The Softer Skills Needed To Get Ahead In IT #Infographic

Disclosure: This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Capella University. The opinions and text are all mine.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I can hear it already. Softer side of IT? What kind of prank is she pulling over on us now? IT involves coding and computers and that isn’t very soft.

Now that I have your attention, let me explain the softer skills needed to get ahead in IT.

12 Skills You Didn’t Know You Needed In IT Infographic

Graphic source: “12 Skills You Didn’t Know You Needed in IT,” Capella University, 2016.

Examples Of The Softer Skills Needed In IT

The sales team in your company is working on a big proposal and are on a tight deadline. The computer they are working on goes down and they are afraid they may have lost everything. (Yes, you’ve reminded them a million times to back up their work, but of course, they didn’t!)

They call you in a panic and need help. Here are some of the softer skills you will use:

• Communication skills – You need to be able to communicate with them. Part of communicating is understanding and listening.
• Relationship Skills – If you have a good relationship with the sales team and they know they can count on you, they will trust that you will do everything you can to solve the problem.
• Decision Making Skills – This problem may require you to make quick decisions on your own. You need to be confident that you can and will make the best decision quickly.
• Creativity – Many IT problems are hard to solve because there are so many variables. You will need to be creative in your problem solving and think outside the box.

Another Example Of Softer Skills Needed

Your company is going through a major software update and you and your team are working non-stop over a weekend to get it completed by Monday morning. It’s Sunday night, everyone is tired and things aren’t going as planned. (Sound familiar?)

Here are a few softer skills that will help you in this situation:

• Prioritization – It may be clear that not everything will be completed. You need to be able to prioritize the work and have the most important tasks completed by Monday morning.
• Knowing Your Business & The Organization – In order to prioritize, you need to know the company and understand what tools are most important to get the job done.
• Analyze The Process – After you have completed this job, you need to be able to analyze the entire process that took place over the weekend to see where you can do better.
• Teamwork – You need to keep your team focused even though they may see that they will not complete everything.

Can you see where having these softer skills will help you get ahead in IT? IT is a competitive field and anything you can do to improve your own skills is a plus.

How Do I Know What Skills I Need?

Another very good question.

Capella University is offering a free CEB IT Talent Assessment  to help answer that question.

Taking this assessment will give you a better idea of where you stand with your current abilities of the 12 softer skills needed to get ahead in IT.

So go take it! What are you waiting for? I’ll be here when you get back.

How Do I Get These Softer Skills?

I’m glad you asked that.

Capella University understands IT professionals and they have worked to create programs that will help you gain these softer skills. They will help you find the most direct path to reach your goals. Everyone’s path is a little different and Capella will help you find yours.

For more information about Capella, visit the university’s website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube pages.

See graduation rates, median student debt and other information at http://capellaresults.org/outcomes.asp

Let me know in the comments below if you took the assessment. I took it!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Capella University. The opinions and text are all mine.