7 Essential Soft Skills for Technology Careers

No matter your profession, having solid soft skills will help you connect with others and excel on the job. These skills include things like good communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, among others. 

When it comes to tech jobs, certain soft skills are more important than others. In this post, we’ll discuss seven essential soft skills for technology careers, including how you can work to develop new skills or enhance the ones you already have. 

Important Soft Skills for Technology Jobs

1. Attention to Detail

Tech jobs often require intense attention to detail. Workers often have to look at complex patterns and identify issues or make changes to improve performance. In many tech careers, even a small detail can make a large impact, so attention to detail is critical.

2. Analytical Skills

Programmers, developers, and other tech professionals receive complex instructions and must use this information – however limited, complex, or confusing – to create effective results. Tech professionals must evaluate users’ needs and design solutions that function properly and meet requirements. 

3. Teamwork

Successful tech projects aren’t created by one person. They require teams of people working together toward a common goal. In software development, for example, you may be a coding wizard, but if you can’t pair-program and work with your teammates to divide up the work and meet deadlines, you won’t have a successful career. In tech, you need to be able to balance working autonomously and working within a team environment. Both are required for long-term success.

4. Communication

To be a good teammate, you need to communicate effectively. People on your team need to know what you’re thinking, what you’re doing, and what you hope to accomplish. Communication, of course, is a two-way street; a survey from Morning Consult found that good listening (crucial for quality communication) was the top in-demand soft skill for modern employers. 

5. Creativity

To be a tech professional, you don’t need the overflowing artistry and creativity of a painter or sculptor – but you do need to be creative. You need to find and execute creative solutions to complex problems and take innovative approaches to design and coding.  

6. Problem-Solving

Creativity and problem-solving are deeply connected. In a tech career, you’ll be presented with unique challenges and problems, including issues that have never been faced before. There’s no manual, so you’ll have to find the solution. Research from iCIMS (internet Collaborative Information Management Systems) found that 62% of employers desire problem-solving skills.

7. Positivity

Above all, you need to be positive – or at least have the ability to tap into positivity – during your tech career. The challenges you’ll face will be significant, with solutions hard to come by at times. The potential for negativity will be persistent, but with a positive attitude, you’ll stay focused on the tasks at hand and have a more successful, enjoyable career.

Can You Learn Soft Skills?

While some people are naturally better communicators or team players than others, soft skills can certainly be learned and improved upon. 

Glassdoor recommends numerous approaches, including online courses, getting feedback from others, hiring a skills coach, and practicing skills like communication and listening with friends. 

Training programs like Tech Elevator coding bootcamps focus on developing soft skills alongside tech skills. Instructors and career coaches help students build up their communication, teamwork, and creativity so they graduate prepared for a new, fulfilling career in tech.