Software Developers Need These Killer Soft Skills

Though the employer will first be looking at the tech background and the experience with specific tools, soft skills determine whether the person will stay in the team for the longterm.

But, what exactly are they and how do you determine the ones that really matter? Let’s find out.

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Defining Soft Skills and Their Importance

If we refer to the Oxford Dictionary, we’ll get the following definition: “Personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people.”

In other words, soft skills are personal traits that help people realize their potential and showcase their talents and skills. It can be a level of empathy, the ability to work in a team, level of enthusiasm, etc.

But do these skills really impact the developer’s work? Actually, yes - and a lot.

Think about the following: In software development, a project is a mutual task for a group of people who have to work side by side, support each other, and move towards a single goal. So, if a person is too arrogant, does not have any passion for work, or is not able to communicate efficiently, this will have a negative impact not only on his work, but on the whole project by delaying it or screwing up some of its parts.

Now that we are clear on what soft skills are and why they matter, let’s move on to the actual list of skills that are highly preferable for any software developer. We’ll break them down in sections for better organization and understanding. 

1. Personal Responsibility

The ability to take responsibility is crucial. For example, if the person admits his mistake, it will be easier and faster to identify it and resolve the issue instead of spending precious time on finding out who is in charge. 

Here are some of the skills that are related to one’s responsibility: 

All these soft skills will help faster identify any bugs, make sure everyone on the team understands their tasks, and guarantee a seamless work process.

2. Quality of Work

Coding is the core of any development project. Its quality relies not only on technical but soft skills as well. 

An enthusiastic and interested developer will provide a 100 percent better and more efficient solution than an average developer. While most people do what they are told to and with the help of well-known tools, enthusiastic developers will dedicate time and effort into coming up with an unusual solution that will work even better. 

3. Teamwork and Communication

The client has certain requirements and software developers need to understand them and realize the client’s ideas into a full-fledged software. Here are the needed skills:

Any communication issues can drastically impact the project and even hurt it. If a person does not understand the requirements and hesitate to double-check them, it will lead to loss of time and resources as the person will waste time on the wrong task.

4. Knowledge of Business

Nobody says that developers have to do business analysis and consult the client in the questions of business strategy. However, a good Project Leader should have a solid understanding of the industry in order to provide the best solution.

For example, if the team already has a similar experience, it can save a lot of time by providing a similar solution to the client. Further, if a team knows the best solutions for a specific industry, it adds to its reliability.

Conclusion

Software development is an incredibly competitive industry. While almost all developers can perform average tasks, really stellar projects are created by enthusiasts who love what they do and always strive to learn more in order to constantly master their skills.

Further Reading

How Listening to Terry Gross Can Make You a Better Developer

4 Ways Programmers Can Improve Their Communication Skills