Tag: soft skills

5 soft skills every backend developer needs in 2022

Posted on by seoteam

For software developers, soft skills are as necessary as technical skills. As communicating with the clients is not usually part of a backend developer’s routine, it is easier for them to not focus on their soft skills. But technical proficiency is not enough when you want to progress in your career. Whether asking for a raise or taking the next step, your soft skills will be valuable assets.

As a backend developer, you are important for the organization to keep things running smoothly and securely. However, such skills are also required to keep customers and other stakeholders happy. Soft skills for backend developers are essential, so you must focus on nurturing them as much as your technical skills.

Here are the five most critical soft skills for backend developers.

Team-oriented mindset

Most backend developers are accustomed to a heads-down delivery focusing only on technical aspects. But if you want to move up in your role and manage or lead a team, you will require soft skills to support the team holistically, not just with your technical know-how.

Backend development is where you must keep learning to have that technical edge and credibility. However, you must not harbor a feeling that you will lose your technological edge just because you are focusing on nurturing interpersonal skills. As a team leader, your success will depend on the team’s success rather than individual capabilities.

Therefore, you must have skills to help your teammates grow. As a team player, you must be available for them when required. Be approachable so that your team members and other managers could easily reach out to you. If you are leading a team of developers, create opportunities for the team to learn and grow in their position.

Embrace empathy  

Social connections are important for everyone. It would help if you embraced empathy to channel each member’s strengths and help the team succeed collectively. When you are empathic towards your team members, it brings in more openness, and they can talk to you about their problems. It is critical to establish a continuous line of communication within your team. It would help if you considered the ideas and thoughts other developers have to contribute. Even when you have a strong point of view towards a decision, be an active listener who is willing to think from a different perspective too. Being flexible opens you to new ideas which are important in software development. 

Clear communication

Backend developers work on keeping the applications safe and infrastructure empowering so that the web applications run smoothly. That’s a lot of complex technologies at work. You will often have to explain what you are doing or how the solution you deployed works.

Communication skills are necessary for every backend developer to be able to present or express their ideas to other stakeholders. You may have to speak with clients about their projects or help your colleagues understand ongoing projects’ progress. Excellent communication skills enable you to explain what you have built to other people without coming across as condescending. For instance, if you think a particular technology is more suited for a task, you must present your viewpoint to help other members understand better. Working on your communication skills will help you convey your message to other developers, management, and stakeholders effectively.

Flexibility

Things will go wrong, maybe more often than you anticipated, even when you have deployed the most well-engineered solutions. You must know how to adapt to new situations instead of losing your calm.

Adaptability is one of the most essential soft skills for a backend developer. As you are responsible for keeping things running smoothly, you must have the flexibility to solve the rising issues creatively while keeping calm under pressure. Mastering flexibility is vital to troubleshoot problems more efficiently without participating in the blame game.

Listening Skills

You must have impeccable listening skills as a backend developer to grasp a system’s requirements before starting its development. It is a skill that takes precedence over technical qualification. Active listening means attentively listening to the message, deriving the correct meaning from it, and then appropriately responding to it.

Listening well also helps you provide constructive feedback, convey information, and be a good communicator overall. 

Conclusion

Backend developers often work in isolation, but there is more to their jobs than just writing code. In addition to technical proficiency, backend developers must have the soft skills necessary to work as a team and to lead other developers if required. The above-listed soft skills for backend developers are essential for their progress.

Talent500 can help backend developers hone their skills and become more valuable candidates. Join us today and be a part of one of the largest team-building platforms.

How to develop attention to detail

Posted on by satish

Attention to detail is a skill mandatory to prevent mistakes and improve success in the workplace. In software development, attention to detail means different things to stakeholders depending on the role. For developers, it may mean code quality and performance, while for product managers, attention to detail may be something related to user experience.

Unfortunately, technology, specifically the internet and smartphones, has shortened our attention span from 12 minutes to 5 minutes. It can be a problem, especially in software development, where attention to detail is crucial. Despite the workplace or family distractions when working from home, developers still need to write quality code. For this purpose, they need to be attentive to the project’s requirements and feedback from other stakeholders.

So, how to improve attention to detail?

Let’s check this out below. We have curated various methods and techniques that can make you better at paying attention to detail.

Adopt organized work culture

If things around you are chaotic, details will slip. Getting organized is the first step to creating scope for improvement in your attention to detail skills.

In the context of attention to detail, getting organized implies using a calendar and daily planner to keep your thoughts, ideas, and commitments organized. Markdown meetings and appointments, so you do not forget them. Keep a notepad or any app to take note of any details or thoughts you have about a meeting. You must plan your day around deadlines.

Minimize distractions in the workplace

To boost attention to detail, distractions at the workplace need to be minimized. But, how do you limit distraction in workspaces when distractions are inevitable?

