4.6: Soft Skills for SWE

What are Soft Skills?

Soft Skills can be described as non-technical skills including but not limited to how you interact with colleagues, manage your work and solve problems. In this section we will discuss these vital skills that can set you apart from other Software Engineers during your job hunt. Hiring managers generally look for candidates with Soft Skills as they can make someone very successful in the work place. Throughout Coding Bootcamp you have been honing your implementation and hard-technical skills. These skills will ultimately help you land and possibly even pass an interview, but soft skills will secure your place within the company and reveal to interviewers how you can be a benefit to their team.

Accountability

During the development cycle and beyond it is very possible to make mistakes, while we do not encourage making too many mistakes, it is important to view them a learning experiences. Moreover when dealing with a mistake make sure you own it and move forward to the best possible outcome, there is no reason to cry over poor code.

If you as a developer are able to take ownership of your mistakes the rest of the team are able to learn from your experience and not make the same or similar mistakes in the future. Learn from the issues that are caused, document how you can avoid it in the future and communicate this with your collaborators.

With this in mind you should also try to stick to agreed upon timeline or at least communicate if unforeseen and challenging bugs have arose that are preventing you from completing your task.

Adaptability

A core skill that all HR representatives look for is the candidates ability to learn. In this world of ever evolving technologies it is important for developers to be able to adopt and utilise trending tools. The candidates willingness to learn and implement what is best for the application instead of what is easiest is an important factor. Being adaptable and embodying a continuous learning mindset is vital for any software developer looking for a new role. This shouldn't be limited to new technologies but also to coding standards that are disseminated by the company or collaborating developers.

Communication

The nature of software engineering means that developers often work by themselves for long periods, this makes the concept of communication so key to large successful teams. All members of a team should be on the same page, everyone should be aware of key project deadlines, requirements for the application and so forth.

Communication during all phases of the projects cycle is paramount to a development team's success in delivering the desired application. Gather client requirements, planning out the necessary features and structures to support them as well as executing and actually coding requires numerous conversations. With this being said, the ability to clearly document and communicate problems, ideas and fixes will make a difference when candidates are searching for roles.

Great communication requires that individuals are able to speak and present their ideas clearly. But its just as important that the candidate can listen to vital information that will affect the project. Having an open mind and being willing to listen allows teams to come to the best solution that could be an individuals idea or a mixture of suggestions from various people.

Creativity

In the world of software engineering there are many ways that one could preform a simple task, instead of just robotically replicating solutions that have been taught, use that knowledge to refine and develop the implementation into something new. It is always best to consider how you can implement your code eloquently and with documentation instead of just making it work. While creativity is usually associated to design, developers need to be creative to overcome bugs or constraints of a tool they are using. Being creative with code can save the company alot of runway when working with third party sustems. With this in mind, planning out an applications structure and the logic of its features is a creative endeavour that all developers need to overcome.

Critical Thinking / Problem-Solving

Critical thinking can be compared to problem solving, but realistically it means that one is able to analyse the information that is presented , from various perspectives allowing one to pose questions to clear any doubts. When applying critical thinking to programming one needs to have the right mindset of wanting to fix the underlying issue. If something is not working as intended developers need to really analyse what is occurring, what variables are causing this to occur and then hypothesise on how they can fix it. Combing critical thinking with creativity affords a development team to think outside of the box and collectively overcome a challenge. Being determined to solve problems instead of sweeping them under a run is a powerful mindset that empowers developers of all levels.

Empathy

Software development can be very stressful, add in a high-stake environment and it becomes imperative to understand what others around you are feeling. Being aware of your colleagues feelings is one thing, but motivating someone in their time of need is vital for any team to feel supported. It is important to be empathic towards clients and users is also required in the modern world to ensure everyone is satisfied with the end product. If a developer is able to empathies with these parties they can develop functionalities that will ultimately make the application more enjoyable and functional. While being empathetic can take time its an important process to ensure that all team members are able to contribute to a project efficently and effectively.

