The role of soft skills in IT recruitment

Hard skills and soft skills: you hear these terms more and more often. Hard skills, such as programming, analysis and database management, are indispensable on CVs in the world of IT recruitment. Yet soft skills are gaining ground in the field too, and the importance of these skills is increasingly recognised. But what does the term ‘soft skills’ mean in IT recruitment, and why is it so important in this sector in particular?

What are soft skills?

We already mentioned it in an earlier blog: soft skills are the skills that, compared with hard skills, have more to do with behaviour, attitude and personality. You don’t necessarily learn them at school, but rather in real life. And while some people have certain skills such as communication or time management down naturally, others have to train them consciously. That is perfectly possible, for example by reflecting on your behaviour or asking others for feedback. Later in this article we’ll give you more tips for developing soft skills (further) in IT recruitment.

Common soft skills in IT recruitment

Some soft skills are just that bit more important than others in IT recruitment. Think of collaboration, communication and emotional intelligence: handy skills for IT talent that is part of a scrum team. Problem-solving ability and creativity can also come in very useful when a (technical) challenge comes up in a project. Time management, persuasiveness and adaptability are soft skills that IT staff can put to good use in their work as well.

Why are soft skills important?

Both projects and team dynamics can make big strides as soon as more soft skills are applied. Thanks to good communication and a pleasant way of working together, IT departments often get more done in less time. So don’t underestimate the power of time management either: it makes you more efficient and makes deadlines less intimidating. Another benefit of soft skills in IT recruitment? An IT team can avoid conflicts more easily, and when they do arise, they can be resolved faster. This also adds to the quality of your IT projects.

The balance between hard and soft skills in IT

It may be tempting to see hard skills and soft skills as two separate things. Yet together they form a powerful combination in IT, because they can complement and strengthen each other. Soft skills such as communication skills, for example, can help to get technical knowledge about programming or system administration across. And a team can have all the knowledge in the world, but without collaboration and listening skills, projects often don’t succeed. So both types of skills are needed for successful IT projects.

Developing soft skills: tips for candidates and employers

So soft skills play an ever bigger role in IT. Specialists in the field as well as employers and recruiters will be dealing with them more and more. I’m happy to give you some tips for developing your own soft skills or encouraging your team to do so.

How to give your soft skills a boost

Are you an IT professional who wants to develop your own soft skills? Then it’s important to be aware of your strengths and, above all, your weaknesses. Once you are, you know what’s already going well and what you can work on. To become aware of this, it’s also important to ask others for feedback. Think of colleagues, but also friends and family. They often see things you hadn’t even thought of. As soon as you know where you can still grow, it’s time to practise in real life. You can do that at work, but also among your friends or with strangers. Pay attention to how others use their soft skills too. You can learn a lot from that.

How to encourage soft skills development in your team

Are you an employer or manager? Then make developing soft skills in your team a priority! That way your colleagues see that you value their growth, and you make sure your projects run more efficiently and end successfully. There are all kinds of training courses and workshops you can organise to get your team actively working on certain soft skills. Encourage feedback between colleagues too, so they get a good idea of their strengths and weaker points. Notice someone making big progress? Give them a compliment, or another reward. A small token of appreciation can be enough to motivate someone even more.

Perhaps most important of all: set a good example yourself by listening well, communicating and showing empathy. Looking for new IT talent? Then it’s important to keep an eye out for the right skills, including soft skills, and to highlight them in your recruitment communications. Curious how? Read here how Irixs used IT recruitment.

The next step? Get started!

Now that you know which soft skills matter in the world of IT recruitment, it’s time to get to work on them! This goes for employers and employees alike. Together you can make sure IT talent doesn’t just excel technically, but shines even more by strengthening that talent with soft skills.