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The Sever Insider
The Importance of Soft Skills in IT
Working in IT requires one to have a variety of strengths, especially soft skills. Read on to learn the growing value and significance in the workplace.
How Focusing on Soft Skills Helps IT and Information Systems Management Professionals Succeed
Soft skills—also known as people skills, smart skills or professional skills—include attributes like communication, leadership, engagement, problem-solving and teamwork. In IT and information systems careers, these professional skills were long seen as secondary to technical skills.
But just as technology continues to evolve, so has the importance of soft skills for professionals in IT and information systems careers. In fact, many employers now cite soft skills as being equally important as technical skills in what they are seeking in job candidates.
Possessing expertise in soft skills is especially important for those seeking a career in IT and information systems management. Employers hiring for these careers are placing a higher importance on a candidate’s ability to communicate effectively, lead teams, solve problems and adapt to change.
In response, colleges and universities have increased their focus on developing their IT and information systems degree students’ soft skills. For example, Washington University in St. Louis’s Master of Information Systems Management (MISM) degree program features soft skills in their blend of courses led by WashU faculty and industry leaders in management and leadership.
Why Soft Skills Are So Important in IT and Information Systems Management Careers
Let’s look at some of the top soft skills IT and information systems employers are looking for, and why they are so important.
Communication
Communication skills are about more than just the ability to speak and write clearly. They also include skills ranging from listening and processing what others are saying, to asking the right questions to develop a product or service. Possessing robust communication skills is critical to conveying thoughts and ideas to a variety of internal and external audiences. Whether you’re inspiring IT and information systems teams to do their best work or explaining to a client how a system upgrade will help their business grow, the ability to communicate effectively is paramount to your success.
Leadership
Successful companies and organizations need leaders at multiple organizational levels. Areas including system administration, network administration, help desk services, asset management, DevOps and reporting flourish with a strong team leader. WashU’s Operational Excellence and Service Delivery course—part of its Master of Information Systems Management degree program curriculum—helps students hone their leadership and management skills to be able to meet and exceed the expectations of internal and external users and customers.
Engagement
Being engaged in your work is the difference between just watching the clock and being immersed in the success of your company and your own career. An engaged manager cares about the mission and goals of the company, the effectiveness and well-being of the team, and the quality and outcomes of each task or project. Engaged managers give their best every day, and are particularly effective at encouraging and inspiring their teams to achieve success. Companies who hire and support engaged managers stand out and succeed in the crowded IT and information systems field.
Problem-solving
In IT and information systems careers, problem-solving often includes being able to analyze and make sense of data. Companies and organizations are increasingly seeking data-driven approaches to problem solving—and for managers who understand what the data means. WashU’s Master of Information Systems Management degree curriculum includes its Foundations of Analytics course, which equips students with a wide range of data analytics techniques that serve as the foundation for a broad range of applications, including descriptive, inferential, predictive and prescriptive analytics.
Teamwork
We all know teamwork is important, and in the IT and information systems field, teamwork is vital to personal and company success. The best way to develop effective teamwork skills is by actually working together in teams. WashU’s Master of Information Systems Management degree program is offered full-time on our St. Louis campus. This allows our information systems degree program to bring together students with interests and backgrounds in technology and management to learn to effectively work together in teams. Learn by doing to optimize your teamwork skills.
Request Information About WashU’s Master of Information Services Management Degree
Learn more about the WashU Sever Institute’s information systems degree program and how earning your MISM degree from WashU will prepare you for a leadership role in IT and information systems.
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