If I interviewed a software tester, I would be very interested to know their level of general computer knowledge. This is due to the fact that the more experience and knowledge they have in general, the more they will have an understanding of how the programs work, and about potential problems for observation. This knowledge, as a rule, is only cemented by someone who takes an active interest in computers and spends a lot of free time using one. A person who has just started using a computer in college or is using only one when he should, is usually not very knowledgeable about them.
To get started, I would ask general questions. Do they have a computer growing or using it often? Do they know what basic hardware components are on the computer and what are their respective functions? Do they understand what an operating system is? I would not hire someone who floundered at this level.
If they are going to test Internet applications, I will also check some general information about the Internet. What is a DNS? What is a router? Do they understand client-side processing (browser) or server? Lack of knowledge here would not be an automatic failure, but it would leave serious doubts in my mind.
I would gradually begin to understand my issues in more detail, especially if the candidate expressed that they were experts or very knowledgeable in a certain area.
My third approach is to test my problem-solving skills. Your QA tester may not correct errors in the code, but the more they can narrow down the problem and determine the specific circumstances that trigger it, the faster and cheaper the error will be fixed for your developers. To do this, I would present some examples of problems and ask the candidate how they will act and report an error. Presenting a real-time live demonstration on a PC would be ideal, but hypotheses would also work.
And finally, I’m trying to understand how methodical the candidate is. An ideal candidate will have a methodical approach to testing - he / she will be able to create a checklist / testing method that fully covers all important aspects of the program’s functionality. This is hard to verify. You can raise it by putting forward hypothetical (or real) problems to the candidate and carefully observing how they continue.
If you are interviewing and do not have good knowledge in the above areas, try and ask someone who is doing the interview, or smooth speaking candidates will easily pull the wool over your eyes and will impress you with confident ignorance. If you are a potential candidate, and know that you are not very competent in any of the above areas, save yourself and potential employers from pain, and take a few career tests to find your true career path.