Blog Layout

7 Key Soft Skills for Tech Teams in the Post 'COVID-19 Normal'

Admin • Oct 20, 2020

The IT sector has traditionally placed priority on the team members having gun tech skills – sometimes at the expense of other, seemingly less important soft skills. As COVID-19 redefines the way we work, the need for soft skills in this sector is becoming increasingly apparent.



Soft skills now dominate the list of proficiencies needed by our future tech workforce. As Deloitte Access Economics points out, “ten of the sixteen ‘crucial proficiencies in the 21st century’ identified by the World Economic Forum are non-technical”. 


The days where the technically gifted can get away with operating as a lone wolf are long gone. Technology team members are now expected to have solid non-technical soft skills. 


If you want to improve the effectiveness of our tech teams or to shine as a team member, here are eight soft skills that will give you an edge. And if you are looking to get into the sector, these skills could make a tangible difference to your employment prospects by making you stand out from the crowd. 


According to an Australian Department of Employment 2016 report, a quarter of entry level employers report having difficulty filling vacancies because applicants lack employability skills.

Key soft skills for the IT / Tech sector

1. Collaboration

The day of the specialist expert has given way to an open sharing of ideas and (sometimes opposing) views. Agile and similar methodologies require new levels of teamwork and collaboration and this in turn requires new non-technical skills. Empathy (dealt with in more detail later), diplomacy, helpfulness, clarity and grace are soft skills that are sought after and recognised in technical teams – and never more than now in the decentralised work environment brought about by COVID-19.


"Teamwork is an essential quality as it leads to better relationships with colleagues, often resulting in greater collaboration and innovation," says Angie Keller, Vice President of recruiting at Randstad Engineering. "…the best ideas often result from group efforts.”

2. Problem solving & creativity

As technical challenges become more complex, the ability to find creative solutions to difficult problems is critical. Being able to clearly see and describe the problem is the first step in solving it. It is here that critical thinking and communication skills come into their own. 


A natural curiosity helps team members identify issues and potential solutions before they occur. It also means that each member is constantly building their knowledge.


Then, having the mental flexibility and the ability to remain open to the ideas of others is essential to solving the core problem and also seeing other issues that might occur as a result. Ultimately, a team that can bring each of these skills to bear can develop solutions that give the business the competitive advantage that it is looking for.

3. Communication

One of the greatest challenges to bringing an idea or solution to reality is being able to express your idea, concern or alternative in a way that is constructive and clear. In tech environments where issues and alternative views are a natural part of the process, these skills are often the fuel that keeps effective items moving forward. Teams where these skills are absent are often prone to misunderstandings, false starts and unnecessary conflict. Ultimately, without good communication skills the best ideas (and their owners) never see their full potential.

4. EQ / Empathy

The ability to show empathy and to walk in the shoes of a fellow team member are critical to tech projects – especially those where the various roles of team members (business owner, scrum master, etc) are often naturally at odds with each other. Emotional intelligence is often thought to be inherent, but everyone can improve their levels of EQ.


Teams where these skills are held to be of high value often remove roadblocks more easily, and are able to resolve issues by being willing and able to see the other person’s perspective. Not only that, the benefits of increased EQ transcend the work environment. People who actively work on improving their EQ often report major improvements in their personal relationships with their partners and kids as well.

5. Storytelling

This skill goes hand-in-hand with communication skills – but takes the idea one step further. Projects are often driven by a specific need and each has a backstory. The ability to clearly express that backstory and tie it back to the project and its outcomes are vital in creating and maintaining stakeholder buy-in. Being able to bring that narrative down to a team level helps enlist emotional commitment and keeps the outcomes top of mind during times when the project’s reason for being can get lost in the detail.

6. Leadership 

The ability to lead is often confused with the act of managing, but they are very different. A good leader can bring together a combination of the soft skills listed above and merge them into a personal style that is genuine and compelling. Leaders are not born – they are built. Even people with some natural ability have a responsibility to constantly improve their leadership skills and learn new ways to be a more effective leader.

