What’s So Important About Soft Skills Anyway? Soft Skills for IT Pros

Ever wonder how much IT professionals actually spend doing their core job? That’s a great question. According to the software development experts at The New Stack:
 
While this might not be surprising to developers, it is perhaps disheartening to see that respondents spend less than one-third of their time writing new code or improving existing code (32%)...Another 23% is spent in meetings and on management and operational tasks.
 
The statistics are very similar around the full spectrum of the IT world. The bottom line is that IT professionals spend almost as much time in meetings and performing operational functions as they do on core tasks. These non-core functions require extensive soft skills.
 
So what soft skills should IT pros focus on, and how can they improve them? This post will focus on the tangible “how” to improve your business-critical soft skills.
 
Communications and interpersonal skills are essential throughout the IT workforce.
How sharp are your business communications skills? Do you think you could use a little help polishing them up? Coursera and MDC Training are just two companies that offer online business communications classes.
 
There are tons of online business communications courses and refresher classes available. We recommend that you search around, find one that’s affordable and relevant to your situation, and get started on improving your communications skills.
 
One fact is unavoidable—IT professionals need crisp, concise communications skills, from report writing to creating slide decks. Don’t let weak communications skills hold you back in your career aspirations.
 
Critical, analytical thinking, and problem-solving skills can be developed and honed by IT professionals.
Technology and knowledge workers, in general, need to have excellent critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills. But how can you improve these invaluable soft skillsets?
 
There are plenty of free advice portals and online resources available. Indeed and Master Class offer some great starting points for beginners. LinkedIn Learning also offers some excellent “pay-to-play” classes starting at $39 a month.
 
The bottom line is that you don’t have to possess natural, exceptional communication or analytical skills. These career-enhancing soft skills can be grown improved organically at your own pace.
 
Don’t leave your next career move to chance. Engage with the professional recruiting team at Employer’s Pro Advantage. We’ll take the time to get to know you, your strengths, and your career goals. We also have intimate knowledge of the hiring markets.
 
We can keep you out of the overcrowded web of job boards, job search engines, job aggregators, and career help sites.
 
Are you a candidate looking for a technology, engineering, or business operations job?
At mCubed Staffing, we help clients just like you find that perfect job every day! We might just have a great employer looking for a great candidate like you right now.
 
Call us today at (248) 817-2243, or get in touch online. Our expert recruiters are waiting for your call.