Although you may be seeking a role in IT, neglecting your soft skills could prove disastrous to your chances of securing your first job and even progressing within your career. Soft skills include things like communication, interpersonal/people, problem solving and team working skills. In a survey by Microsoft it was found that Business leaders rate soft skills above academic qualifications.
So what does that mean to the people seeking technical roles?
Hard or technical skills may get employers or recruitment consultants interested enough in you to give a call, but that’s where your soft skills start to impact your chances. You will immediately start to be judged on your communications skills as you speak as well as how positive and focussed you come across which is assessed as you sell yourself over the phone.
If you have been successful over the phone, next will come the face to face interview and there your soft skills will be keenly tested. Starting from your time keeping and planning which will affect you arriving on time to the interview. But how early is too early? Will you seem over eager and end up putting undue pressure on your interviewer. Being nice to the Receptionist and your initial handshake and smile with the interviewer are all impacted by how developed your soft skills are and all this is before you have even sat down to be interviewed.
“We make judgments about people instantly and almost unconsciously” a Managing Director was quoted in The Guardian saying “Somebody who looks smart and confident has the halo effect because people add on intelligence, wit and ability without any further evidence, whereas a tiny detail like scruffy shoes or lack of eye contact can have the horns effect and make people conclude the opposite.”
The good news is, like most skills, soft skills can be learnt and developed. Make sure you are developing yours especially if you are a Technical person.
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