7. Commitment to ongoing development

Tech professionals are no strangers to learning new skills. IT specialists place enormous importance on building their tech skills and staying ahead of current technologies. It is important that this same curiosity is extended to constantly sharpening their soft skills as well. 


The good news is that all of these skills can be learned and are actually more enjoyable to learn than the technical training you and your team are all too familiar with.

TALK TO US ABOUT OUR UNIQUE VIRTUAL TRAINING
By Admin 03 Dec, 2020
Light for life When giving a virtual presentation it’s important that you are seen in the best light, literarily! The lighting that you choose to use can make or break a presentation. Too much light and you can look washed out, too little light and you won’t be seen at all. Get the light just right and you’ll shine like a star.  Take one minute of your day to learn more about the importance of lighting.
By Admin 24 Nov, 2020
Space: the final frontier Virtual presenting is all about knowing how to use your space and being aware of how much space you have to work in. Unlike presenting or training in-person where you have a whole room or stage to work with, in a virtual world your space is much smaller and new rules apply, so it's good to know how to fill your space without slipping over the edges. Take one minute to view tip two in our virtual presenting series to see how you can own your space and stay in your virtual box.
By Admin 05 Nov, 2020
The eyes have it Whether you be presenting in person, or in a virtual situation its all about making contact with your audience. Connecting with an audience requires us to show our true selves or put another way, to be authentic. One of the best ways to show our authenticity is to reveal ourselves through our eyes, we do this by looking others in the eye, when we do this, they see our inner selves, which sparks a genuine connection. When presenting virtually the lens is the representation of everyone you are speaking with, so the lens becomes their eyes and we must look into that lens and express emotion in the same way we do when we are with people in a physical environment. So, sit back and take one-minute to view tip number one in our presentation skills video training series to help you connect in the virtual world.
By Herduard Joy Cetron 30 Oct, 2020
Do you know the difference between aggressive, assertive and non-assertive? This is an important question for anyone working as an account receivable person / credit controller. You see, a big part of getting invoices paid on time is your voice, your voice has to become an effective tool for encouraging your customers to pay their invoices on time and your voice needs to be used in an assertive manner. When you are assertive people follow your lead and will be guided by you, being assertive creates trust and gives you the authority you need to be taken seriously. Another aspect of being a good account receivable person / credit controller is maintaining your record keeping, using the CRM software or accounting software correctly. Document, Document, Document. If you keep accurate records it will stop your customers from trying to trick you are out right lying to you, because they will know that you have documented what they have promised to do and you can refer back to previous conversations and quote their own words back at them, this has a powerful effect on people trying to mislead you.  So sit back and take one-minute to view tip number three in our credit control video training series to help you get your invoices paid on time.
By Admin 22 Oct, 2020
We are here to help you get paid, whilst maintaining excellent relationships with your customers What kind of relationship does your accounts receivable team have with your customers? For the most part credit controllers and accounts receivable teams don’t have much of a relationship with customers except to chase them for payment which means in many cases it’s a negative relationship. We see this as a flawed relationship, wouldn’t it be better for your business and the customer if the relationship between the customer and the accounts receivable team was a positive one? How about starting the relationship on a positive note and keeping it that way, viewing accounts receivable as part of the customer service process can ensure you not only get paid faster but have a deeper more meaningful relationship with customers. In this set of short one-minute training videos we will arm you with the skills to make sure your invoices get paid on time every time.
By Admin 15 Oct, 2020
We are here to help you get paid whilst maintaining excellent relationships with your customers. Surprisingly, one of the biggest fears in business is asking to be paid. Many business owners and accounts receivable people have never been taught to ask for payment and the rules around maintaining positive relationships whilst reducing outstanding invoices.  In this short series of credit control videos, we will arm you with the skills to make sure your invoices get paid on time.
By Admin 08 Oct, 2020
