Recruitment Stories - Israt's Experience at Astha IT

Israt Jahan is currently working at Astha IT as a Test Engineer III. She is a software engineering graduate from Shahjalal University of Science & Technology and brings over three years of experience in the field of software testing. Over the course of her career, she has worked on both manual and automation testing, gaining proficiency in popular automation frameworks such as Playwright, Cypress, and Selenium.

Israt’s journey into QA began during her university years. In her first semester, she fell seriously ill and had to drop 15 out of 18 credits. This setback made her feel that she had fallen behind her peers, especially since most students started competitive programming early on. Feeling demotivated, she decided to explore alternative career paths.

A turning point came when a senior suggested she look into Quality Assurance (QA) and recommended a Udemy course on the subject. That single recommendation changed the course of her career. She began her journey in manual testing, gradually transitioning into automation testing, and today, she works full-time as an automation engineer.

Israt came across the opportunity at Astha IT through LinkedIn, and the recruitment process for the role involved four distinct phases.

Phase 1 – HR Screening

Format: Phone Call
Focus: Initial screening and expectation alignment
Key Topics: Current and expected salary, notice period, total years of experience, technologies used, and understanding of the role requirements.

Phase 2 – First Technical Round with the Test Automation Lead

Format: Google Meet (Online)
Focus: Technical assessment aligned with the job requirements
Key Topics:

• Selenium fundamentals, including locators, waits, Page Object Model (POM), and web element handling
• Python fundamentals such as data structures, OOP concepts, and exception handling
• Hands-on experience discussion with practical examples from past projects

Phase 3 – Second Technical Round with the Offshore Team

Format: Microsoft Teams (Online)
Focus: Evaluation of problem-solving skills and testing best practices
Key Topics:

• Project structure and automation architecture
• Approaches to solving QA challenges through hypothetical scenarios
• Test suite maintainability and code quality standards
• Overview of team workflow, dynamics, and expectations

Phase 4 – Final HR Round

Format: Onsite at the Company Office
Focus: Compensation and cultural fit assessment
Key Topics:

• Salary discussion, notice period, and joining date
• Company values, culture, and long-term career goals
• Role alignment and expectations

The onsite round also gave Israt an opportunity to experience the Astha IT office environment firsthand and interact with the team she would soon be part of.

Special thanks to Israt Jahan for taking out the time to share her recruitment experience with me. If you have any queries, feel free to contact her at israt9626@gmail.com