The research, conducted by Mason Frank, comes at a time when demand for IT and software skills continues to outstrip supply, with many recruitment managers looking for more flexible ways to source talent.
By focusing on upskilling candidates with valuable, transferable soft skills, tech leaders are opening the door to a wider and more diverse pool of talent, and developing the technical expertise they need from the inside. Analyzing self-reported data from Salesforce professionals and hiring managers, as well as information from 100 recent Salesforce job adverts for roles across a multitude of industries, Mason Frank was able to determine the three soft skills most commonly requested by tech leaders.
Communication
When you’re the only person in the room that fully understands a tech platform, communication skills are vital. Tech professionals are often called upon to troubleshoot issues, explain processes, or justify the value of a platform or service to users and stakeholders—at all levels of technological awareness. That’s going to be a lot easier if you’re able to communicate clearly, effectively, and patiently, both written and verbally.
Problem solving
Much of working in a tech role is about knowing how to use your chosen technology to overcome challenges within a business. Being able to identify snags, apply your knowledge, and design effective solutions is essential in any role. The roadblocks you face may not always be technical, so being able to think creatively and deploy solutions to common challenges like user adoption and security best practices will be a bonus.
Project Management
From implementation to data migrations, you’ll tackle a multitude of different types of projects as a tech professional. Being able to carry those projects from planning to go-live—on time and on budget—is essential to keeping your platform performing at its best. Task prioritisation, time management, and strong organisation skills are all part of effectively managing and executing projects, and having them on your resume will be a huge advantage if you’re looking for a tech-related role.
Speaking about the findings, Zoë Morris, President at Mason Frank, said, “As demand for technical skills continues to grow, and experienced tech talent gets harder to find, we’re seeing more and more organisations shift their focus onto soft skills.”
“Employers need to fill these tech roles, but there’s a growing understanding that looking for a candidate for a tech job that knows everything is like looking for a needle in a haystack—a very expensive needle at that,”
“The ins and outs of software or infrastructure platforms can be learned, but soft skills are far harder to teach.”
As the world becomes increasingly digitized, businesses in every industry are searching for people who can help them make the most of their investment in tech platforms. As a result, there’s been a boom in even the most typically non-technical organizations looking to add positions like Administrator, Business Analyst and Developer to their internal teams.
“This appreciation of the impact of soft skills is why companies are much more open to hiring for potential than they’ve ever been, If you’ve got these transferable skills that employers are looking for, now is a great time to get into tech.”
