Considering Taking on a QA Role? This TikTok QA Has Advice for You

Are you interested in working in a Quality Assurance (QA) position? QA roles are found in many industries and involve identifying the source of quality problems (in websites, software, hardware, and programs), documenting issues, and correcting them. As such, QA positions are essential at many companies! 

To learn more about what a QA position involves, we reached out to Cathy Shen, an experienced QA at TikTok. Shen joined TikTok as a QA in their Data-TnS (Trust and Safety) team. This team works hard to maintain a secure and trustworthy environment for users, and, in her role, Shen is focused on working on their incredibly important Minor Safety feature.

“As a mother, I think this is a very important feature since it ensures that our products are safe for my children and all the children using it,” emphasizes Shen. Features like screen time management and a STEM feed also enable children to make the most of TikTok.

“The mission here and the daily work I do can influence others and even influence my friends,” says Shen. “This is really exciting. I can see a feature I worked on expanding to a new region or a test rollout and then my friends are using it. And this is amazing.” 

Read on to learn more about Shen’s role — and her best advice on succeeding in QA positions…

To begin, how did you get into QA work?

Personally, I love working with computers. As for my path to this position, I got my bachelor's degree in business administration, joined the industry, and later got my master's degree in software engineering. 

What advice do you have for someone new to your industry?

You should be passionate and retrospective. But what do I mean when I say ‘retrospective’? Well, this involves thinking about both what you’re going to do in the future and what you’ve already done — both the good and the bad. Always build a roadmap for yourself and form conclusions based on your past experiences.

Please tell us more about your work as a QA at TikTok. What do you find most rewarding and challenging about your work?

In addition to working on the Minor Safety feature, which is under the User Experience Safety area, I’m also working on Decision Assurance, which is a Protection System. This will help protect vital accounts. My work may also expand to other areas.

For my job, taking ownership of a feature and being responsible for the quality from all aspects is both rewarding and challenging.

How have you found your passion and purpose at work? And what advice do you have for others looking to do the same?

In regards to my own passion and purpose, I enjoy being a QA as well as the area that I am working within, so I have the self-motivation to be excellent.

For others who are looking to do the same, I suggest finding a balance between working in an area that you have passion for while also focusing on not burning yourself out. You should enjoy the work.

Finally, let’s talk more about TikTok’s company’s culture. What’s your favorite aspect of it, and how does TikTok help you succeed?

My favorite aspect is the ability to take ownership. TikTok gives everybody a platform to speak for themselves, and everybody has the chance to explain their thinking. I am able to influence others — which is something I chase.

In more detail, from the beginning as an intern, you have the chance to own a small piece of a feature all by yourself: from the requirement stage to testing, the build, test plan, test cases, and then online launch. For the whole process, you're following this feature that is owned by you. This ownership gives you responsibility and control of your work, which is great.

I also have a mentor and landing plan to help me with onboarding, and I have regular weekly 1-1’s with my manager and mentor. We also have online courses and detailed docs for how-to’s and why’s. 

After onboarding, we will take ownership and be responsible for a feature from the very beginning to when it’s live online.

Fairygodboss is proud to partner with TikTok. Find a job there today!