During the 1972 CONARC Conference, Dr. Whitmore presented his audience a report, we quote: “Soft skills are important job-related skills that involve little or no interaction with machines and whose application on the job is quite generalized.”
Today in 2020, everybody is talking about this adeptness, especially in IT. A couple of years ago, IT consultants used to have the reputation of having a lack of communication. Often, those working in IT are assumed to be socially awkward; we used to refer them as “geeks”. But why are they even more important these days, especially in IT?
It’s often said that technical skills (hard skills) will get you an interview, but IT consultants need others aptitudes to get and keep their job.
We all agree that having the technical skills and knowledge to successfully carry out a job is only one part of being the best we can be in the workplace. In addition to these hard skills, soft skills will help us to work with people. When we take the time to improve our soft skills, we will contribute to a more efficient, productive and harmonious workplace.
But what are some of these competences that any IT consultant needs?
Communication
What soft skills consultants need in the IT industry? To write a number of emails, proposals, bids. Written and verbal communication is equally important.
Creativity
IT projects can be long and challenging. IT consultants need to constantly anticipate and develop new ideas for tech problems. Most companies are looking for people who can solve problems.
Determination
No IT project is perfect, IT projects can stall because of a variety of issues: financial problems, issues with vendors, problems with software, hardware or processes, a lack of teamwork, or one of many other reasons. For these reasons, IT consultants have to stay focused on the ultimate goal and continue to work toward that result.
We have plenty of other talents which are important such as negotiation, multitasking, and presentation.
At TEAM International, we provide high caliber IT Consultants and put all these proficiencies at the same level as technical skills. We put an internal process in place to detect them. Yes, we want to be the best matchmaker.
Do you want to know more about the internal process that we put in place to find the best candidates in the market? Please, get in touch with us, we are open to sharing our little secret with you.