Mental isolation.

To improve your attention to detail, you must learn to detach yourself from all the commotion by mentally isolating yourself. Classical music has shown promising results in several studies to help people improve their productivity and focus more. You can give it a try. However, it must be classical music, not songs with lyrics, as they will add to the distraction. Also, turn off your phone and email notifications on your desktop or laptop.

Practice mindful interactions

One of the main reasons why developers struggle to pay more attention to detail is that they are not being mindful. If you are not present mentally while performing a task, your work quality will be significantly affected. Stress, distractions, pressure, and health issues can be several reasons a developer ‘zones out’ while writing the code. The remedy to the situation depends on the underlying cause.

Not being mindful while working can be disastrous for a developer as it can significantly affect code quality and introduce bugs. If stress or anxiety affects your attention span, maybe it’s time to take a break. If you are overworked and continuously under pressure, it is time to talk to your manager about delegating tasks more realistically.

Avoid multitasking 

Multitasking might seem like one of the essential skills, but it is not. It is one of the most counterproductive habits for employees. The research on the impact of multiple tasks simultaneously shows that multitasking can reduce productivity by 40%.

For developers, multitasking implies they are juggling several tasks while writing the code. It will create too much backtracking, breaking the flow, and they will have to look up where they left. It is much more productive for developers to focus on one task at a time.

Read more to strengthen your focus

Given how much time we spend on our phones, reading is a hobby that few people still embrace. When you can skip between content with a tap of the finger, how boring it will be to read. A 2019 Pew Research Center survey found that the number of readers in the US declined by one-third from the previous year, and the trend is continuing.

However, not reading enough is detrimental to your attention span. Reading is one of the best exercises to build your attention to detail aptitude. You start with spending a few minutes reading books daily and invest more time as you gradually progress. It will work out your focus muscle, and your concentration will improve. We have already listed some crucial books for developers; see if they interest you.

Conclusion

Attention to detail is an essential skill for developers. Whether you are just starting your career or struggling to maintain focus after spending years writing codes, nurturing attention to detail will serve you well and improve your performance at work. We hope these tips will help improve your attention span faster and more effectively.

Talent500 is a platform for developers to find the best opportunities with global companies. Join us today and be part of the elite talent pool that companies actively search for.

5 tips to present new ideas as a software developer

Posted on by seoteam

Software development is a field where your technical skills matter, but they are not the only skills you will require to progress in your career. Soft skills are critical to performing your job effectively for the following reasons:

  • You require communication skills to present your ideas to the client, teammates, and other stakeholders.
  • You must have the emotional intelligence to guide your teams throughout the project development.
  • Leadership qualities are essential to help other developers in your team learn and grow.

This article will talk about the tips software developers can use to present their new ideas.

Highlight the value of the idea

Anyone will show interest in your idea if they think it can add value in some way. When presenting your idea in a developer meeting, it is essential to align your presentation to your audience’s interests. Your idea might be great, but it will not impress the audience if it’s irrelevant to them. For instance, if your idea is about a chatbot solution, tailor your presentation to include tangible steps the audience can take to automate customer service with chatbots. In this manner, they will understand the value of deploying chatbot solutions rather than just understanding what chatbots are.

Idea presentation should be tailored for the audience

It is essential to customize your idea presentation according to the audience. It is why you should try to know about them as much as possible before the presentation. If you are presenting your idea to a group of android developers, your focus should be more on the technical aspects such as the tech stack, cloud platforms, and design patterns. However, if the same idea is to be presented to a room consisting of managers, you have to be more tenacious with your approach – rather than technicalities, focus on the business part of the idea. Since different audiences have different focuses, your idea presentation should be tailored to meet their interests.

Slides are a tool, not the messenger 

Microsoft PowerPoint is the standard for presentations, but it is just a tool and nothing more. When you present your idea to people, the onus is really on you to deliver the message coherently. You can use the medium of a presentation to help communicate your message, but it cannot do the job for you.

When working on your presentation, you must include important information in the slides to engage the audience. Here are some pointers to keep in mind when you’re preparing a presentation for your idea.

  • Keep the words limited and avoid paragraphs or long blocks of text. It helps people focus on the main idea rather than having to spend time reading the text. 
  • Be careful about the font you use. It must be consistent throughout your presentation and should be readable by everyone in the room. 
  • Avoid complex designs in the slides. Use simple graphs and tables that are easy for the audience to read and understand.
  • Wherever possible, use pictures over text to better represent the idea you are trying to convey with words.

Convey idea as a story

Your idea presentation doesn’t have to be boring like a news report. While software developers are good with data representation, it is the engagement part where they lack the developer soft skills. Your idea presentation should be an amalgamation of data and a storyline to simultaneously inform and engage the audience. 

