We all know that hard technical skills are critical for a successful career in the tech sector. After all, you can’t succeed as a front-end developer if you don’t know HTML, CSS, or JavaScript, and you won’t be able to find a job as a systems administrator if you don’t know Linux commands.
But tech employers are increasingly realizing the importance of strong soft skills in job candidates too. Soft skills, which help us navigate the world and human relationships, include communication, decision-making, collaboration, and leadership skills.
In the past, tech employers emphasized hard skills during the hiring process, expecting that candidates had needed soft skills or would naturally hone them over time. But, as pointed out in a piece at Forbes:
More companies are starting to see that the ticket to performance, productivity and profit is the delivery of value through “human capabilities” or soft skills to build the organization and its bottom line … According to Deloitte Insights, 92% of companies surveyed reported that human capabilities or soft skills matter as much or more than hard skills in today’s business world.
If you work – or are hoping to work – in the tech field, it’s important to understand which soft skills are most valued by tech employers. Further developing those skills can give you a serious edge in your job search, particularly if you showcase them in your resume, LinkedIn profile, portfolio, and job interviews. But even if you’re happy with your current employer, honing key soft skills can help you thrive and advance in your career.
There are dozens of soft skills that can positively impact your career. Those most sought after by tech recruiters and hiring managers are listed below, along with tips for effectively developing and showcasing them.
Communication
Strong communication skills are increasingly critical in tech. Gone are the days when most tech specialists secluded themselves in cubicles to complete projects in solitude.
Today’s tech professionals might work on cross-collaborative teams or directly with clients or vendors, requiring the ability to break down technical concepts for those without tech knowledge. Conversely, they may need to discuss complex technical problems with their peers. They must be able to adapt their message for their audience and present that message in person, via web conferencing, or through text chat or emails.
Communication isn’t just about relaying our own thoughts and ideas; it’s also about active listening. Active listening requires a whole host of soft skills, including empathy, patience, and the ability to understand non-verbal cues.
Improving Communication Skills
The most effective way to improve communication skills is through practice. Verbal communication skills can be honed by participating in team discussions, networking at in-person events, and joining public speaking groups like Toastmasters. Written communication skills can be developed by writing blog posts, creating proposals, and contributing to open-source documentation. Seek out and learn from feedback.
Showcasing Communication Skills
Highlight your communication skills for potential employers by submitting a polished resume and cover letter. Ensure that your portfolio and LinkedIn profile are error-free and, if relevant, include links to writing samples. During interviews, engage in active listening and take the needed time to formulate your responses so that your answers are well articulated.
Teamwork And Collaboration
Teamwork is key in the tech sector. Whether working with other tech professionals or cross-collaborating with specialists who have little tech knowledge, today’s tech workers need strong teamwork and collaboration skills. The ability to work congenially with others, respect diverse opinions and ideas, and contribute to a shared goal are all skills that tech employers look for.
Improving Teamwork And Collaboration Skills
There is no better way to improve your teamwork and collaboration skills than by actively participating in a team project. Offer to join team-based initiatives at work or look for volunteer activities in your community that provide the chance to work on a team.
A critical component of teamwork and collaboration is active listening. Learn more about the soft skills that support expert active listening, and practice those skills in all areas of your life.
Showcasing Teamwork And Collaboration Skills
Since teamwork and collaboration skills are valued highly by tech employers, it’s important to highlight those skills during the hiring process. Include examples of successful team projects in your cover letter and portfolio. During interviews, make a point of mentioning successful team projects and your strengths as a team member.
Adaptability
Tech has always advanced quickly but, particularly since the pandemic years, the pace of technological change has been incredible. New tools, programming languages, and platforms emerge all the time. Further, tech’s integration into all sectors has required that we reassess how we approach tech-based work. It’s critical that today’s tech workers can pivot as needed, embrace continuous learning, and always stay open to change. In short, employers are looking for tech professionals with strong adaptability skills.
Improving Adaptability Skills
Whether joining a new team, working with a new manager, or learning new skills, change can be difficult to navigate, and some people are reluctant to dive in. To increase your comfort level with change and build your adaptability skills, regularly look for new things to embrace at work and in your personal life. Try out new tools, offer to take on different responsibilities, and reach out to ask if you can join new groups or teams.
It’s also important to develop a growth mindset. That way, instead of evaluating success based on the achievement of an end goal, you’ll learn to value the process of working towards that goal, and the skills and knowledge you gain along the way. With a strong growth mindset, setbacks will feel like learning opportunities rather than failures.
