What Non-Tech Skills Do You Value in Software Engineers?

Technical skills are important, but what non-technical skills do you value most in a software engineer? Share your insights!


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Comments

[Maria M.]

For a software engineer, key non-technical skills include clear communication, effective teamwork, adaptability to changes, and strong problem-solving ability. These skills are essential for success in the software engineering field.

[Jaime López]

I agree with all the comments here. Communication, empathy, keep learning new things or refreshing old ones, etc.

I want to add a new one that was very important in my professional life. Being open-minded to what other people think is key to evolving as a professional. The way you code your solution to a problem is different from other colleagues and this is good because all of you can mix your solutions to get a better one.

As an example, the day I showcased my first proposal of architecture I believed it was the best for the customer was very disappointed. I was expecting congratulations that never came. The answer from the customer was changes based on personal opinions. The moment I realized that no architecture or solution fits completely a problem and that collaborating together will make things better, I started thinking positively making me a better professional.

Hope this can help someone.

[Brian G.]

Some very good answers here. A few additional thoughts:

Juniors:

• Communication - ability to express yourself clearly; willingness to listen to others and ask clarifying questions. Written and verbal communication.
• Teamwork - being collaborative, understanding your strengths and looking for ways to make your teammates better, willing to go the extra mile
• Creativity
• Problem Solving - this means first clarifying / understanding the problem and then coming up with solutions
• Patience
• Grit and Perseverance
• Growth Mindset
• Passion for Learning

Seniors:

• all of the above skills, at a more refined level
• Estimation - using experience to inform realistic expectations for what's possible and how long it will take
• Mentoring others
• Customer focus - this is a highly underrated skill. A few people do this naturally; most do not, but almost everyone thinks they do. It's not just "thinking like a customer" but also knowing how to talk to customers and surface their pain points.
• Politics - awareness of political capital, knowing when to spend political capital at the organization; how to advocate and influence others. Using this for the good of the company, team, and teammates rather than personal gain.

[Paolo Torregrosa]

I think understanding yourself and knowing which is the best way to learn for you is invaluable in our area.

Also having good soft skills, communication, professional insight, emotional responsibility is important, there is a book called "Soft Skills: The Software developer life manual" which I found really good to get away of anxiety and stress during my first days as a developer.

[Griff Polk]

Creativity, good teamwork/communication, professionality.

[Sohail Pathan]

1. Communication
2. Product Marketing ( Just know about the terminologies)
3. Open to new thoughts and respect for positive criticism.

I think these 3 are enough, At least this is what I've practiced myself and observed new me.

Other than this, I've briefly mentioned in this article of what startup founders look for in their employees irrespective of the team they work in.

[Tom Nijhof]

I really like product marketing, it is so valuable to be able to think past your code

[JoLo]

Empathy.
Anyone can have a bad day. Showing empathy you listen and acknowledge their feelings and perhaps also oder Support.
Empathy also allows to understand your client or the end user of your product.

[ianstigator]

I don’t look for a lot of skills and traits from developers. If you expect a lot, you will be just disappointed. Keep in mind that the leader or manager is expected to bring out the best in them.

There are people who don’t communicate enough verbally but are very good in technical skills. You have to value them since we do not really expect developers to be top-notch salespeople-level communicators. It is the job of the leader/manager to ensure that communication is smooth and not a barrier for getting things done.

So here are my top 3 non-technical skills that I value.

• Knows why they are there. Can understand and agree on the goals, mission, and purpose of the company.
• Respectful to others. Understands that they will be working in a team and will need to work and collaborate with others and respect other viewpoints and perspectives.
• Has the “car mechanic” attitude or the ability to recognise the problem, fix it, and ensure that it won’t happen again.

[Luke Inglis]

I think there are three key skills that help software engineers at any level and at any point in their careers and the sooner you can learn them them the better. In no particular order

1. Documentation: Learn how to read it and how to write it. Learn when it's necessary (hint almost all the time) and where it should live (hint somewhere that is version controlled).
2. Analysis. This applies in a lot of different ways but they all boil down to being able to figure out 'why this thing is the way it is'.
3. Communication: Again this applies in many ways but it's important to learn how to communicate your ideas to people but it's also very important to learn how other people communicate their ideas.

N.B. these three things are all deeply interconnected too. I'm going to try to write more about my thought in this regard. But, I'm time limited right now.

[Jorge Eψ=Ĥψ]

For a non english native, a good conversational english level

believe me, lot of doors will be closed if you don't have a good level

[Flowmodoro]

Communication.

Whether it’s written or verbal, knowing how to communicate well pays dividends for your career.

[Danny Tommy]

Be open too more research, and trainings taking up tutorials that will bring you insight into the development methods of improving as humans,just give time for learning unlimitedly.

[Nahuel Segovia]

I think that one of the most value non-tech skills is communication.
Good communication skills enable you to create better software. Writing code is not the only thing you need to do. You also need to converse with people with different roles, lives, and working styles.

[José Muñoz]

Being able to write documentation or just being able to write down your ideas coherently enough to be understood by its audience.

[Luke Inglis]

I would add to this being able to read documentation well. And to flip the second part of your answer around too knowing how your audience speaks is important too.

For example I'm a primarily front end dev right now and I've spent time learning a bit about the design process. How designers think about things when they design, what their mental frameworks are, etc. This helps me 'speak the language' when I'm communicating with our designers.