We recently published an article titled “Competencies of the future in the IT industry”. In which we discussed the importance of soft skills in the IT industry. We also mentioned that improving soft skills leads to better teamwork. This article expands on the subject and describes soft skills that are particularly important in the job market.
The importance of soft skills
Effective work in the IT industry is not only about hard skills such as knowledge of various tools, technology, and coding. Today, the IT industry requires both soft and hard competencies from IT professionals. A candidate’s soft skills are assessed as early as the first stage of recruitment. Often, the first conversation is held by a member of the HR department who is a qualified psychologist. It is an important stage because it allows you to initially get to know the person and their predispositions. Companies may conduct Assessment Center – a session during which a candidate performs a certain task under observation. These can be both individual and group tasks that require soft skills. During such interviews and tasks, it is also possible to learn about areas that require further development.
The following are examples of the most in-demand soft skills on the job market. These skills include communication, teamwork, work organization and time management, stress management, and critical thinking.
Communication
Communication is one of the most crucial soft skills. Why? When working on a project, it is critical to effectively communicate information, knowledge, and feedback on anything that is not functioning properly. A developer’s job entails more than just coding. An IT professional must be able to tailor messages to the intended recipient, such as a client or teammate. This will have an impact on effectiveness and efficiency.
Ability to work as a team
Another important skill is the ability to work well with others. Many people are needed to ensure that the products work properly. Because those people work as a team, it is critical to ensure proper organization and mutual support. What exactly does it entail? Listening to other people, their ideas, problems, and solutions, and taking action together to achieve the desired goal. Such people skills are valuable not only in the IT industry but also in many other fields.
Work organization and time management skills
Work organization and time management skills are closely related to teamwork skills. Organizing one’s work, in this case, a leader influences the whole team. These are critical components for effective teamwork. The need for a high degree of self-discipline and proper organization is evident, especially when working remotely when teams need to communicate online. Thanks to a proper organization, the team is able to meet the deadlines and respond with commitment to the product’s needs.
The ability to deal with stress
This ability is crucial not only for mental health and well-being but also for effective performance at work. There are many situations at work that can cause stress, such as “chasing” deadlines or a lack of support from the leader. Dealing with one’s emotions is one of the most important soft skills, as it allows us to regulate our daily functioning in social and interpersonal areas. Proper stress management and emotion regulation are something that can reduce the risk of burnout. This area needs special attention and skill development in order to prevent psychosomatic complaints and burnout.
Problem solving skills
Problem solving requires a combination of hard and soft skills. An IT professional who can identify a problem and solve it is a valuable employee. However, in addition to hard skills, analytical thinking, and seeing various viable solutions, it is critical to observe team members’ activities and identify problems that arise. Strategic problem-solving and creative problem-solving are skills that many employers pay attention to.
Hard skills are essential for a good developer, but today’s job market demands more. It requires soft skills that allow you to collaborate with other people in a rewarding way and enable you to work effectively on a project.
Working on the above-mentioned skills can increase performance, improve interpersonal functioning, and even reduce the risk of burnout.