Software Testing Question:

Organized.
Can't imagine a scatter-brained tester. There's just too much to keep track of to trust to memory. Good testers use files, data bases, and all the other accouterments of an organized mind. They make up checklists to keep themselves on track. They recognize that they too can make mistakes, so they double-check their findings. They have the facts and figures to support their position. When they claim that there's a bug-believe it, because if the developers don't, the tester will flood them with well-organized, overwhelming, evidence.

A consequence of a well-organized mind is a facility for good written and oral communications. As a writer and editor, I've learned that the inability to express oneself clearly in writing is often symptomatic of a disorganized mind. I don't mean that we expect everyone to write deathless prose like a Hemingway or Melville. Good technical writing is well-organized, clear, and straightforward: and it doesn't depend on a 500,000 word vocabulary. True, there are some unfortunate individuals who express themselves superbly in writing but fall apart in an oral presentation- but they are typically a pathological exception. Usually, a well-organized mind results in clear (even if not inspired) writing and clear writing can usually be transformed through training into good oral presentation skills.