Why did soft skills become necessary?
We all know the "famous" image of a programmer: introvert, in grandma's sweater, stretched pants and glasses. Of course, at the time of the birth of the profession (and the emergence of this stereotype) there was no question of any soft skills, because if you knew how to write code, you were already cool! Now the IT sphere and the profession itself have changed significantly.
The responsibilities of a good developer include not only the implementation of technical tasks, but also the skills of team management, communication with clients, and others. In other words, there are more requirements for specialists.
Why does a developer need soft skills?
1. Helps with employment.
Agree, if the employer needs to choose between two candidates with the same professional skills (hard skills), then the choice will be made in favor of someone who also has good soft skills. It’s more profitable to take someone who can take responsibility, likes to take the initiative, lead the process, able to communicate with the team and listen to the interlocutor.
2. Higher likelihood of career growth
Developed “soft” skills definitely help in the career ladder, because with each new step there are more and more responsibilities. If you want to grow to a senior, then you should think about developing soft skills. He differs from Jun not only in his experience, but also in his ability to make decisions that will be beneficial for the company.
Google conducted an interesting research on this topic in 2017 . They decided to identify the best teams within the company. According to the results, it turned out that the employees of the most productive teams are people who have a high level of soft skills.
What soft skills are needed?
1. Communication
These are the skills of negotiations, presentation, the ability to find compromises and work in a team.
Product development is a team effort. Like it or not, you have to interact with the team. Especially now, when many companies conduct retrospectives and other internal events at which they discuss problems, solutions and new ideas.
Communication skills will come in handy when communicating with colleagues, sharing experience and knowledge. If you want to develop, then without it anywhere.
How to develop?
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2.
This item is about the ability to quickly adapt to new conditions and find non-standard solutions to the situation.
While working on an IT product, significant adjustments are often made that need to be quickly responded to. Also, the developer needs to have lateral thinking in order to generate suggestions for product improvement.
How to develop?
- Find new approaches to old tasks. Ask yourself: "How can you do it differently here?"
- Take on unusual tasks for you. Once I heard a phrase that I remember very well: "hell increases skill." It means that the harder you take on tasks for yourself, the faster you learn.
3. Discipline
This includes time management and prioritization skills.
When several projects are running in parallel, it is not just important, but it is necessary to be able to manage your time and understand how to allocate your resources.
How to develop?
- Keep all tasks in one place. It can be an app or a notepad. Here, firstly, you need to accustom yourself to behaving him (if you have not done so yet), and secondly, with this approach you will definitely not lose anything and will not forget.
- Prioritize each task.
- Start with the hardest task. Have you ever done things that seem to have been doing all day, and in the evening look - the most difficult task has not been completed. This aspect is just about it. Business coach Brian Tracy says, “Eat a frog in the morning,” that is, at the beginning of the day, complete the most difficult task.
4. Self-reliance and proactivity
Here the principle is simple: to do more than expected from you and not to ask once again questions to which you yourself can find the answer.
How to develop?
- For any question that arises, you should not immediately run to your senior colleagues - google it and try to solve the problem yourself. This approach saves not only your time, but also the time of other employees. And adds a plus to the reputation.
How to test your soft skills?
Professional skills are confirmed by diplomas, certificates and diplomas, but how to check soft skills?
It seems to me that here is one option: ask your family and friends for an opinion. They know you and will tell you exactly what to work on.
What to read about soft skills?
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Soft skills need to be developed as well as programming skills. In the market, this will definitely not be superfluous, but in most cases it will play into your hands. Therefore, decide on the skill that you want to improve. Do not tackle everything at once! Act gradually, one by one. Then it will be effective.
Write your point A and point B. Where do you start and what result do you want to come to? Don't forget to set deadlines.
For implementation, make a plan with contractual actions. For example, I want to develop a communication skill. This means that every day I have to communicate with one stranger.
Do not be afraid, practice and everything will work out! The Evercode Lab team will support you.