When you announce a beta test, you’ll likely get many more applicants than you actually need to participate. So, you’ll need to decide which candidates would be the best testers for your project, and there are many good attributes that you’ll first want to look for. These traits include things such as clear communication, enthusiasm about your product/brand, and the ability to follow direction. These are some of the qualities of top beta testers that we discussed in our Beta Tester Recruitment Kit.
As with anything, there’s also a flip side. Companies can sometimes overlook important red flags in tester applications because they’re in a rush to start their test or simply don’t know what to look for. That can have disastrous consequences once your beta test is under way.
We outlined a handful of these traits in our previous beta applicant red flag blog post, but there are a few more that warrant mentioning. So, below are three more red flags you’ll want to keep on your radar when selecting your next beta tester team.
1. Applying for everything
Sometimes you’ll see testers that apply for every single testing opportunity with your company. Some people may look at this as enthusiasm and excitement, but we see it as red flag. It’s unlikely that one tester will qualify for every single one of your tests, so chances are they aren’t reading your recruiting messaging and are just throwing their hat into the ring every time to see if they’re selected. If you keep seeing the same name pop up over and over again along with an unqualified application, you may want to flag that tester in your community. If they aren’t willing to follow directions when applying to your test, they won’t follow them once they’re in either.
2. Arrogant or belligerent responses
People who write “I am the best tester ever” usually aren’t. Avoid cocky applicants, as they tend to have attitudes and opinions that can be counterproductive to your test. Also beware that these are the people who tend to get angry for not getting selected. They’ll try to tell you why you’re wrong for not selecting them by bring up past testing experiences where they did well and saying how disappointed they are that they didn’t get selected again. While you do want opinionated testers, testers that show signs of arrogance are often difficult to manage during a test and will suck up a lot of your resources if selected.
3. Late applications
While you might not expect it, applicants that show up late to the party are a red flag. People who come in really late tend to be the people that don’t check their email frequently enough to be effective beta testers. Most likely, they’ll have slow response times during the beta project (which can be a nightmare to deal if you’re running a test on a tight time frame). They’ll often have other explanations for missing your recruitment message, such as “I didn’t see the mail” or “it went into spam”. If that’s the case, they’ll probably will miss other communication from you as well, which doesn’t make them the best applicants for your test.
You’ll want to balance these red flags with the positive qualities you’re looking for in your testers. If an applicant has an amazing application and seems like a perfect fit, take that one red flag with a grain of salt. These tips are meant to help you create a list of criteria to look for and avoid during the selection process, so hard and fast rules won’t always apply.
As we’ve mentioned before, identifying these qualities early on will help you start your test off on the right foot and carry that good momentum throughout the entire testing phase. You can download our free Beta Tester Recruitment Kit for everything you need to get the best testers on board for your next test.