Organisation

When part of a development team organised chaos isn't an option, while teams might not always need extensive kanban boards or sprint schedules, it is imperative to know what each team member is doing as well as why. When you're organised it is easy to work with others to achieve similar and time dependant milestones throughout the project, it will also make it easier for other developers to understand your motives and empathise with your choices during a project.

Developers should organise their code with comments and documentation to ensure that its readible and logic for collaborators. Spending some time to refactor code to make it easier to work with can go a long way. While coding is important developer will also need to be organised so that they can hit deadlines and communicate effectively with the rest of the team.

Team Work / Collaboration

Working in a development team is much like being a member of a team sport, while you have your own responsibilities and tasks communication with other players will lead you team to success. To work in a team you have to do more than just create pull requests to your repository, you need to work with project managers, designers, customers and other developers. Being kind and respectful to other members of your team goes a long way in developing a supportive and nurturing company culture, this cements your bond with others prompting high levels of communication and collaboration. Teams with high cohesion can take on and manage many challenges and tasks something individuals would struggle to do.

Time Management

When working on a development team you need superb time management as you may have stakeholders on either end of the project. Not only will you need to meet and collaborate with internal team members but you will also be responsible for implementing features into the product in a timely manner. If you can correctly calculate how long a feature may take to complete, then an accurate timeline of features could be created at the beginning of the development cycle. This will aid with the final products completion and with collaborating developers that can work on other tasks that do not depend on your feature. That being said, you should always look to add value you to your team, even if your feature is completed early, look into the backlog and have the intiative to start another task.

Motivation

Being self motivated is an asset for any developer working in a team, if you can complete tasks, have the initiative to start new tasks and are accountable to your work, push others around you to work in a similar manner. You become a powerful asset when working on projects and it can increase your future prospects in the tech world. Essentially motivation is the life blood of a team, a motivated team can complete a project much faster and with greater care. But be empathetic and read the emotions of your colleagues, there is a difference between motivation and badgering.

Importance of Soft Skills

While it is important to hone your technical skills and prowess, these aren't the only things that HR managers are looking for when hiring new developers. A candidates soft skills, people skills or interpersonal skills are an additional factors when looking for new employees. These skills require ongoing development and fostering throughout ones career, candidates who focus on both technical and non-technical skill development will have better opportunities in the future and in their current work place.

Software Engineers who are able to nurture the soft skills that we have looked at in the previous section will be able to work effectively within any team large or small. Through articulate communication and nurtured soft skills Software Engineers are able to disseminate plans, manage time, ideas or work flows effectively and are generally very sought after candidates when looking for new employees. Rocket Academy advises that all Software Engineers should develop both technical and non-technical skills for the best chance of success when delving into the tech industry.

How to attain Soft Skills

Soft skills are vital if you want to succeed and progress in any team, make sure you hone them to the best of your ability throughout bootcamp and the following technical roles that you land. While these skills might not be easy to write on paper, they are just as important as the hard technical skills that you list on your cv. These skills are not something developers can just pick, they need to be worked on over time with various teams, colleagues and stake holders, take your time to develop these skills and you will feel the benefit.

To develop soft skills help your colleagues when they are stuck with and issue, guide them to a solution and be patient. Teaching and mentoring help to develop many of the soft skills listed above, while working in a development team will help you with others. If you have concerns or are unable to hit a deadline communicate and work with your team to find a solution. Be respectful and empathetic while working with others and your development cycle will pass by like a breeze. If you are determined and working hard it will push others around you to do the same. Try to adhere to the skills above and develop others that help in your work place, this can only make you a better developer in the long run. Seek out opportunities and have the initiative when it comes to collaborate with others, make sure to seek and implement feedback given, have a growth mindset and take on new challenges! With this in mind always continue to learn and grow, foster both your technical and soft skills.