6 Essential Non-Technical Skills A Software Developer Should Have in 2023

Whenever you search “What skills should a developer possess” in Google, you will be responded with tons of results advising you on learning various programming languages, algorithms, and other technical aspects of programming. However, is mastering the art of programming alone enough to land a job? Not necessarily. In this article, we look at some of the essential non-technical skills a software developer should have.

Non-technical skills a software developer should have

It is general knowledge that learning programming and other technical domains are essential to land a job in IT. However, programming alone is not enough. The tech industry is highly competitive, and it takes skill and charm to stand out from the crowd of applications. So if you have mastered the a-z of programming and are getting ready to launch your career, check out below and ensure that you have mastered the following non-technical skills.

1. Communication
2. Time Management
3. Teamwork Skills
4. Leadership Skills
5. Empathy
6. Problem-Solving Skills

Communication

Several teams collaborate to discuss, design and produce a product in software development. This implies that many meetings will be held to develop, enhance, and work on a product. Every hiring manager will consider a candidate’s capability to communicate clearly and fluently to be their most essential characteristic.

A skilled developer must listen carefully and communicate clearly with the other members throughout those meetings. Gaining a respectable reputation among the members requires making straightforward suggestions and responding quickly. Additionally, you may occasionally need to interact with customers to solicit feedback and alleviate any concerns they may have about a product.

Time Management

Time management is one of the most challenging aspects of producing software because a developer is allocated to several jobs simultaneously. You can be developing a new code, and suddenly you are tasked with improvising a previously done work. Or sometimes you are required to attend to a client. 

Learning the art of time management is the answer. Although it does sound complicated, competent programmers should be able to handle it one at a time. You can’t foresee what will happen or won’t happen in the frantic programming world. Therefore, it is essential to ensure productivity by prioritising your duties and ensuring you finish them on time. Time management may be challenging at first, but sticking to your schedule regularly will increase your productivity at work and offer you a sense of fulfilment. Check out this blog on time boxing for more tips.

Teamwork Skills

Software development is not a one-person job. Various teams are involved in producing a product. Each team consists of several members who should work closely to develop a prominent solution if any error might occur, monitor the errors closely and collaborate efficiently to solve them.

A good developer should learn how to communicate and work effectively with others in a group of project managers, sales managers, developers, or designers. By possessing excellent teamwork skills, you can communicate freely with your other team members, address any difficulties or concerns easily, and solve them efficiently. If you have enough communication skills, gaining charismatic teamwork skills is just a matter of time.

Leadership Skills

One of the perks of being a software developer is that if you have enough skills, charisma, a proven track of successful records, and a good reputation among your colleagues, you can easily and quickly climb up the ladder of being a senior developer. This means you will need to practice leadership skills beforehand to prepare yourself for a huge responsibility.

As we’ve discussed numerous times in this post, effective team leadership requires good communication skills and the ability to assess each team member’s performance and distribute work appropriately.

Empathy

Empathy plays a vital role in developing innovative software and building your reputation as an esteemed software developer. Before you go on to create an innovative product, think of yourself as the end user. Is the application secure and accessible from anywhere? Is the interface of the software user-friendly? 

Think of as many scenarios as you can in your client’s shoes and make sure to design a valuable product by addressing the common problems end users face. Seek the help of analytics, surveys and user feedback when developing an application, as in the long run, the software which is designed with user comfortability in mind is the one which receives attention and success.

Problem-Solving Skills

Lastly, having a lot of curiosity and the capacity to solve problems is another requirement to land a job as a software engineer. Software development is done to address a problem. For instance, food delivery applications were created to make it simpler for consumers to get food without calling.

When developing software, it is essential to discover and address the common problems faced by the end users and ensure that the application is free from common issues. Though it might sound easy, problem-solving is quite challenging. Many developers misinterpret the problems and create more issues in the applications, which is why a programmer needs to learn basic and advanced problem-solving skills.

Learn more that the non-technical skills

The path to becoming a software developer is straightforward and fraught with few challenges. Gaining enough technical and non-technical skills will make you a strong candidate for developer opportunities in your dream companies. So make sure to learn both technical and non-technical skills from courses and practice them to land your dream career. To get start on the technical side, try learning the basics with our free 5 Day Coding Challenge. Register now through the form below. Good Luck!