Standing out in a competitive job market is always a tough ask, but it all comes down to showcasing who you are as an employee and focusing on what makes you unique. Often, that’s all about the soft skills you can bring to the table as a technical professional. Not everyone in this industry can highlight strong soft skills, so here are a few of the most important ones that will help you stand out from the crowd.
Communication
Communication is an important soft skill for most job applicants, no matter what industry they are working in. But as a technical candidate, communication is particularly important to showcase. If your talents and technical skills are supported by real-world experience but you can’t communicate them to an interviewer or hiring manager, you can see how that might cause problems in your job search.
Employers are also looking for examples of how you have succeeded in communicating with past clients and co-workers to forecast your future communication skills. If you need to brush up on your speaking, writing, and interpersonal skills, try to do so before the interview because these skills will be on display and judged whether you are prepared or not.
Teamwork
Good teamwork skills in a technical environment could mean the difference between a successful project and an abject failure. Your teamwork skills and ability to work cohesively with co-workers and supervisors is critical to your success in this job market. Few employees ever work in a vacuum, but TECHNICAL workers are especially expected to interact with clients and support staff to get the job done. Teamwork skills involve the ability to communicate issues and potential solutions, collaborate in effective ways and maintain positive relationships despite stressful or highly demanding situations. Prove to your interviewer that you are a team player with concrete examples of your teamwork skills in action.
Adaptability
Flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing situations are skills that are not only in demand, but it’s unlikely that you would be able to succeed in the fast-paced technical environment without them. Situations are constantly in flux and technical emergencies tend to crop up when everyone least expects them. The demands of a project can change in response to a client’s fluctuating expectations, bugs in a program, or the availability of resources (including time and budget). The ability to think on your feet and maintain a calm and professional demeanor are highly valuable soft skills in the field of technology. Before walking into an interview setting, come up with a couple solid examples from your past work experience to showcase how your flexibility helped to reduce conflict and produce a high-quality deliverable.
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For more advice on how to set yourself up for success in your job search, connect with the career experts at ESGI today.
