7 Soft Skills You Need As a Tech Professional
Long-gone are the days when all employers looked for in a tech candidate were tech skills. While technical skills are still at the forefront of requirements, soft skills in todays’ hiring landscape are more important than you think. Soft skills are now so essential that a number of CIOs have began calling them “core skills”.
Hiring managers and business leaders aren’t just focused on your technical skills anymore, so if you want to land your next dream role, as well as keep it you’ll have to be able to work well with others. It’s equally important for business leaders and managers to nurture these skills in their teams.
So what are some of the most important soft skills you should have?
- Communication
Verbal communication skills are highly important to allow you to share appropriate solution. Depending on your role, you’ll need to be able to explain communicate complex topics to people with limited IT knowledge. You’ll need to be able to explain technical issues or solutions by replacing specialist jargon with every day language so the average user can understand easily. You’ll also need to rely on written communication to send e-mails, draw up documents and proposals, and so on.
2. Cross-functional Collaboration
One thing that will really set you apart is being able to work cross-functionally. It’s easy to collaborate with colleagues within your own function but people who can work cross-functionally can work on larger projects and forge strong relationships internally. This is something that will be noticed by management.
3. Analytical skills
Being able to analyse things and think critically is highly important in the tech industry. If you have these skills you’ll be able to ask the most relevant questions and diagnose issues. When working on any IT-related project you’ll most likely encounter various challenges throughout the lifecycle so you’ll need to be able to adapt, assess issues and find appropriate solutions. Both recruiters and hiring managers find that to be a highly desirable skills.
4. Leadership
Leadership skills aren’t only important for management roles within IT. Regardless of your role it’s highly helpful to be able to convince others that your ideas have substance. At some point during your career you’ll probably need to manage a team or a project even temporarily. Doing so will improve your long-term job prospects and also help with conflict resolution and decision-making can help you effectively communicate with peers and clients.
5. Resourcefulness & Adaptability
It’s important you’re an adaptable individual who can relearn how to do things. This shows you’re able to keep up with the ever-changing IT industry. Businesses are also on the lookout for people who can overcome challenges fast, while thinking outside the box and within budget constraints. You have to be able to say yes to requests, even if you have to take a different creative approach to the problem.
6. Mentoring
If you’re an IT professional who is able to impart your knowledge and teach skills and concepts to other colleagues, you’ll be more valuable to a business. If you’re willing to share your knowledge you’re likely to be considered for more advanced positions. Mentoring skills are not only important for your peers, but also when teaching users how to work with your applications and solutions.
7. Teamwork
IT candidates who are able to function within a team scenario are preferred by businesses as it means you’re dependable and comfortable working with others. You should be able for example to delegate tasks without micromanaging, or you should be able to listen to other ideas and resolve issues between yourself and other colleagues without having a supervisor step in.
Stand out from the crowd
While hard, knowledge-based skills are still core for tech professionals, soft skills will be what differentiates you from other candidates. What other soft skills do you think are important in today’s tech landscape?
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