5 Soft Skills and 7 Technical Skills every junior IT Engineer should posses
Constant development and innovation in Information Technology (IT) sector have brought forth strong competition. As a result, companies that work in software development now require an efficient and skilled workforce that can do new challenging jobs properly.
If you are a fresh IT engineer graduate in the market and looking for a job in an esteemed organization, it’s important for you to know what companies are looking for. Nowadays, most companies require a number of soft skills from their employees, rather than just technical skills alone. Considering that you’re new in the market with little experience, the company will judge you based on a mixture of soft and technical skills.
In this blog post, we are listing down some of the top soft and technical skills that every junior level IT engineer should have a strong hold.
Soft Skills
As a junior level IT engineer, your soft skills will be the primary indication of whether your technical abilities can even be utilized by the company or not. As such, it’s important to possess the below listed soft skills if you’re applying for such a position:
- Teamwork
A successful project or completion of a difficult assignment in an organisation is always the result of successful collaboration between employees. Being open to ideas and working as a team results in smarter and quicker problem-solving outcomes. As an IT engineer, it’s important for you to show that you’re a team player and can work well with others. - Communication
If you’re working within an organization, it’s important for you to be able to deliver your ideas in an effective manner with the fellow workforce. Collaboration requires individuals being able to effectively communicate with one another. This means accepting that dialogue within the team will always bring out the best results. - Open-mindedness
Innovation requires being open to new ideas. Accepting that there can be more than one way to tackle a situation effectively is an important attribute. As such, working as a team means being open to different perspectives. This helps in figuring out the best approach and fruitful outcomes. - Time Management
Most software development projects follow strict deadlines, which are important for companies to turn a profit. As a beginner in the market, it’s important for you to display your time management skills to reflect that you will not be a cause of work delays in the company. This also helps to find out that you can perform efficiently under pressure. - Perseverance (Patience)
Realistically, doing software development or other technical IT projects can be a painful process of trial and error. It is not uncommon for developers to get stuck at a certain problem. As a junior IT engineer, it’s important for you to display patience and the ability to work through such hurdles.
Technical Skills
Nowadays, companies expect IT engineers who are new in the market to have a certain set of skills they can instantly bring to the table. As a junior level IT engineer, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the below-listed skills:
- Networking
In the majority of the cases, an IT engineer would work on an application based on a client-server model. A new IT engineer entering the market should be familiar with networking protocols (HTTP, FTP, IP, etc) and architecture as most applications run over a server today. It’s important for you to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of networking. - Operating Systems
Companies require IT engineers to maintain the IT infrastructure along with troubleshooting when anything goes wrong. Being familiar with the basics and mechanisms of operating systems like Windows and Linux, is an important skill for you to have. - Data Structures & Algorithms
Knowing how to organize data through the use of data structures and algorithms (arrays, trees, linked list) reveals a developer’s problem-solving skills & coding efficiency. It’s important for an IT engineer to know how to use less space and time when writing a certain code, as it matters vastly in the long run when the final product is developed. - Testing & Debugging
After a software is finally developed, the most painstaking process can be repeated testing and debugging. A junior IT engineer should be familiar with the different phases of testing, and the proper procedure to debug any software. More importantly, even a junior IT engineer should be familiar with the three most important testing methods, i.e., unit testing, integration testing, and system testing. - Security/Cybersecurity
The demand of cybersecurity has increased in the past couple of years, mainly due to the trend of global technological advancement. As an IT engineer, it’s important for you to familiarize yourself with basic security measures and cybersecurity fundamentals as it can become your major highlight, which can distinguish you from rest of the job applicants. - Hardware Familiarity
While most modern requirements for IT engineers have been concentrated on the software side, an IT engineer will most probably be concerned with the troubleshooting of hardware one way or another. You should be well aware of common hardware fundamentals before applying for such a position. - Troubleshooting
As an IT engineer, an organization will look to you when anything goes wrong with the IT infrastructure. For a company looking to hire a junior IT engineer, they will make sure you know the standard procedures and protocols that are required in order to resolve any such issues. The ability to resolve issues in a timely manner is an important skill companies look for.
While the above-mentioned skills are to be recognized by every beginner level IT engineer, others skills that can also increase the chances of hiring include familiarising yourself with encryption and cryptography, source control, familiarity of basic programming languages, databases, cross-platform software familiarity, Microsoft Excel, and the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
Final Note
As a beginner level IT engineer, you don’t have any proper work experience and proven skills that can be the main highlight. This means companies will not have a track record of your past performance and will judge you based solely on the skills you display.
As such, it’s important for you to realize that technical skills alone with not be helpful when applying for a renowned organization. You’ll need to show that you can communicate effectively, work well within a team, and understand the company’s requirements, along with an array of other such soft skills. However, your technical skills will just be as important as most IT firms look for talented individuals who display great development and problem-solving skills. As a conclusive note, it doesn’t matter how skilful you are, as how you present your soft and technical skills in the job application and interview session is the main key player in securing a job.