Hard skills are essential for finding IT work. You need to know the technical details of your job just to get in the door for an interview. However, while a lot of IT professionals have the hard skills down pat, mastering soft skills can be more challenging. Taking the time to work on developing these skills can make all the difference.
There are a few soft skills that are essential if you want to get hired as an IT professional for top companies. These skills include:
Being able to think like a consultant.
Consultants often have a lot of control over the hiring process in the IT world. You need to put yourself in their shoes and think about what they are most interested in when putting together an IT staff or contracting for a project. Only by considering the hiring process from their point of view can you effectively sell yourself. Thinking like a consultant can take a lot of practice. You may think something is important or easy to understand, but your client may not have that point of view. Really consider what is important to their business or decision and go from there.
Having a strong customer service mindset.
IT work is not all technical. Often, you have “customers” to help. Whether those customers are end users of software you design or managers and leaders at your company, you need to know how to make a customer happy if you are going to do the job well. Focus on how you can get to the end result quickly and successfully.
Having a good social presence.
If you cultivate your social skills, you can make a positive first impression at every company you interview with as well as expand your network within your industry. You can do this by participating in both online and offline groups and communities. By developing your emotional IQ and using your strong social skills, you can make connections that allow you to find out about job opportunities from a strong professional network.
Of course, however skilled you are, it can still be challenging to actually get noticed and land an interview with the companies you most want to work for. Technology Partners can help. Our information technology recruiters provide assistance to many IT professionals in finding great jobs with some of the best tech companies in the industry. Give us a call today at 877-636-1331, or contact us online today to find out how we can help you land your next job.
