What Soft Skills Can Do For You In The Tech World

We live in a tech world, and most jobs require significant tech knowledge and IT skills. However, having these tech skills alone is not sufficient for you to go all the way in your career. An example of added skills very necessary for you to advance in your IT career and contribute to your complete development as a professional is soft skills.

Soft skills refer to non-technical skills that contribute to how you carry out your work and determine your effectiveness in your workplace. Some examples are time management, teamwork, conflict resolution, etc. Having these soft skills in your arsenal of skills would distinguish you from other persons with the same technical abilities.

As earlier mentioned, these soft skills can also enhance productivity and effectiveness in the IT workplace and make you more employable and better suited for promotion. A recent survey shows that 94% of recruiters believe that an employee with stronger soft skills stands a better chance of being promoted than one with weaker soft skills.

Hence, employers usually look out for these skills in their employees and make them a prerequisite for employing new labor. Thus, having a good blend of technical skills and soft skills would make you an irresistible option for any job you seek. This article will take you through some of these soft skills and how important they can be to you in today’s tech world.

When do you need these soft skills?

We have already established the importance of soft skills in today’s tech world. Now let us look at scenarios where these skills are required

When you seek a leadership position

Great managers are often known for their strong soft skills. Thus, getting a leadership position means more than just having a new title and would require you to have these soft skills that qualify you for such positions, and make you a great leader. The skills required for being a great manager are usually associated with leadership and emotional intelligence.

Being a manager usually requires motivating your team, having difficult conversations, giving presentations, conducting an interview, etc. Therefore, you’ll need great soft skills like good communication skills and people management to thrive in this role and become a very great manager.

Even when you don’t seek a leadership position

You must not be a manager or be aspiring to become one before possessing these soft skills. Having these soft skills as an individual contributor would make you more valuable in your role. Examples of such skills include leadership, critical thinking, problem-solving, etc. Companies often use these skills as criteria to determine persons that are retained when the company is going through difficult times.

Therefore, possessing these skills would make you remain relevant in your work area in this age where machines are replacing humans, and make even your colleagues and superiors consider you as a leader, thus priming you for that leadership position.

When you seek to become the best version of yourself

Soft skills add value to you and make you a better employee and a good point of reference to your colleagues. These skills are not tangible and can be possessed by anyone, even a truck driver in a trucking company in UAE. They make you stand out in the workplace and become exceptional in what you do. You need them to excel in your career, as they form the basis on which every successful career is built.

For instance, having good time management skills and the ability to maintain focus would help you become more productive in your job role. This, in turn, increases the trust put on you by your coworkers and superiors to deliver when required. Thus, setting you on the path to success in your career.

Other skills that are relevant in making you become better versions of yourself include good communication skills, stress management, etc. These skills can only be mastered by applying them practically in real-life situations over and over again until we become masters of them.

Application of Soft skills in the Tech world

In addition to the technical skills required in the tech world, some soft skills are also vital to thrive therein. Some of the applications of soft skills in the tech world are discussed below

Team coordination

The problem usually encountered in the IT world is failing to meet set goals and objectives. This can be solved using team coordination skills. Team coordination is very vital in a tech team in achieving set goals and objectives. Lack of this soft skill would result in a lack of communication and failure to meet set goals and objectives. 

Therefore, you need these team management skills in your skill set to help you meet deadlines and stand out from the rest. In addition, a good problem-solving approach to work can be encouraged by distributing the work among team members.

Time management

This is the ability to manage time efficiently to maximize it and achieve a lot. Time management would help you be more productive and avoid stress. These two are needed in the tech world where deadlines are very crucial to the timely completion of objectives.

Also, good time management would give you more time for personal development and enable you to catch up with the ever-changing trends of the tech world. In addition, setting SMART goals would help you prioritize your tasks and manage your time well. Taking a break between tasks, removing non-essential tasks, and planning for the future would also help in time management.

Communication skills

Good communication skills are essential in the tech world because it enables you to express yourself to your team members in a manner that allows easy and accurate understanding in both directions. This skill is thus very vital in team building and is needed to become a good team leader. Good communication skills would also enhance your chances of getting a promotion at work and help you accurately pass information across to those who need it.

Also, good ideas cannot be expressed or shared accurately without good communication skills. Therefore, poor communication can disrupt the workflow and lead to a poor understanding of the team’s objectives. Hence, this skill is ranked by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) as the first among skills that must be possessed by candidates.

Other soft skills that are vital in the tech world include

• Adaptability
• Interpersonal skills
• Team player
• Workplace ethics, etc.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, technical skills are very necessary to thrive in the tech world. However, possessing these soft skills in addition to the hard tech skills in tech would move you from ordinary to exceptional, prime you for career growth and advancement, and make you much more valuable to your company.