When hiring programmers, there lie two types of skills recruiters and hiring managers look at—technical skills and soft skills.
What are technical skills?
In the tech industry, technical skills are the specific things a programmer can do. Examples of these include:
- Understanding programming languages
- Project management
- Having decent math skills
- Knowledge of relevant software
These skills are generally taught in an academic setting. On a resume, technical skills show up in the form of different jobs that were previously held as well as any related achievements.
What are soft skills?
Commonly referred to as ‘people skills’, soft skills encompass everything technical skills don’t. These can be:
- Effective communication skills
- Good work ethic
- Positive attitude
- Problem-solving
- Time management skills
Recent years have shown a significant increase, from the perspectives of hiring managers and recruiters, in the importance of soft skills. For example, having good technical skills may benefit a business on paper but an employee’s poor communication skills could ruin the reputation of a business.
Which are more important—technical or soft skills?
Hiring good programmers means finding a balance between a good technical background and displaying proficient soft skills. Trying to assess these skills, on the other hand, could be challenging. Luckily, there are websites that can assist with that such as GodinGame, which has assessments available to test a candidate’s technical skills.
Important Soft Skills Every Programmer Should Have
- Proficient Communication
The main goal for every business is to complete jobs quickly and effectively while maintaining a certain quality. Communication helps the process run smoothly. Should problems arise, having proficient communication skills can resolve those issues between other members of the company.
- Effective Problem-Solving
In line with communication skills, problem-solving is a crucial part of every company. A key characteristic of a good programmer is the patience to be able to solve those problems. Often, issues bring about frustration. Containing that by staying calm and focused will benefit all parties in the long run.
- Open-Minded & Curious
The tech industry is fast-paced and not as strict as most other industries due to its demand for technological advancements. Skilled programmers understand that an open mind and curious nature give them a push toward success. This also makes it easier to work with other team members.
- Exceptional Time Management
Another vital part of a business, having exceptional time management skills keeps a business on track. Meeting strict or abrupt deadlines is a constant element in the tech industry. Not working at the same pace as other employees could put the entire team behind.
Soft Skill Assessments
A few websites like KillerCoder, and PyMetrics have pre-structured assessments to help businesses gauge a candidate’s soft skills. Results from these assessments could lead to more tailored assessments later, depending on a business’s preference. However, each of these sites approaches these tests in a different way. Companies should analyze what kind of soft skills they prefer and what assessments test for those skills.
