Nontechnical Skills That’ll Help Catapult Any Developer’s Career

Many IT job seekers assume that finding a new position is easy. With unemployment in certain specialties sitting near one percent, companies are struggling to find developers to fill their vacancies. However, just because job openings may be relatively plentiful, that doesn’t mean they’ll hire just anyone.

Technical skills make up a lot of what an experienced developer has to offer, but bringing other competencies to the table can help you stand out from the crowd and secure the best opportunity. Soft skills are being given a higher priority by many employers, making them a necessity if you want to continue moving forward as an IT professional.

Here are some of the nontechnical skills that can help catapult your career as a developer.

  1. Intellectual Curiosity

Developers are often tasked with solving problems and finding new approaches to get the job done. Having a curious mind can help you find unique solutions when issues arise and allow you to examine a problem from multiple perspectives more easily.

Intellectual curiosity helps companies innovate, making it a valuable skill in the workplace. To keep yours bright, spend time looking into industry trends and the latest research, then see how that information can be applied to the job at hand.

  1. Willingness to Try Something New

Sticking to tried-and-true techniques isn’t always the best approach if you want to advance your career as a developer. Often, being open to new experiences is practically mandatory if you want to stay relevant in the field. Technology changes quickly, so staying apprised of new developments is often the key to success in any IT job.

To demonstrate your openness to try something new, aim to take on new roles and responsibilities within your current job. This will broaden your experience and show you are willing to move out of your comfort zone.

  1. Foresight and Big-Picture Thinking

Competent developers understand the need to produce high-quality work that can be easily managed and referenced in the future. Often, certain pieces of code will need to be reexamined and reworked in the future, either by yourself or another member of your team. Cutting corners during development can make future tasks more cumbersome and isn’t the way to make friends in the office.

Understanding that your future self may be required to interact with particular portions of the code again, and that performing your work based on that need, shows that you can plan for tomorrow’s activities. It establishes you as a thorough and precise professional who aims to avoid struggles down the road by handling things properly today.

All of the traits above are highly desirable in the eyes of employers and can leave you well positioned when you determine it’s time to seek out other opportunities in the field. If you are looking for a new developer job in the area, the team at The Squires Group can connect you with some of today’s leading employers. Contact us to see how your skills can translate into new opportunities.


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