It is well known that IT professionals are required to have the ability to work with innovative technologies and a range of soft skills. The ongoing digital transformation has contributed to the growth of the IT sector. This resulted in new roles entering the IT market and many new jobs being created.
However, employers are also paying attention to the employee’s soft skills. The labor market is changing rapidly. And with the development of modern technologies the requirements for IT skills are changing and the need for competence development is growing.
In the following article, you will learn what are the competencies of the future? Why the development of soft skills is important? How you can take care of the development of the competencies of the future?
Key competencies of the future
Below you will find a list of soft skills that can be considered crucial in the current times. Having these soft skills at an elevated level not only improves the chance of finding a good and interesting job but also increases the efficiency of IT workers.
The ability to solve problems creatively
How to come up with good solutions in a show time and get a good result in the process? The answer is creativity. Creativity is the creation of new, unusual, and interesting solutions. In the IT industry, it can be, for example, using new technologies to solve a problem that could not be solved before, organizing work, and managing IT projects in such a way that the innovation introduced translates into increased efficiency of the product. Think about what you would like to change and how you can do it. Think unconventionally. See what methods have failed and what can be introduced to make problem-solving a creative and innovative process.
Social and emotional intelligence
Social intelligence means selecting appropriate behaviors and messages for a given social situation and audience. Emotional intelligence is competence in understanding one’s own and other people’s emotions. As well as skillfully dealing with one’s own emotions and the emotions of others. These competencies are particularly important when working with other people. They make it possible to accurately assess the situation and react appropriately when problems arise in the team. It is useful to observe oneself and one’s reactions to various situations and people and draw conclusions. Understanding our own emotions and their background can help us understand other people’s points of view and their emotional states.
Cross-disciplinary thinking
The ability to combine knowledge from different fields has always been unbelievably valuable and useful. In the current dynamics of the labor market, developing the competence of interdisciplinary thinking is in high demand among sought-after IT professionals. Modern technologies are constantly emerging, and this requires acquiring new skills and developing technical competence. A specialist who is able to combine knowledge from different disciplines and put it to practical use in solving problems will certainly do well in many complex projects.
Intercultural cooperation skills
The IT industry employs people from different countries and diverse cultures. Both customers and developers. Understanding other cultures are crucial for effective cooperation between people from different countries. Sometimes some misunderstandings, e.g., within communication, can result from cultural differences. It is worth exploring what is important to the other party in the communication. Foreign languages should also be mentioned. The ability to speak various foreign languages has always been and will always be valuable. English is a language that is universal and international but knowing other languages as well will certainly broaden your horizons and allow you to better understand other cultures.
The ability to collaborate with a virtual team
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies and organizations have decided to start working remotely. This is a convenient and efficient form of work for many developers. For those who had not worked remotely before, this situation required new competencies. Remote cooperation also presents challenges. Not only for individual IT employees but for entire IT teams. Proper work organization and communication skills are key here. Remote work requires self-discipline skills and good tools. The ability to collaborate virtually is certainly one of the competencies of the future.
Development of soft competencies
Someone might say that in the IT industry, soft competencies are not as important as hard competencies. Yet it turns out that many of the key competencies of the future are soft competencies. Having soft skills in IT is no longer a nice to have but a must-have. Such skills make working with other people more effective and enjoyable.
How to develop soft competencies?
To begin with, it is worth analyzing your skills. Ask yourself questions: What am I good at? What can I work on if it comes out a little worse? What can I change? If you see some areas for development, it is worth leaning into them more. On the Internet, you can find many training courses and workshops to develop soft skills. The training often recommends various books and exercises that can be done to develop a particular competency.