Gone are the days when technical skills are all you need to thrive as a developer. Now, employers look out for soft skills in developers with almost the same importance as technical skills. This article highlights ten necessary soft skills for developers.

  1. Communication

Communication is a two-way road. Listen when others speak. Fight the urge to interrupt others. You’ll broaden your view on specific subjects and acquire knowledge on new ones. Good listeners always have more to take away from a discussion than avid speakers do.

  1. Empathy

Empathy allows you to put yourself in other people’s positions and see things through their eyes. It makes you more approachable and sensible. For instance, when people bring up mistaken ideas, correct them starting with a positive comment about their concept.

  1. Adaptability and Open-mindedness

Once upon a time, the waterfall software development model was the rule. Nowadays, there are several different leaner models in use. Are you eager to learn? Are you persistent and ready to try or learn?

  1. Patience

Periodically, you’ll have to deal with non-developers, whether they’re part of your team or they’re the client. Exercise patience when explaining concepts to them using non-technical terms.

  1. Problem Solving

As a developer, you’re almost always solving problems – whether you created them or not. You must view each new situation objectively. Try to identify the cause, and believe me, it’s much easier to solve a problem when you know its reason.

  1. Time Management

Time management is one of the most critical soft skills for developers. Your ability to give an estimate and stick to it will speak volumes.

  1. Teamwork

Working in teams is not always as easy as it sounds. Some people are challenging to work with. Since working in a team is inevitable for a developer, you’ll need to draw on most of the other soft skills in this list to get along with your team successfully.

  1. Confidence

Confidence is very important for developers. Avoid saying “This is not for me” or “I don’t even know how to go about this” to every task. Be confident enough to give it a go before you give up. Confidence will allow you to grow and bolster your image in the company.

  1. Accountability

It’s human nature to run from or try to shift the blame for your mistakes. However, that won’t take you far in your company or life. It’s more beneficial to own your mistakes and learn from them. Accountability makes you come across as honest and very responsible.

  1. Creativity

People often associate creativity with the arts (music, writing, etc.) However, software development requires a lot of creativity. You’ll need to apply some very creative techniques to problem-solving. A good developer thinks outside the box and even improvises sometimes. Creativity will help you sharpen your problem-solving skills.

Conclusion

This list may seem daunting and unfair, even considering all the long hours you spent learning to code. You have many, if not most of these skills already. All you need is to hone them and develop the few you currently lack. They’ll serve you well!