The IT hiring market is constantly changing, and also the requirements of employers for potential candidates are changing as well. It stands to reason, that not all changes are radical, however, it is essential to keep your finger on the pulse of the latest trends, especially if you are planning an active job search. Therefore, in this article, I will talk about what soft skills companies want to see today from candidates in the IT field.
First of all, let me remind you that soft skills are a set of abilities that relate to how you work and how you interact with others. Like hard skills, “soft” skills can be developed and improved, but it is vital to know what makes sense to focus on in the first place.
Adaptability
The global events of recent years have shown us that things can change very quickly. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the emphasis quite a lot, moving many businesses online and making remote work one of the most popular types of employment. Now the world is also undergoing changes that affect different spheres of life — from economic to domestic. Therefore, today, when it is quite difficult to build forecasts for the future, it is more important than ever for employers to have flexible employees who are not afraid of changes and who can work in uncertainty and under unpredictable conditions, and quickly adapt to new realities without reducing their productivity.
Teamwork and Collaboration
There is still an opinion that some tech occupations do not require teamwork and it will be enough for an employee to work alone. This is not entirely true: of course, some professions do not involve very close communication with colleagues, but, even if there is an area of responsibility, almost every employee interacts with the team. For example, a developer will never be able to write working code alone — to create working code, members of the development team constantly discuss different fields of work with each other and often look for optimal solutions together.
Therefore, the ability to work in a team, build healthy and productive communication with colleagues, and be able to resolve conflicts matters a lot.
Critical Thinking
The developed skill of critical thinking makes it possible to objectively evaluate an event or action and form your attitude toward them, without depending on any propaganda. In addition, critical thinking also helps in work — for example, an employee can effectively assess their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the result of their work, without going to extremes in the form of self-deprecation or excessive self-praise.
Problem-solving
Various bottlenecks and questions in the work process may arise from time to time and require a prompt search for answers and possible solutions. Therefore, employers want to see candidates with highly developed problem-solving skills that involve a quick assessment of the situation and finding optimal ways out of it.
Creativity
Again, it is wrong to believe that creativity skills are not particularly needed in IT. Being creative means thinking outside the box and finding non-trivial solutions: from launching an original advertising campaign to writing non-standard code. This skill helps absolutely in any profession because unpredictable and extraordinary situations happen everywhere and always.
Employers look at the candidate's soft skills, so do not underestimate them — developed soft skills will be an excellent tool not only for successful interviews but also for effective work.