Soft skills for developers are skills which are increasingly in demand by high-performance companies. This was suggested in the Global Talent Trends study, where 92% of recruiters emphasized their preference for non-technical skills.

Gone are the days in which only technical knowledge mattered, learned through study and much effort, and what was needed in order to guarantee good job offers. Nowadays, companies understand that  staff’s character is worth just as much as how technically well a professional can perform.

Therefore, it is essential to know what the soft skills are for developers and how to acquire them in order  to evolve in our careers. Keep reading the article we have prepared on the subject below. Enjoy!

What are soft skills?

Soft skills are non-technical skills that a professional can develop throughout their career. They relate to subjective behavior and skills that a person may have.

A great example is the soft skill of communication, seen as very important nowadays, especially in extremely technical professions. Another fundamental soft skill is emotional intelligence, which enables and helps the professional to deal with good and bad situations in the day to day of our work lives.

What is the importance of soft skills for developers?

It is important to emphasize that soft skills are important for any type of professional. However, with the accelerated growth of many companies, in addition to the high demand for devs, these skills have been proven to be even more relevant in the IT field.

Therefore, nowadays, there is a latent need for developers who have emotional and social resources in addition to good coding skills. Currently, it is essential that devs know how to communicate well, be organized, empathic and flexible, among other characteristics which we will talk about next.

Of course, a professional with communication difficulties may still stand out in the labor market. However, soft skills — more often than not —are more prominent because they are scarce and difficult to learn.

In short: the professional who manages to master some non-technical skills is a fair way ahead of others who have extensively developed only what we call hard skills.

Read also: Tips for Programmers: 10 Essential Practices for Professional Success

What are the main soft skills for developers?

It is true that the world of soft skills is immense and diverse. Therefore, we have set apart 6 non-technical skills which are particularly valued and we understand to be crucial for devs. Check out the main soft skills for developers below:

1. Communication

Whether in a remote environment or not, communication is one of the most valuable developer soft skills. When it comes to the relationship among people, teams and different types of profiles, it is essential that the dev knows how to communicate clearly and directly.

How to develop the soft skill of communication: try to be more detailed and informative, yet clear when speaking/writing, always questioning whether the other party is receiving the message properly or not. 

Initially, don’t be so concerned about the level of your language and/or grammar skills, because the first goal is the expectation of being understood by the other party. Over later stages and with patience and practice, try to improve your vocabulary and learn new words to enrich the power of your communication.

2. Collaboration

Also gone are the days in which devs worked mostly by themselves. It is increasingly necessary to interact with other professionals, whether in the area of technology, marketing or even among and within commercial teams.

Therefore, collaboration is another very important item in a developer’s soft skill set.

How to develop the soft skill of collaboration: try to be genuinely interested in the work of others, understanding your routine and how you, as a development specialist, might contribute towards common goals. 

It is important to know that even professionals from different areas can exchange experiences and evolve as a result of the process. Repeat the act of offering and asking for help to be more collaborative within the team and, consequently, become someone who is known to engage with third parties.

3. Organization

Organization is often what allows a great deal of work to be done; and for a developer, it can be a real game changer because it involves elements ranging from code up to system documentation.

How to develop the soft skill of organization: try to understand how being organized can help you and what points to improve upon when going about your routine. By knowing the benefits, it will be easier to evolve in this soft skill and reap its positive fruits.

Set apart a few minutes a day to prepare your work environment and station, organize your files, and improve code organization, among other things. Over time, you will, by repetition, become someone who is naturally more organized and certainly more productive in your professional routine as a result.

4. Emotional intelligence

The ability to deal with pressure and handle difficult issues is one of the rarest soft skills for developers to acquire at present. Whether it’s a direct consequence of the pandemic or the excessive pressure for constant results, emotional intelligence is a much welcome element in the day-to-day life of devs.

How to develop the soft skill of emotional intelligence: it is extremely difficult to develop emotional intelligence, as it relies a lot on life experiences and the person’s personality by itself.

Therefore, our recommendation is to always seek self-knowledge and increase in self-confidence through mindful practices; as well as conscious attempts at controlling and/or at least managing one’s negative thoughts and emotions throughout the day. This can be more easily achieved through awareness, repetition and the building of resilience over internalizing new and healthy daily habits. These can be learned from books, films, psychological follow-up and in the exchange of experience with colleagues and other professionals.

5. Problem-solving skills

Developers need to nurture problem-solving skills in order to succeed in their profession, and for that to be possible, it is first necessary to learn how to navigate challenges that arise in the work routine.

How to develop the solving problems soft skill: try to look at problems from a different, not-previously considered point of view and challenge yourself to fix them in unusual ways. Break down issues into smaller pieces to better analyze possible solutions, think about the benefits of solving a challenge and try to be the kind of professional who is always eager to learn new things by not only embracing, but also welcoming changes, whether in your own area or not.

6. Interpersonal relationships

The last (but certainly not least) important soft skill to highlight is interpersonal relationships. As mentioned earlier, there are more and more teams nowadays which are interconnected and needing to work in unison towards common goals in companies at large, whether in the IT area or not.

Therefore, cultivating good interpersonal relationships with colleagues and all involved stakeholders is crucial for devs who wish to excel in the labor market.

How to develop the soft skill of interpersonal relationships:  the first step is to be open to new 

personal relationships. Once that willingness is present, the next step is to try to understand 

the behavior of others around us, further strengthening the power of empathy.

In this way, it should be possible (and easier) to better absorb constructive criticism and provide quality feedback, thus increasing the capacity and quality of the relationships among people, regardless of their function, position, gender, or race.

Thus, now that you’ve come to understand the key soft skills needed for developers, it is time to get your hands dirty and work towards developing them, even knowing beforehand what a tough and challenging process that is likely to be. Good luck!
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