeable during the interview. There is not the rigid over-regulation in day-to-day operations that you find in many large companies. On the professional side, Grape is a good place to gain experience in a wide range of areas, with a wide variety of projects and the opportunity to switch between them regularly. In addition, you can be placed on your development projects, where you work with familiar Grape team members, or join external projects, where you can learn more skills from colleagues in partner companies.

How does your role look at Grape, and how would you describe it in one sentence?
I do testing. Testers are a kind of quality assurance gatekeepers who continuously report anomalies in the development process, supporting project managers in their decisions on prioritising tasks. We provide information on the system's suitability for a demo, for handover to customers, and the known technological risks that the software may still carry. Our job is not just to test the completed functionality but to help the process from the beginning, from the formulation of the standard requirements, by commenting on the specification to reduce potential misunderstandings and resulting bug fixes.

What skills do you think are needed for your position?
Good reasoning skills, and the ability to understand complex functions and their interrelationships are essential. Being open to absorbing and processing basic technical information is a key to everyday life and further development. In addition, communicating clearly, firmly and diplomatically with other team members is essential.

How can you motivate and develop yourself at Grape?
It's very motivating that every project is different, so you don't get bored with everyday life. The client is different, and some of our technologies are different, so there's always a chance to reclaim previous experiences and learn new things simultaneously. This applies to understanding business logic, customer needs (due to customers from different economic sectors), development tools, and their impact on testing methodology and tools.

What are the three things that made you proud during your time at Grape?
I'm proud to have had the opportunity to gain a wide range of testing experience at Grape, both in front-end testing and back-end testing, learning about the use of different tools and testing procedures. It is satisfying when you produce a usable product at the end of a project and achieve customer satisfaction. I have been involved in several such projects. The third thing: my suggestions are usually listened to and considered by colleagues, whether they are about the quality of the software, a more logical or user-friendly way of working, an improvement in the efficiency of project processes, or an idea for a company event.

Why would you advise others to join us?
At Grape Solutions, you'll work with a close-knit team and your weekdays won't be monotonous. We support professional training and conference attendance, so you can develop not only through internal experience. HR colleagues listen to your opinions and support you in everything: work-related matters, event or training proposals. What I also find very positive: they are flexible about how much time you work from the office and how much from home.