If you’re a fresh grad or thinking of transitioning into an entry-level IT job as a software developer, you must be aware that software developer jobs require a fair amount of technical and soft skills. This article will go through 8 essential skills for software developer jobs.
What Are Software Developer Skills?
These skills outline your level of expertise, competence, and capabilities in software development duties. Software developer job skills often include soft skills like communication, collaboration, and adaptability that show the character traits you can or have applied to several responsibilities and duties. They also include technical skills that usually demonstrate your abilities to conduct specific software development duties, such as knowledge of programming languages and software architecture approaches.
Why Are Software Developer Skills Necessary?
Having the right technical and soft skills for a software developer job makes you feel confident and work efficiently on your required responsibilities. Having job-related software development skills listed on your resume makes you stand out among other candidates, more employable, and, more importantly, a valuable asset in your new organization.
5 Software Developer Skills To Include In Your Resume
Below are common soft skills and technical skills to include on your resume for a software development position
Communication Skills
Communication skills include oral and written communication, teamwork, leadership, and active listening, and they’re one of the top universally transferable soft skills in any role. In any software development job, you’ll typically collaborate with other professionals and teams and may discuss project progression with executives and clients that may or may not be tech-savvy. Hence, having practical communication skills will help you absorb information and discuss duties with team members and project development status with clients. Hiring managers are also keen to recruit software developers with excellent communication skills because they are confident that those people can significantly impact the performance of an organization.
Adaptability.
The technology industry will keep evolving rapidly, so there will be new software technologies and development methods in the market. Hence, recruiters usually want to know if you’re humble enough to learn and ready to get up to speed, as this shows your passion and eagerness to learn from the team. Your adaptability skills as a software developer can help you learn and adjust to new software technologies, processes, development, and procedures for new and existing projects.
Object-Oriented Programming.
Upon employment, if you’re going to be part of an engineering team to create a computer application or system, employers may expect you to be proficient in object-oriented programming. As a software developer, you must have at least a basic understanding of the four fundamental principles of object design: encapsulation, abstraction, inheritance, and polymorphism. For every software developer, object-oriented programming allows you to reuse codes, troubleshoot, and categorize functions and methods into a single class, ultimately helping with data redundancy.
Coding/Programming languages.
Coding/programming languages are core technical skills requirements for every software developer job. These languages are source codes for communication between software elements that developers use to create software programs and applications. Employers don’t necessarily expect you to be proficient in all programming languages; however, proficiency in at least one fundamental and widely used programming language is essential to make you a suitable candidate. Some fundamental programming languages include but are not limited to JavaScript, Python, C++, C#, HTML, and CSS.
Database Knowledge.
An essential skill for a software developer job is having solid knowledge of databases because most cloud-based and on-premise software applications use a database. Software developers use a database to search for information, collect information, add new information and update existing information. Some commonly used databases are SQL, MongoDB, and Redis; however, the programming languages and the specific communication protocols often vary.
Testing Procedures.
These two processes are core procedures that every software program undergoes before it’s released to the market. As a software developer, you’ll frequently need to run your codes, analyze any errors, and make sure the software you’ll be building will be functional on multiple hardware devices and digital tools. Recruiters mostly look out for proficiency in testing procedures such as integration, incremental, unit, and System testing.
Proficiency in Text Editors.
Proficiency in a text editor is essential for creating and editing plain text and removing formatting used in different word processors. For every software developer role, proficiency in one or more text editors such as TextMate, Notepad++, Brackets, or Atom makes you a more desirable candidate for software developer jobs.
Problem-solving Skills.
In every software development role, you’ll encounter varying issues and bugs that require immediate fixing to keep the organization/client process running smoothly. Hence, as a software developer, your ability to identify software issues, handle difficult or unexpected software situations, and develop resolution strategies to determine an appropriate debugging and testing tool is crucial. Hiring managers want to employ people who can assess complex situations and calmly identify solutions.
To sum up
Software developer jobs are one of the many tech jobs on the rise. Hence, It’s worth investing in these software development skills to strengthen your resume, stand out from other candidates and improve work performance. Putting in the effort to hone and add these teachable skills will increase your likelihood of securing a job.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How can you make your software developer skills stand out?
Your resume is the first place to show your software developer skills. Add and highlight the relevant skills to your skill section. Your career and job history should concisely and carefully summarize your experience level. Don’t forget to include relevant keywords in your resume and mention them during your interviews.
What are some technical skills for a software developer position?
Some popular software engineer technical skills are JavaScript, Java, Git, C#, AngularJS, SQL, React.js., .NET Framework, jQuery, etc. Now, depending on the intensity of your role, skills like Oracle Database, Go, and agile methodologies will come in handy.
How can I develop essential skills for software developer jobs?
Attending workshops and training through online or offline courses can help you develop the right technical skills for software developer jobs. Having someone more experienced in software development can also help you improve your skills and work performance. Collaborating and participating in hackathon events with colleagues who know other programming languages and development tools can help you develop core software development skills you may not have.
