The 5 must-have skills for developers in 2021 gives you an insight into what skills you really need to gain in 2021.
The days were developers just sit in front of their computers and type away life is over.
In this modern world, software engineering is far more than just writing codes and making it to work, it’s more of a culture and career, so you need to learn how to improve your career to stay relevant in the industry.
Have you ever felt like you’re not good enough because you couldn’t get a job or pass an interview?
Of course, we all have passed through that phase, I think there is a name for it….. Imposter Syndrome → Anyways, I am not here to talk about that.
We are going to discuss 5 must-have skills for developers in 2021 that can put you out there, turn you into a modern developer, and increases your chances of connecting with your potential employees.
5 Must-Have Skills For Developers 2021
- Interviewing Skills
- Be employable
- Learning Skills
- Networking Skills
- Coding Skills
Let’s dive right into it.
Interviewing Skills
Interviewing skill is one of the most important skills that a developer should have because without it you won’t be able to get a job easily.
I am going to highlight some relevant points that have helped me during my interview processes. Also, it is worth noting that interviews can be different, interviewers with different methods of interviews.
Research the company
You can’t just go into an interview hall a complete novice, you need to do a lot of background study of the company to determine what exactly they are going for in a person aside from the Job Description that was given.
You need to learn how to position yourself to be the ideal person the company is looking for based on the Research that you have done.
Take a look at the company’s website, look up their social media handles and the kind of information that is out there, look them up in Company listing websites.
Finally, pay a closer look at the Job description, there are many data to be drawn out from it which will help you position yourself as the ideal candidate in ways you reply to their questions and even ways you ask them questions too.
Interview the Interviewer
This has been my favorite tips of all time, an interview process is supposed to be a dialogue between you and the interviewer, it’s not a question and answer poll.
You need to also interview the Interviewer by asking relevant questions.
This process can help you gain more insights about the company, the teams, and the managers.
You can use this information to suggest an idea that can help to grow their company.
You always want to be excited and interested in the company, not just the role, they need to see that in your countenance and the way you express them in your conversation.
Imagine been an interviewee and suggesting to the company how they can gain a million dollars in the next business year.
What do you think the company will do for you. Reject you or Employ you.
Let me hear your thoughts in the comment sections.
Relax, Be yourself
Finally, relax, it’s just an interview, it just a normal conversation you have heard so many times, don’t be nervous, what will be, will be.
Even if you didn’t get the job, it does not define who you are, maybe the company doesn’t want your personality ( which is good ) and you shouldn’t try to fit in, just be yourself, there are better opportunities out there.
My point here is, don’t pretend to be someone you’re not just to get the job, doing so can only hurt you because you might not fit into their culture, you might end up not being a good team player.
Be a better version of yourself and a human, and let the interviewer determine who is good for their company.
Be Employable
Companies want to see a lot more than just your coding skills.
They want to see your achievements as well as qualifications, and also they want to make sure you have the right employability skills.
We are going to list out some general employability skills you can master today.
Ask professional questions
You need to learn how to ask professional questions when in conversation with people or even your peers, it draws attention to your employers that you have a vast knowledge of your domain.
Clean up your social media
This may sound wired to you because you might say “But it’s my personal life” of course it is.
Look at these statistics: 75% of HR departments are required to research candidates online before hiring, also 45% of U.S. adults found something in an online search that made them decide NOT to do business with someone.
Again, 56% of U.S. adults have found something that solidified their decision to do business with the person. Statistics from BrandYourself.
With the statistics above, you can see how important it is to clean up your online presence.
Let’s run a little practical, if you search my name ( Solomon Eseme ) on Google you will see the following results.
From the information you gathered above about me, if you’re a recruiter will you be willing to move on with my candidacy if you’re looking to employ a Software Developer or Technical Writer.
Let me know in the comment section below.
Now, If you search up your name and what you see is not encouraging, you need to put in the work by updating and cleaning up your social presence.
Tools like BrandYourself can assist you.
Clean up your CV/Resume
This is one part that is also very important, make sure your CV is always up to date with the latest information and not irrelevant or misleading information.
Learning Skills
Learning is an essential skill to have as a developer; you will be faced with numerous challenges and a new set of tasks almost every day, you need to be able to learn and absorb quickly to be able to process the amount of information that will be presented to you.
My general tips to learn anything faster is always:
To limit the number of stuff you learn at one time. Be specific about what you are learning and absorbing at any particular time because you cannot learn, absorb, and understand many things at the same time.
Next, practice for real and actually write the code, if you are learning a new language or library make sure to write the code as you read and practice extensively, avoid reading and practicing tomorrow, do it there and now.
Networking Skills
Another great skill you need to master is Networking, connecting and collaborating with other members of your domain or career.
I am always of the opinion that no one is an island of knowledge, you need to collaborate with people so you can ask for help, work on projects together and learn team building and/or management.
Been the smartest guy with the best time management skills and knowledge of all the technical skills is good but there are some problems that you find problematic and need serious help.
This is where collaboration and networking come to play, you will be able to get the solutions easily with the help of others in the field.
You can start collaborating with other backend developers here.
Coding Skills
Be good at what you do.
To be good in programming requires a lot of patience, time, and constant practice.
Practice algorithmic questions and interviews to improve on your Logic building when programming or when faced with algorithmic questions in an interview.
You have to be very efficient in one programming language which will make learning the other programming languages very easy and less stressful to understand.
Conclusion
Above are my 5 must-have skills for developers 2021.
Basically, improve your interviewing skills to be able to get any job of your choice, your learning skills can aid you in solving real-life problems faster and efficiently.
Been employable means setting up yourself to be seen as the ideal candidate for the job either from an employer’s perspective or a client’s point of view.
Networking with others in the industry is a must-have skill that can help boost your productivity and increase your knowledge-based or widen your horizon in your career.
And lastly, your coding skill is as important as your career itself you need to make sure you’re on top of the latest trends and practice extensively to stay relevant in the industry.
If you can start working on improving these 5 areas of your career your career will skyrocket even more than the way it is now.
Let me hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
Thanks for reading.