Try to tell a story around the idea. For example, if you are selling an idea about an app for cryptocurrency, start with the storyline of how decentralized currency can help underdeveloped nations improve their financial infrastructure. Present data on how cryptocurrencies in recent years have skyrocketed and what sort of technology goes behind building an infrastructure to support crypto.

During your presentation, your body language should also convey a story. We suggest you watch TedTalks on various topics to see how business leaders present their ideas to learn from them. 

Practice

It is essential to practice in front of a mock audience. As a software developer, you might know the information you are about to present inside out, but the presentation is also important to impress the audience. If you skip slides or force something into your talk, you will come across as disorganized and unprepared. You must practice your presentation until it has a natural flow.

Developer presentation practice will also allow you to evaluate the equipment and the presentation’s content for any issues or mistakes. And remember, if something goes wrong during the presentation, keep your composure and carry on.

Conclusion

Presenting your idea as a software developer will put you through some anxiety, but feeling overwhelmed is okay. Public speaking is a soft skill out of most software developers’ comfort zone. We hope the tips we have shared above will help you deliver a successful pitch for your next big idea.

Talent500 is the platform for top Indian software developers to find career redefining opportunities with fast-growing start-ups and Fortune500 companies. Sign up today to be discovered by the best companies globally.

How soft skills transitioned to become the new power skills

Posted on by naveen

The modalities of work drastically changed over the last few years as companies were no longer relying on legacy approaches. Many began leveraging the full force of technology and it wasn’t long before they started digitalizing core practices at scale. This led to remote work becoming mainstream, both due to circumstance and popular demand. As of 2022, 30% of employees work remotely and most would choose to do so going forward. But as AI and automation were readily integrated into the operational model, companies had to rethink their hiring strategies. Modern workforces couldn’t function solely on technical prowess, which is when companies started paying more attention to a candidate’s soft skills. 

In a digital environment, collaboration, communication, analysis, decision-making, and others are key attributes. This is especially important when managing distributed teams as it dictated accountability and efficiency. In fact, almost 89% of recruiters have stated that the lack of such skills is the reason many candidates are not hirable. This makes sense considering that softs skills add career durability, a trait that is required in ever-evolving ecosystems. Naturally, these skills were soon viewed as power skills, and companies look for them in candidates to hire appropriately. 

Here are some insights on the transition, factors responsible for the shift, and trends to watch for. 

Revised demands of skills to align with automation

As automation takes hold in companies, many jobs will get absorbed and won’t require the human element. But, as advanced as the technology is, there are a few tasks that simply can’t be replaced or handled by AI & automation. For instance, emotional intelligence, people management, and creativity are core traits required to manage employees, innovate, and communicate. These are also classified as higher cognitive skills and will likely not get replaced by automation. 

The same can’t be said for basic cognitive skills, which includes basic numeracy and literacy, as automation is already absorbing most of these responsibilities. As such, employers have shifted their focus and see higher cognitive skills as mission critical. These guide leaders, managers, communicators, and innovators in the workforce. 

Rising demand for emotional intelligence

Work culture is constantly evolving and a major shift was observed during the pandemic. Here, emotional intelligence stood out as an important soft skill through which individuals were able to navigate the new challenges that arose. It enabled individuals to develop crucial skills such as: 

  • Conflict resolution 
  • Collaboration 
  • Leadership
  • Negotiation

These were gaining importance as work cultures are very different in the modern world. Organizations shifting to remote models were, and are, struggling to manage the evolving emotional needs of their own workforce. 

Additionally, emotional intelligence helps empower employees to attain professional and personal goals, contributing more effectively to organizational growth. Some of the most valuable skills currently are:

  • Team player
  • Problem-solving and decision making
  • Open or free communication 
  • Planning, organizing and prioritizing 
  • Obtaining and processing information

These skill sets help employees look at problems in a creative manner, and gives them the ability to address their own problems. This also helps employees adjust easily to new situations while maintaining productivity. 

Soft skills in focus across major industrial sectors

The focus on soft skills varies across major industrial sectors and many companies are changing their policies to adapt to the new norm. Automation is a common factor leading the transition, and the need for basic cognitive skills within these sectors is decreasing. This was a common trend noticed in the banking, energy, retail, and manufacturing sectors. Across these key sectors, these are the soft skills likely to stay in focus for the decade. 

  • Healthcare: Adaptability, entrepreneurship, and analysis
  • Energy & Mining: Creative thinking, communication, and emotional intelligence
  • Banking & Insurance: Social skills, communication, and emotional intelligence
  • Retail: Management, empathy, interpersonal skills, and information processing
  • Manufacturing: Analysis, collaboration, negotiation, leadership, and adaptability

As automation and AI improves and continues to widen their reach, this list of skills is sure to grow and include more complex skills. Advanced communication, information processing, creativity and a general mastery over IT infrastructure are early estimates. 

