The position of quality assurance can span over a number of different areas in the job market and you are sure to find the niche where you can exercise your own personal talents and job strengths. From the food industry, software management, and manufacturing and production, there is no end to the amount of quality assurance jobs at the corporation of your choice. A quality assurance position incorporates a number of steps to ensure the quality of products and/or services created to eliminate any mistakes and to bring those up to the standards that are preset for the intended users or clients.
There are some very distinct areas of quality that can be confused with one another, where quality control and quality assurance tend to blend together in the workplace. Quality control deals mainly with the testing and limiting the amount of defective products in an organization. Quality assurance is about improving and stabilizing production in order to minimize the amount of quality control in place. Having one section for overall quality does not eliminate the need for the other, but both can work together in order to bring about the very best for any organization. Having defined guidelines and specific outlines for quality control and quality assurance, both aspects of the employment market are outlined to avoid any confusion or competition between the two.
Entry-level quality assurance jobs can be broken down into two major groups; those who are employed full-time by an organization and those who work in the field as contractors or consultants. There are benefits to both of these genres of the quality assurance industry and can be looked upon as both profitable and as possible employment for new graduates of a related educational program. Whether you wish to explore both of the employment possibilities or just one of them will depend on your own preference, location and the time you wish to devote to your own job search.
For some, the option to work first as a consultant or an individual contractor is appealing where you can work the hours that you choose, are not limited to one company and can bring your past industry knowledge and experiences to the field of quality assurance. Finding several contract positions will also give you the employment background edge you are looking for when it comes time to look for full-time employment at the organization of your choice. Gaining work experience yourself right out of an accredited institution can be somewhat easy depending on which niche you are looking to break into. You may find that there are many more contract positions open today rather than full-time openings at larger corporations.
Looking for quality assurance jobs at a reputable company for full-time employment can be an easy task if you know where to look and how to conduct a proper job search. Keeping records of all the organizations that you may be interested in, relative contact information for their Human Resources departments, as well as a journal of any quality assurance positions that you have applied for such as the date and job numbers can be helpful. It can be very good especially if you find your job search runs longer than expected. You will want to avoid any spelling mistakes in cover letters or resumes and sending applications to the wrong departments. Another bad mistake is applying for the same job twice as many positions may be listed on a company website and shown in the newspaper or online job search engines. Quality assurance entails detailing and you will not want to have any small detail overlooked during your job search efforts.
Depending on the area of the employment market that you wish to begin as a quality assurance employee will depict how much individualized training you will need to fulfill your job duties. The many quality assurance educational training programs available can range anywhere from 12 months up to 4 years in duration and are conducive of the exact type of industry that you will be working with. Where the food industry may require their quality assurance managers to possess a completed diploma program with little or no background experience, other quality assurance positions in software or engineering fields may ask for not only the relative training but also a number of related work experience. This related experience may not have to come from the quality assurance field, but just working in that industry and being familiar with the processes and procedures of that area of employment can start you on the road to a successful career.
With many available positions around the world today, finding quality assurance jobs in Dallas or any other area of the United States can be an easy task if you know how to use the resources necessary to explore the opportunities. Local newspapers, job fairs and employment agencies will have many contacts that you can get in touch with for a number of openings in the quality assurance employment market. Word of mouth is a very powerful tool especially in the job market. Trade magazines and job posting boards at your local employment office can also point you in the right direction. Be sure to use the Internet to research those major organizations that you wish to find employment at. Also make sure to familiarize yourself with their company values and ethics, as well as their corporate culture in the event that you are called for an interview. Being prepared for the interviews and phone calls regarding open employment positions is just as important as looking for the job itself.
