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As a technology contractor you should be able to take your pick right now as there are many more available roles than candidates, but hard skills or technical skills alone are no longer enough to land you the top jobs - you also need IT soft skills.
Hard skills are the core skills or technical knowledge you need to do your job e.g., your knowledge and experience of information security technology for an Information Security Officer role. On the other hand, key soft skills for IT professionals are the non-technical skills they need. IT soft skills examples include verbal communication, problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
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A soft skills definition usually refers to interpersonal skills, also called people skills - in other words, the skills that make it easier for you to work well with others and to quickly adapt to different or changing environments.
This is particularly the case for IT contractors who need to implement substantial changes in a company or who are hired for senior project management or leadership roles, explains, Michael Page Senior Executive Manager, Mustapha Bokhizzou.
For example, a Chief Information Security Officer needs to be the security ambassador of the company and must communicate the importance of a solid information security environment to all stakeholders.
Nowadays everyone is looking for strong, communicative candidates who are good at connecting business and IT.
Ricardo van Dijk
Senior Executive Manager Technology Michael Page
Here is a list of top soft skills for IT professionals that will make you stand out from the competition.
This is the most important soft skill for IT contractors as they must be able to explain why and how they are doing things to different stakeholders in the business in plain, understandable language.
Here we’re talking about the ability to work effectively in a changing environment. You need to be open-minded and flexible enough to accept last-minute changes and adjust course when needed. The nature of contracting is that you should be able to hit the ground running and land on your feet in any role without the need for too much training or handholding, says van Dijk. You need to be resilient and easily work across teams.
Hiring managers want to see how IT professionals would be able to find creative solutions to solve problems you may not have anticipated. Analytical thinking is also important because it helps you approach problems in a logical and structured way.
As contractors bring an outside perspective, they can often ask the right questions and apply knowledgeable and beneficial judgment at critical points - a strong soft skill asset.
For contractors time management is key - you have been hired to do a job and get results in a defined, and often short, period, so the ability to prioritize and to be results-driven is a core skill.
The ability to lead projects and teams and move things forward is almost as important as the technical skills in some of the contract positions.
Even if you’re working remote - as many contractors do these days - the person’s ability to get on with team members, even if it’s on a Zoom call, also counts for a lot.
One of the IT soft skills that will make you desirable as an IT contractor now, says van Dijk, is your ability to share or impart your skills with the in-house team. This means that when you leave, they have the knowledge to continue without you.
So, how do you develop and highlight soft skills in your applications or job interviews?
Personal development is always important, so consider doing online classes to help you boost your soft skills.
Also, an experienced recruiting agency would be able to help you identify your soft skills and advise on how to structure a cover letter or CV to best display your strengths.
Of course, your hard skills are still the most important when applying for a specific IT contracting role, however it´s important to use examples of how and where you used some strong soft skills in previous assignments or everyday life to help you land the most sought-after roles.
Be sure to show these and other soft skills in your CV and cover letter, as well as during interviews with hiring managers.
At Michael Page we have a network of clients of all sizes who are looking to fill IT positions. As experienced recruiters we can connect top quality candidates with clients for top IT contracting assignments across all sectors and markets.
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