Quality Control Jobs Overview
Specialists in quality control conduct inspections and perform tests on goods at various points in the production cycle to guarantee compliance with both internal and external guidelines. Quality control jobs are in demand across all industries because almost every produced item or service requires strict quality assurance checks. However, the industry with the highest demand for quality control workers is manufacturing.
Quality control professionals usually work full-time and may work extra hours to meet production commitments. The tasks that you'll perform as a quality control worker depend on your title. For instance, quality control supervisors have greater responsibilities than quality control lab workers. Common duties performed by almost all quality control workers are:
- Checking and double-checking the finished goods prior to, during, and following production.
- Performing a battery of tests on components or finished goods.
- Managing the flow of industrial output.
- Examining data feeds and error logs to find the source of the issue.
- Analyzing operational procedures and manufacturing processes.
Managerial and supervisory positions in quality control demand extensive knowledge in compliance, process improvement, statistics, and sampling. Whereas entry-level quality control occupations often call for a high school education and on-the-job training. Earning certification in quality control helps you land higher-paying positions.
Quality Control: Salary Range
As a quality control technician, you can expect an annual salary ranging from $28,254 to $58,116, with the median salary being $37,587 per year. Some cities with the highest demand for quality control technicians, including Los Angeles and San Diego, pay them much more than the national average. The same applies to Norwood, MA, where these workers make an average salary of $61,979 per year.
The salary for those working in quality control management positions can often double when compared to entry-level positions. Earnings for related job titles are:
- quality control manager - $74,053 per year
- quality assurance manager - $79,949 per year
- manufacturing quality manager - $78,118 per year
- clinical quality manager - $85,897 per year
- director of quality assurance - $97,861 per year
Want to explore how much you can earn from your background, technical skills, network, certifications, and prior work experience in quality control? Use Monster's Salary Tool.
Finding Quality Control Jobs That Fit You
Quality control jobs and quality assurance positions often overlap with one another. Jobs in quality control focus more on the final product and how to improve it after development. Whereas those in quality assurance focus more on the projects involved in the production process. Both, however, are ideal jobs for people who enjoy working in quality control.
The most common settings that quality control and quality assurance professionals work in are:
- manufacturing facilities
- construction sites
- laboratories
- healthcare facilities
- food processing plants
- office environments
- remote/virtual environments
Think about the following as you read job descriptions for quality control roles to help you find roles that match your expertise:
- Do I have experience working in the settings that the job requires?
- Does the job focus more on conducting inspections or analyzing data? In which area do I have more experience?
- What quality standards does the job want me to follow? Am I familiar with these industry-specific quality standards?
- What quality software and tools will I have to work with? Do I have any prior experience with these tools?
- What type of problem-solving and analytical skills does the job require?
- Do I enjoy applying the skills that the job requires?
- How large of a team will I work with? Am I comfortable working with this many people?
- Does the position require any specific certifications or ISO/FDA compliance?
- Does the job provide on-the-job training or any type of career growth?
Application Tips Quality Control Jobs
You'll likely go through a series of phases during the hiring process for quality control jobs. The first phase generally starts with the submission of an application, followed by resume screening, interviewing, skills testing, more interviewing, reference and background checks, pre-employment screenings, and onboarding.
Application Preparation
Those responsible for hiring quality control workers often wade through hundreds of applications for each open position. Many of them even use applicant tracking software to find and hire applicants.
There are a few essential pieces of information to include in your application to ensure recruiters see it, such as:
- Your contact information and a link to your online portfolio showcasing the projects you've worked on (if you have one).
- A brief statement outlining your professional goals and how they relate to the quality control position.
- Separate lists for the methodologies (e.g., Root Cause Analysis, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, Statistical Process Control) you're familiar with and your achievements, skills, education, and certifications (e.g., ISO, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing) in quality control.
- An explanation of your work experience, including how many years you've worked in the industry.
- Give the names of at least three credible references who can attest to your skills and work ethic.
Put Together an Impressive Resume
Always tailor your resumes to the quality control positions you apply for. Standard pieces of information to include in all of them are your contact information, professional summary, education, certifications and training, technical skills, and references. Parts of a resume that you need to adjust to the specifics of each job are the objective statement, your work experience, your achievements, and the methodologies you're familiar with.
Use a functional resume to apply for entry-level quality control jobs. This resume format puts a spotlight on your skills, education, and certifications that are relevant to the job.
For managerial positions, use a chronological or mixed resume format. A chronological format highlights the previous employers you've worked for and how long you worked for each. Management-level positions usually require several years of proven work experience.
Increase your resume's competitiveness by including appropriate keywords. It not only improves your chances of having your application accepted by applicant tracking systems but also gives you an opportunity to highlight skills and experiences that are directly applicable to the position. Resume keywords to include in resumes for quality control jobs are:
- inspection
- quality standards
- laboratory processes
- quality management
- EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction)
- ASME standards
- sampling
- accuracy
- quality assurance
- quality system
Need help tailoring your resumes to the quality control jobs you want to apply for? This quality control resume sample might help you write your own. Use this mid-level quality engineer resume sample to help you write resumes for managerial positions. You can also take advantage of Monster's Resume Writing Service to get a resume written specifically for the job you're applying for.
Create a Strong Cover Letter
Always add a short story or case study of a major quality control project you led in a prior job to your cover letter. This story shows your hands-on experience, problem-solving abilities, and dedication to quality. Adding this information helps your application stand out among ordinary cover letters because it lets the recruiting manager see how you can help their company in a real way.
- Begin your cover letters for quality control jobs by introducing yourself, the position you're looking for, and how you heard about it.
- Stress any quality control credentials you may have earned in addition to your extensive experience in the field.
- Describe your successes in past positions that demonstrate your ability to enhance procedures and prove your ability to achieve compliance with quality standards.
- Show that you understand how to use software and hardware that are unique to your field.
- Demonstrate your excitement for the position and the organization, and discuss how your qualifications match their requirements.
- Sign off by saying you're excited to talk more about your qualifications in an upcoming interview.
Submit the Application
Signing up for Monster's free account makes sense since many companies are now employing applicant-tracking software to fill quality control jobs. Recruiters from across the country can look at your profile, evaluate your skills, and contact you if they think you're a good fit for an open position.
The following are some helpful suggestions for improving your job search through Monster:
- Always send your material through a proofreader before uploading it to keep your profile free of errors and typos.
- Set your profile to visible to ensure recruiters can see your profile.
- Applying for jobs is as simple as clicking the Apply button on job listings.
- Use relevant keywords when searching for jobs, like quality control, quality assurance, compliance regulator, statistical analysis, or inspector.
- Set up job alerts to receive an alert every time an employer adds a job that matches your interest.
- Use filters to narrow your search according to date posted, location, job type, required skills, and salary range.
Application Follow-Up
Learn more about an employer's hiring procedure by referring to the job posting or visiting the company website. If they don't instruct you on when to follow up after sending an application, you can phone the company's human resources department and ask when you can expect to hear back.
How to Follow Up
Unless otherwise directed, write a follow-up message and send it to the employer's hiring manager within two weeks of submitting your application. A professional greeting should come first in your follow-up message, then an attention-grabbing subject line. In the body of the cover letter, briefly thank the reader for their time, state the position you're applying for, list your skills, education, and certifications, and explain why you want to work for the company.
Make the follow-up message relatively short by keeping it under 350 words. End it by asking about the status of your application and mentioning that you're available by phone or email to answer any questions.
Quality Control Interview Advice
Interviews for quality control jobs usually focus on multiple aspects of your education, experience, and skills. You can expect to answer questions related to the following:
- your technical skills
- your problem-solving abilities
- your knowledge of industry standards and compliance regulations
- your ability to stay detail-oriented
- your experience with conflict resolution and decision-making
Before the Interview
When interviewing for quality control jobs, it is extremely important that you prepare yourself for competency- and behavioral-based interview questions. Asking about the interview's structure when verifying the time and place might give you a sense of the type of questions you can expect to answer.
By focusing on applicants' actual skills rather than their theoretical level of knowledge, competency questions help hiring managers make more informed recruiting decisions. Behavioral interview questions shed light on your prior work experiences, allowing hiring managers to make educated guesses about your future behavior. These interview questions also make it easier for interviewers to assess your critical skills and identify your cultural fit, all while mitigating interview biases.
During the Interview
Interviews for quality control jobs often start by asking you to walk the interviewer through your resume and cover letter. Questions you should be ready to answer include:
- Can you tell me about a situation in which you encountered a critical quality issue and how you handled it?
- What experience do you have with delegating job tasks?
- What data analysis tools and techniques do you have experience working with?
- What departments did you have to collaborate with during your previous job?
- What is boundary testing?
- How do you test new product ideas?
- What is branch testing?
- What is Agile testing?
- What tests are you familiar performing for quality control purposes?
After the Interview
Show the interviewer your appreciation and gratitude for the interview by sending a thank-you letter the next day. Include one of the following subject lines to make sure the interviewer sees your message:
- Quality Control Interview Follow-Up
- Thanks for the Quality Control Position Interview
- [Your Name] Interview Feedback: Next Steps
Responding to Job Offers
After a successful interview, you may receive a job offer. To ensure the job fits your preferred work style and professional goals, consider the following when reviewing the offer:
- start date
- the ability to negotiate your salary
- perks and bonuses
- expense coverage
- required skills and duties
- employer's management style
- potential for promotions
Career Paths for Quality Control Professionals
Tailoring your career path to meet your long-term professional goals will help you find satisfying work. Some of the different career paths that you can follow to climb the ladder in the field of quality control include:
- Quality control technician. Perform analyses, tests, and audits on goods or processes to check for compliance with quality standards, spot flaws, and determine how to fix them.
- Quality control chemist. Conduct analysis of raw materials, perform chemical tests, and evaluate product formulations to guarantee conformity with quality standards while also troubleshooting and recommending modifications to keep products safe.
- Quality control manager. Lead teams, analyze data, and make sure goods are compliant with regulations while supervising the installation of quality assurance methods, performing audits, and enforcing quality standards.
Quality Control: Related Professions
You can also find satisfying careers in quality control by searching for jobs in related professions. A few of the most popular are: