4 Soft Skills to Advance Your IT Career
Sure, a robust technical skillset plays a big role in your success as a tech professional. But to truly take your career to another level, you also need to possess the soft skills the top companies desire from their employees. After all, it’s an increasingly collaborative world out there, as technology is rapidly becoming second nature at most forward-looking organizations. Therefore, these non-technical abilities are essential.
What follows are a few of the soft skills currently in demand at companies across multiple business sectors. Emphasize these capabilities on the job to put your tech career on an upward path to success.
Strong Problem-Solving Abilities
Many technologists’ careers are spent solving problems, which requires keen critical-thinking skills. You need to highlight these experiences on your résumé, cover letter, and during an interview.
Thinking outside the box is essential in the modern economy, so expect interviewers to probe your abilities in this area. As such, being asked to solve a test problem in an interview is a strong likelihood. Be prepared!
A Focus on Detail
A successful life in technology requires someone who is detail-oriented. It truly comes with the territory. This is another major reason to closely proofread all communications with companies interested in your candidacy, as well as the online version of your résumé and your LinkedIn profile. Any spelling or grammatical errors likely spell a death-knell to your chances at an interview or a job offer.
Excellent Verbal and Written Communication Skills
Communication has never been more important in the technology industry that thrives on collaboration. Whether meeting with a client or business stakeholder, interacting with teams during a daily Agile standup meeting, or crafting a blog post on your latest work accomplishment, communication skills are vital.
If you feel uncomfortable speaking in front of a group of people, consider joining a local Toastmasters chapter. Highlight this fact on your résumé to let companies know communication is an important part of your career.
Emphasize Your Leadership Skills
Companies want to hire candidates with strong leadership skills, even those that are innate. As such, even if you never held the title of “manager,” highlight any experiences serving as a team lead or mentoring a new hire at your company. Any tech organization would jump at an opportunity to develop a candidate’s leadership talent, so this is a soft skill worth emphasizing when interviewing.
If you need advice on your IT job search, talk with the knowledgeable team at Digital Prospectors. As one of the top technical staffing agencies in New England, we know the companies looking for talented professionals. Connect with us soon!
