IT professionals reveal a need to hone their softer skills as research from CWJobs.co.uk finds that 76% feel a lack of soft skills, such as people management and business acumen, is preventing them and their peers from taking board level roles.
Specialist IT recruitment website CWJobs conducted research among over 1,000 jobseekers exploring requisite skills in the IT sector, and found that 93% think that they would be more valuable to businesses if they possessed better soft skills. A further 86% feel their employment prospects would be improved if they demonstrated soft skills when job hunting. While many IT professionals may feel confident applying their technical knowledge and experience at work, people management followed by business and financial awareness, are the skills that they feel they’re lacking the most.
At CWJobs’ recent Breakfast Briefing on IT security, Martin Dangerfield, Talent Acquisition Manager at Symantec stated that although it’s important for IT professionals to have strong security skills, “consumer facing engagement is the most important skill”, highlighting the importance of soft skills in addition to the necessary technical skills.
Richard Nott, Website Director at CWJobs comments, “As the IT department plays a crucial role in the efficiency and effectiveness of a business, it’s invaluable that IT pros are equipped with the skills needed to progress to a board level role within an organisation. This research also found that 84% of IT pros don’t think employers give them enough training in soft skills, which is something senior managers and HR departments need to address.”
