Finding the Balance between Soft and Hard Skills
Soft skills are becoming just as important as technical ones.
In today’s competitive IT landscape, hiring managers are placing more emphasis on finding candidates with the right mix of hard and soft skills. Technical expertise remains non-negotiable, and companies will offer competitive salaries for workers with years of experience building systems, designing databases, or analyzing complex data. Yet these hard skills don’t develop overnight. Workers must have real-world exposure to develop their expertise, which is becoming difficult for new workers to gain.
Difficulties with Developing Hard Skills
This skills gap is partly due to companies being increasingly less willing to train new talent. Many companies today expect new hires to have basic skill sets already, rather than invest time and resources into developing their capabilities. Meanwhile, universities and boot camps are overwhelmed with applicants and cannot accept them, so there is a growing demand for qualified IT graduates. Consequently, there are fewer candidates with the needed technical skills employers want, putting even more pressure on managers to find the “perfect” fit.
This entry barrier has led many job seekers wanting to break into IT to pursue experience in unrelated fields to build a resume, unintentionally adding to the issue of unqualified candidates.
Growing Importance of Soft Skills
While technical skills are essential in IT, they’re no longer the only factor hiring managers prioritize. Soft skills are starting to hold as much value. In fact, a LinkedIn report revealed that 92% of hiring managers believe soft skills are equally critical to hard skills.
Qualities like being calm, collaborating effectively, communicating clearly, solving problems creatively, and managing time well can make the difference between an employee who merely does the job and one who excels in it. To support this claim further, a study found that 89% of new hires fail because they lack the right soft skills, not because of technical shortcomings.
Unlike coding languages or database management, soft skills can’t be taught. Instead, they are shaped by personality and life experiences. This can also create generational misunderstandings, as two people from different age groups will agree that good communication is vital, but demonstrate it differently.
A Balanced Approach
For hiring managers, identifying strong soft skills during interviews can be one of the most difficult parts of hiring. Resumes can highlight technical certifications and experiences, but gauging how a candidate will handle conflict, stress, or team dynamics takes more than a few behavioral questions.
To achieve successful IT hiring, a balanced approach is needed. Companies should maintain standards for technical skills while recognizing the importance of soft skills. Finding this balance and creating an environment for these skills to develop is crucial for companies to keep talent that performs well to contribute to ongoing success.
Gain further insights into IT hiring challenges and download our eBook, Analyzing the Top IT Hiring Challenges.
Time to Rethink Your Offer
Whether you’re a startup competing with tech giants or a Fortune 500 company wanting to keep employees, the competition for IT talent is intense. By strategizing compensation, being transparent, and creating a workplace people want to join, companies can stand out and appeal to candidates who can take their company to the next level.
For more insights into current IT hiring challenges, download our eBook, Analyzing the Top IT Hiring Challenges.