Showcasing Adaptability Skills
Your portfolio is a valuable tool for showcasing your adaptability skills. Instead of focussing on the end result of projects, use your portfolio to describe changes you had to make and skills you had to learn to successfully complete projects. Be prepared to discuss these same tangents during job interviews.
It can be difficult to succinctly summarize these points in a cover letter. Instead, describing yourself as “quick to learn” or “comfortable in dynamic environments” can help highlight your adaptability skills.
Problem Solving
At its root, almost every tech job is about solving problems. Developing tech solutions, providing desktop support, debugging programs, and troubleshooting server issues are examples of everyday problem-solving efforts required by tech professionals. Tech employers are keen to hire proficient problem solvers who think critically to develop effective solutions.
Developing Problem-Solving Skills
Tackling complex challenges that seem above your skill level is a terrific way to hone your problem-solving skills. When you confront that challenge, you can break it down into smaller, more manageable parts that allow you to develop your skills as you progress.
Take on side projects, participate in hackathons, or use online platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to hone your problem-solving skills. But remember that problem solving isn’t restricted to tech. A dripping faucet, an unexpected expense, or a lost credit card all require that we put our problem-solving skills to the test. Evaluate how you approach problems in general and see if there are ways that you can adjust your approach to become more effective. Could you ask for help more often? Do you bypass obvious solutions, always thinking that the problem is overly complex?
Showcasing Problem-Solving Skills
It’s not easy to summarize your problem-solving skills in a resume or cover letter. Your portfolio provides a terrific platform for explaining challenges you encountered and how you overcame them. Be prepared to give real examples of your problem-solving skills in job interviews. Using the STAR method (breaking your description down by explaining the Situation, Task, Action, Result) works exceptionally well when it comes to demonstrating your problem-solving expertise.
Time Management
Time management skills are critical for staying on task every day, but tech roles often require that workers act swiftly to solve problems or meet tight deadlines. Effective time management requires several strong soft skills, including competence in prioritizing, organizational skills, and the ability to work independently. Tech recruiters and managers value these skills in applicants.
Developing Time-Management Skills
If your time-management skills need perfecting, you may need to work on other skills, like learning how to effectively prioritize tasks and stay focussed on the task at hand. Identifying your most productive blocks of time in each day can help you shift work around, so that the tasks that require the most focussed efforts are scheduled into your most productive time slots. Using time-management tools like Trello or Asana can also help.
Showcasing Time-Management Skills
Mentioning that you’re familiar with Agile or Scrum methodologies in your resume or cover letter is an extremely effective way of showing that you’ve worked in structured, time-sensitive environments. Using phrases like “managed multiple projects with competing deadlines” and “consistently met critical deadlines” are also terrific ways to highlight your time-management skills during the hiring process. Be prepared to provide specific examples during interviews, once again incorporating the STAR method.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions in yourself and others. A high EQ is critical for navigating relationships, including those within the workplace. Tech recruiters and hiring managers seek out candidates with high EQ because those workers are skilled at teamwork and collaboration – and hold high potential for leadership roles.
Developing Emotional Intelligence
Self-awareness is the first step to developing a high EQ. Once you understand your own emotions, including your triggers and reactions, you’ll be able to better understand the emotions of others. If needed, seek out feedback from trusted resources in your workplace, network, and personal connections. With a strong understanding of your own emotions and well-developed empathy, you’ll be able to effectively tap into your EQ when dealing with others.
Showcasing Emotional Intelligence
Because emotional intelligence is complex, it can be difficult to succinctly address in your cover letter. However, phrases such as “handled interpersonal issues with tact” and “skilled at providing constructive feedback to others” can convey your EQ to potential employers. During an interview, use the STAR method to showcase your EQ, explaining, for instance, how you handled a tense situation with a coworker or resolved a team conflict.
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is, well, critical to success in the tech sector. Analyzing information, questioning assumptions, and using evidence and logic to make decisions are integral to most tech roles.
Developing Critical Thinking Skills
You can refine your critical thinking skills by regularly practicing structured problem analysis (breaking down problems into manageable pieces, identifying the root causes, and developing solutions). Reviewing past projects can also help, since you can objectively identify what worked, what didn’t, and why. And, even completing logic games or puzzles for fun can help sharpen your critical thinking skills.
Showcasing Critical Thinking Skills
Presenting your critical thinking skills in a cover letter can be difficult because those skills are best explained with examples. Your portfolio provides a valuable platform for showcasing your critical thinking skills, since you can explain how you solved problems to complete projects. You can provide the same type of explanations during the interview process by talking about how you chose between different options or tested hypotheses to solve a problem.
