Nacho is the CEO of BairesDev, an award-winning nearshore software outsourcing company. He’s also the co-founder of VC firm BDev Ventures.
The world is undergoing a massive transformation, with AI technologies spearheading a paradigm shift in the tech industry.
Companies now find themselves at a pivotal moment, grappling with a demand for technical expertise that far outstrips supply. According to recent studies, 75% of global employers reported significant difficulties in securing the tech talent necessary to drive their visions forward. Korn Ferry research also shows that more than 85 million jobs might go unfilled by 2030, given the shortage of skilled people available to take them.
This tech talent shortage will impact companies across all industries. Those with tech-based value propositions will be particularly affected. Therefore, as of 2022, 80% of U.S. companies, not surprisingly, considered nearshoring to meet their talent needs. This is one piece of the puzzle for closing the talent shortage, but companies should also reengineer their strategies to attract, nurture and retain competitive, skilled talent.
Talent Through The Lens Of Soft Skills
Traditionally, the tech industry has predominantly focused on hard skills—those technical abilities and knowledge areas directly applicable to specific tasks. With the complexity of tech projects escalating and the accelerated pace of change, though, my company has taken a holistic approach to talent acquisition.
Rather than evaluating talent based on academic credentials or alma mater, we take a deeper look at a candidate’s skill set, which includes hard and soft skills. This is where top performers stand out. Hard skills can be learned through training; soft skills are acquired through a conscious shaping of one’s actions and behaviors.
This realization should push industry leaders to rethink hiring strategies. A good approach is to map the desired skill set for each company role. This depends on the industry, role responsibilities and team composition. Considerations include whether it’s a remote or hybrid position. For example, our company is fully remote, and we’ve found that a combination of soft skills can set a professional up to be more adaptable to changing role demands.
Hard skills are quantifiable and easy to test for. Soft skills are harder to assess because self-reporting is biased and because not many organizations have them defined.
Through skill assessments, organizations focus on what’s important: the potential value each candidate brings. Fostering a culture that values soft skills is imperative for tech professionals to thrive. Tech talent with great soft skills is a long-term investment, as they can quickly learn and adapt to the continuous changes the industry faces.
Five Critical Soft Skills For Tech Talent
While there are many soft skills professionals need to be successful, let’s look at five that yield great results, according to my company’s clients:
1. Adaptability And Resilience: Professionals who adapt to new technologies, methodologies and project scopes without losing stride are invaluable. Adaptability and resilience empower individuals to turn potential disruptions into opportunities for innovation.
2. Critical Thinking: This helps talent devise innovative solutions by going beyond the obvious. It allows people to solve problems, build strategies and recognize trends and patterns through insightful analysis.
3. Creative Problem-Solving: The ability to approach challenges from multiple perspectives is often the difference between good and great outcomes. Creative problem-solvers bring out-of-the-box solutions that challenge everyone around them, fostering innovation.
4. Emotional Intelligence: Tech professionals need to interact with clients, stakeholders and users. Emotional intelligence helps them communicate effectively and foster productive collaborations. This is particularly crucial for those in management and leadership roles or those aspiring to become a guiding force in their teams.
5. Effective Communication: Tech professionals have to explain complex concepts that could be difficult to understand. We’ve all been there. The ability to break down concepts or use accessible language in cross-functional teams will go a long way in project success. Effective communication also ensures feedback is transmitted constructively.
Soft skills can contribute to the success of tech professionals, but be mindful of establishing a culture fit. A great culture fit leads to a better understanding of a company’s vision and alignment with its values, workframes and even language. A culture fit, therefore, directly impacts productivity, engagement and job satisfaction.
Evaluating Soft Skills With AI
By leveraging AI, employers can better evaluate both hard skills and soft skills. AI tools can assess tone, expressions, verbal skills, personality traits and even social abilities.
Yet, the context-sensitive nature of soft skills, particularly across different cultures, poses a real challenge. For instance, what constitutes effective communication in one culture might not be seen as effective in another. Thus, refining AI’s cultural fluency remains a pressing issue we should keep working on. This is valuable at a time when the hunt for tech talent is multivariable and targeted.
Soft Skills as a Long-Term Investment
As more leaders become aware of the importance of soft skills in the workplace, those who invest in their development will be better equipped to face industry challenges. A soft skill hire is a long-term investment, as you are focusing on talent’s future potential. A tech professional with excellent soft skills is likely able to learn technical skills with the right set of tools and adapt to the needs of the market.
Reassessing hiring criteria to make soft skills more relevant to candidates’ profiles is a first step organizations should take to hire and retain a more dynamic, adaptable and innovative workforce. At the same time, leaders should also develop new training programs for talent to acquire and develop the soft skills needed to stay at the forefront of a competitive and fast-evolving industry.
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