As an IT professional, you need to be able to interact with customers and suppliers, manage departments and communicate their ideas to others. However, IT employees also need non-technical skills, sometimes called interpersonal or soft skills. Developing these skills and showcasing them in your job application and interview will help you beat the competition in the job market. These are the top 5 soft skills in IT.
Working in a Team
Often, working in IT means working on projects that involve a team of experts, so teamwork is an essential soft skill for the IT sector. It is essential that you are able to communicate your ideas, listen to the suggestions of others and know when to take a leadership role and when to show teamwork. Working in IT means you will frequently face setbacks or unexpected modifications, from a technical problem with a project to a last-minute problem. It would make your life a lot easier if you developed the adaptability and flexibility in order to accept changes and look for creative solutions immediately. Employers will greatly appreciate this flexibility in an employee. Similarly, it would help if you were open to feedback and suggestions from a client or your employer. Listen carefully to your feedback and be prepared to make the necessary changes to increase satisfaction.
Effective Communication
With the need to write a number of emails, proposals, and technical documents, as an IT expert, written communication is essential. As an IT worker, you often have to explain technical procedures in terms that are clear and easy for clients and employers to understand, so verbal communication is also essential. You are also required to be able to explain your ideas in a way that makes others want to support and fund your projects. IT professionals need to communicate their ideas and actively listen to others. You need to closely follow the client’s or employer’s expectations to give them exactly what they ask for.
Management
Whether or not you are in a management role, you will often need to manage a project or a team, even if only for a short period of time. Being a project manager requires the ability to delegate tasks, a constant focus on the end goal, and strong communication skills. You must also learn the skill of communicating effectively with suppliers to meet your business needs.
Presentation
A presentation can be anything from one-on-one conversations to departmental business meetings or conferences. Whatever the form, you need to be able to articulate your ideas to others clearly. No matter how great your thoughts are, no one will appreciate them if you can’t learn to convey them effectively. Working on your verbal communication and familiarity with presentation tools will help you strengthen your presentation skills.
Creativity
IT professionals constantly look to the future, anticipating and developing solutions to potential technological problems and needs. This kind of forward-thinking requires a lot of imagination and creative problem-solving. Employers are therefore looking for technology professionals who can think of unique solutions.
Use Soft Skills in IT
Include your soft skills in IT in your CV, particularly in the description of your work history and your cover letter. Be sure to highlight one or two of your soft skills in IT, and give specific examples of where you demonstrated your abilities in previous work.
Did you know that we have a training center dedicated to teaching you IT skills? During these 5 weeks of training, you will not only learn IT skills but also the necessary soft skills that we are talking about here.
Discover the Experis Academy.