We are here to help. Tips to stay cool, calm and collected in Customer Service As Des’ree sang in her 1994 Hit song You Gotta Be. “You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together and love will save the day”. This is a wonderful mantra when working in customer service, when you are cool, calm and collected you have power over yourself and power over your role. It's not always easy to keep your head when things are frantic with customers being demanding and the pressure to keep calls to a certain time limit and make, or answer X many calls an hour. Having an assertive tone of voice, great eye contact and body language are important. So, sit back, relax and take one minute to watch this training video to let us help you to be super cool with your customers.
By Admin 05 Oct, 2020
We are here to help. Tips to stay cool, calm and collected in Customer Service Conflict is my friend, now that’s a bold statement, we know, but once conflict is embraced it can be managed and used to build stronger relationships with customers. Conflict is only a problem if it spirals out of control, during this time of COVID-19 many of our clients have reported that their customer service teams are experiencing far more conflict with customers than they have previously, tension not addressed grows and something quite minor can turn into a serious conflict which could mean losing a customer. So, sit back relax and take one minute to watch this training video to let us help you embrace conflict.
By Admin 24 Sep, 2020
We are here to help. Tips to stay cool, calm and collected in Customer Service Over the past few months we have had many conversations with our customers and clients about how they can continue to give their customers (internal and external) a great customer experience. COVID-19 has changed the world completely, who would have thought that most customer service teams would now be working remotely or in an office environment that is unrecognisable from this time last year. As a professional customer service person it's part of our role to deal with that stress with humility, style and above all cut through the stress and get to the real issue then help the person to resolve their issue(s). We will be posting short video tips each week. Enjoy, remember to centre and breathe.
By Admin 21 Sep, 2020
COVID-19 has forced companies to decentralise their tech workforces. The result has been the fragmentation of normal team dynamics. The comfort and personal connection of team meetings has been replaced with technologies that rob us of the cues that make face-to-face collaboration feel natural. At the same time, many businesses are using the COVID-19 restraints to scale up their technologies and build new digital capabilities. The result of this is a double-whammy for tech teams – a significant increase in workload and a dramatic reduction in ease of collaboration. Tech teams are expected to be as productive than they were pre-COVID but in circumstances that are far from easy. The comfort and productiveness of the person-to-person daily scrum and sprint planning and review meetings have been replaced by a daisy chain of technologies that remove personal connection, greatly reduce non-verbal signals and generally complicate previously simple gatherings. What has emerged is a heightened dependency on a range of soft skills. Previously, soft skills were not considered critical in the minds of many technology decision-makers and recruiters. But now they are. The reality is that soft skills have always been part of the skill set for great tech talent. While these skills aren’t always specified in the JD, this skillset often determines who becomes client-facing, who gets the team lead, who makes it into management roles – and who remains in purely technical roles. Now, in this decentralised environment even primarily technical roles need to be able to employ soft skills. Think of your last Zoom meeting (which may be happening as you read this), and ask yourself if the meeting would be more efficient if the participants were better at… Putting their view clearly and concisely Demonstrating empathy and respect to the view of others on the call Presenting their solutions and the benefits clearly and without unnecessary detail Managing their time (including turning up to the meeting on time) Observing communications etiquette and not talking over each other (as well as muting when they are not speaking) Coming up with creative solutions instead of staring forgetfully at the webcam Decentralised workforces and remote work conditions bring these skills (and the absence of them) into stark perspective. These qualities are signs of soft skills in action – and they can make a huge difference to the productivity of a tech team and career trajectory of its members. According to Chicago tech recruiters Instant Access; “technology pros who also have the ability to communicate effectively, negotiate conflict, work well in teams and are adaptable to the ever-changing needs of a dynamic market are much more valuable to their organisations, especially at the managerial and executive level”. And tech staff with good soft skills are in high demand. LinkedIn’s The Top Skills Companies Need Most in 2020 study found that “Topping this year’s list are creativity, collaboration, persuasion, and emotional intelligence—all skills that demonstrate how we work with others and bring new ideas to the table.” In a work environment increasingly separated by physical distance, soft skills are the glue that bring human teams together and help them collaborate effectively.
More Posts
Share by: