Meet our trainer Gilles

“We become testers for the pleasure of a job well done and of meeting requirements.
You need rigor, attention to detail, [...] that's really what suits me. "
Gilles Ménède
Consultant Trainer

November 30, 2023 | An exchange with our trainer Gilles

  • Hello Gilles! So tell us, where are you from? 

I am a pure Parisian, who quickly betrayed his roots by going to the Bonaparte high school in Autun, in Burgundy. Subsequently, I completed my higher education in Lyon where I stayed for 7 years and finally, I returned to live in Paris. 

  • What is your basic job, before becoming a trainer at QESTIT Academy?

I'm a product of college. Graduated from a Masters degree in mathematics applied to social sciences, I started working directly for consulting companies initially as a developer. Indeed,’in the late 90s, a big part of my generation has been hired to work on COBOL because of the 2000 bug. So we were quickly trained on those universes–like among others, thesystem environment IBM for example. 

  • Testing is not a sector that is well known to the general public, how did you become a tester? 

In fact, as I was only in consulting firms, I evolved throughout the missions. I first did 5 years of Dev, with 3-4 varied missions, to end up managing a maintenance team.  

And then, after a few years, I switched to the other side. I started working on the studies, project management assistance and finally the test according to the missions. I was able to see the functional studies at Métro, the functional specifications at CETELEM, the migration product recipe at DEMICERVE… And then I ended up as application manager at PSA Poissy! So the missions slowly but surely took me towards testing! 

  • Why did you become a tester? 

We become testers for the pleasure of a job well done and of meeting requirements. You need rigor, attention to detail... It's a real different mindset from a developer and that's really what suits me.  

  • How did you join QESTIT?  

 I joined QESTIT (formerly ACIAL) on April 25, 2012. And yes, I remember dates! I did 2 years of mission for UMEO with a team of 6 to 9 people and then…  

  • …And then QESTIT Academy? 

Indeed! In 2014, I had already hinted that I would really like to be a trainer. And that’s how when the QESTIT Academy (formerly Université du Test) was created, I was lucky enough to be chosen right away! And today, I have the chance to train testers on more than 6 ISTQB training courses, including the last ISTQB Avanced –Agile Technical Tester, but also IREB, IQBBA and then… Stay tuned for the news in 2024! 

  • Qui t’a le plus appris concernant le test ? Un genre de modèle/mentor ? 

Curieux de tous les gens qu’il a rencontrés. Somme des expériences. 

  • What is your advice for being a great tester?  

To be a good tester you need to know the sector in which you operate while keeping a fresh perspective on the applications you are testing. But as a general rule, you need to know the tools, technologies and best practices. And for that, there are not thirty-six thousand solutions: experience, monitoring and training. 

  • Tip for staying up to date in consulting? 

Well, continuing training is essential, which is why the QESTIT Academy offers so many training courses. But it is also necessary to keep up to date with the issues in the sector, for example by following the news of the CFTL (French Software Test Committee) or by going to the JFTL (French Software Testing Day). 

  • Your greatest pride as a trainer? 

To help people who are far from employment succeed and help them enter the job market. Over the last few years, we have worked with Pôle Emploi on POEI including one with the APF and this led to several hires and I am proud of it. 

  • What was your dream job when you were young? 

Well, oddly enough, I wanted to be a math teacher. It didn't happen but life worked out well since I'm a trainer. It's perhaps even better because the audience is not at all the same and I think I'm more patient with adults.