Last time we looked at the most wanted tech skills for MCP’s. Tech skills are important, but is that all that is important? Absolutely not. The same 1400 CIO’s in the Robert Half Survey also emphasized the importance of well-rounded candidates:
Soft Skills such as communication and leadership abilities are viewed as key competencies . . . the CIO’s said that in addition to functional skills, the top characteristics they look for in IT professionals are a customer-service mind-set, the ability to work under pressure, written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to align business and IT goals. All of these skills are in line with the central role IT now plays in shaping business strategy and increasing efficiencies and profitability.
From a recruiter’s perspective, soft skills are essential in today’s workplace. Soft skills are the non-technical skills such as the ones mentioned above. These skills are actually harder to learn than technical skills, and many recruiters weigh soft skills more heavily than tech skills when filling a position.
The reason soft skills are harder to learn than technical skills is because they take years to develop. Soft skills such as teamwork, communication, and customer-service mind-set resonate to the very core of who you are as a person and as an IT professional. Contrast this to something like an MCSA or MCAD certification, where you can go to “boot camp” and then pass a series of tests and achieve the certification in 30 days if you are extremely dedicated to the task.
Due to the globalization of today’s economy, it is more important than ever to be able to communicate both verbally and in writing with teammates in other countries who are not native English speakers. This requires patience and adaptability to be successful, and these cross-cultural teamwork skills are very different than core technical skills.
Here are three tips on how you can develop your soft skills:1. Be willing to take on assignments that require soft skills
Surprise your manager by volunteering to do some dirty work that nobody else will do, like documenting an important system or program, helping develop Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) processes and procedures, or taking and distributing minutes for an important meeting.
2. Collaborate and communicate
Start to see your job in a different way. Don’t see yourself as responsible for writing X lines of code per day, or building Y servers per day, or closing out Z tickets per day. Start to view your job in terms of being part of a successful team, learning to communicate and cross-train with your teammates, and looking for opportunities to strengthen your team as a whole as well as improving in areas where you are weak. It can be a win-win for you and for your team.
3. Don’t be afraid to go to soft skill training
If your manager offers you soft skill training, make sure that you take advantage of it and happily attend. Some of the best soft skill training doesn’t require travel and doesn’t cost a penny. It will be conducted by the HR department at your company. For external soft skill training, check out Skillpath.com. Their soft skill training classes are excellent, and they are also very affordable.
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