Considering the shift, companies are now adopting new strategies to build effective workforces. While several strategies can work, an efficient route is to pick from a trusted talent sourcing channel. You can enjoy this benefit when you partner with Talent500. Trusted by global leaders to build, manage, and scale remote teams, we help optimize the hiring endeavor at every step. 

With over 200,000 pre-vetted professionals, you can establish a global presence, bolster remote teams and even leverage the EOR model to expand to new markets. To know more and hire effectively, schedule a consultation.

6 soft skills that still impress employers in 2022

Posted on by dikshant

It’s no secret that in 2022, the soft skills that employers value in new hires will be vastly different from those preferred in 2012. But while hard skills like machine learning, business analytics, and touch-typing are important, employers are still looking for some personal attributes in up-and-coming employees. Those that enable them to navigate their work environment, collaborate with others, perform well, and achieve their goals with complementing hard skills.

Employees with such traits are often the glue that holds an organization together. They are often the people who mediate between individuals and teams when there are arguments or clashes, in the interest of keeping everyone motivated and productive. Here’s the roundup of the top 10 things employers want from candidates, and how applicants can display those soft skills during their job searches.

1. Problem solving

Having the ability to use your knowledge to find answers to pressing problems and formulate workable solutions will demonstrate that you can handle – and excel in – your job. A good employee doesn’t try to keep problems from his or her employer. What that shows is a lack of experience and an inability to think on your feet. Use problems as opportunities to demonstrate that you can think quickly and solve pressing problems. Being able to apply this soft skill in various scenarios successfully is what separates the best from the rest.

2. Interpersonal communication

Good interpersonal communication is vital across every aspect of the business. You should be able to use this soft skill to address and engage an audience, as well as show your understanding of a subject when you’re in a meeting or being interviewed.

The most effective communicators present their ideas clearly, efficiently, and with consideration for the audience. The harder thing to prove is that you are not just a good talker, but an effective listener too. it’s not just the ability to communicate your thoughts and experiences effectively to other people, it’s also the ability to listen to what they’re saying to you, and critically understand their needs. Those who exhibit proficiency in this regard are usually handpicked for senior management positions in the future.

3. Leadership

Leadership skills are not just relevant to senior-level staff. They are a must-have across all levels of management and business. Many organizations see the benefits of promoting leadership development because they know that investing in certain employees is equivalent to investing in the company’s future. It is because these employees will use that knowledge and experience to level up the business.

Through their leadership skills, they gain respect from peers and superiors and could inspire them enough to improve their overall productivity and performance. This results in the upper management getting a more engaged and motivated team – one that can handle even the most demanding projects efficiently.

4. Creativity & innovation

Whether it’s coming up with a new idea for your current job or trying something you’ve never done before, innovation and creativity are skills that employers value highly. Being innovative and creative isn’t only reserved for the scientists and artists of this world. Businesses are always looking for candidates who can offer fresh approaches to breaking out established concepts and coming up with cutting-edge ideas. If you can prove that you’re a creative thinker, you’ll stand out and be noticed for all the right reasons.

5. Adaptability

Employers value adaptability in the workplace. Adaptability is a soft skill that employers seek when hiring candidates as it demonstrates your ability to change and develop in order to thrive in an environment. Especially an environment that has unusual circumstances or no explicit instructions. They are able to learn from experience and adjust their actions to situations that require change.

As technology continues to evolve, the need for employees to adapt quickly is more important than ever. Additionally, accepting criticism positively also demonstrates adaptability. Employees who use negative feedback to improve their performance in the future are worth investing in to shape the culture in a positive way.

6. Time management

Managers and executives identify time management as a top soft skill they want in their workforce. Time management skills are important because they help you structure your work in a way that allows you to accomplish goals. They allow you to determine what tasks are most important, and how to leverage your time to complete those tasks while avoiding distractions. In short, time management involves setting specific priorities, then breaking them down into specific, actionable steps. These skills ultimately lead to higher productivity and goal attainment in the workplace.

To conclude, personal skills are becoming increasingly important in the job market. Every day more and more Industries are evolving to be more inclusive, creative, and agile. As a result, employers are looking for candidates with strong soft skills who can work well as part of a team. Backed with the right qualifications and experience, they will be the ones that ultimately succeed in their landing the most coveted positions.

Looking to explore remote work opportunities from across the globe? Top-tier companies are reaching out to us every day in search of capable talent. Visit the official Talent500 website for timely updates on remote job openings.

Talent500 helps the world’s fastest growing businesses build their global workforce.

We help companies hire, build and manage global teams. We are trusted by industry leaders across the globe – from Fortune 500s and larger enterprises, to some of the world’s fastest-growing startups. We are backed by Accel Partners & ANSR, a global leader and enterprise transformation platform.

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