Essential Soft Skills needed to become a DevOps Pro in 2021

Do you think you are technically sound enough to ace a Devops profile? Is being technically strong the only primary criteria, when applying for a software profile?

Ever given a thought to the so called Soft Skills?

I have seen and know many professionals in my career who are technically very sound and have good command and expertise over their domain and technology, however they miss out on promotions, onsite-opportunities, premium technical interviews and also in their career because of lack of Soft Skills. Shocked?

Yes, my dear friend with changing trends across the globe the organisations at looking a professionals who are sound technically and also have excellent soft skills to become a part of their teams.

In this post we have tried sharing some of the key essential Soft skills that we feel are needed to excel in a Devops role, or as a matter of fact any software profile. Have a look at them and if try to inculcate them as a part of your personality.

As per Google, Soft Skills means “Personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people”. You must have ignored working in groups back in your college days. Working on group projects have been the most tedious task in those days. However, in the ‘real-world’ working with others and delegating the tasks with everyone is quite essential in DevOps.

The most successful DevOps engineers are not only incredible problem solvers but also great communicators, empathizers, and leaders. As the future of DevOps will be ruled by artificial intelligence, soft skills will become more critical. Soft skills will determine whether you will work well with colleagues or not. In short, you’re a good fit for the company or not.

Let us have a look at some of the important Soft skills hat would be required to become a DevOps Pro in 2021.

Empathy

Empathy simply means how you understand other people’s point-of-view. However, empathy in DevOps is all about putting yourself in the place of colleagues as well as clients.

Approaching your colleagues with a kind tone rather than an aggressive tone will help to build a harmonious work environment. Suggesting new ideas is much easier in an understanding and friendly environment. If you don’t like someone’s idea, then give your feedback with something positive about their suggestion. Later you may explain what you didn’t like and finish off with another positive thing.

By developing such empathy with your clients will make sure your product or service offers what your clients want. If your site has a high click-through rate, it’s evidence that you’re prioritizing the needs of your potential customers.

Teamwork

Developers indeed spend most of their time working independently. But there will be times when developers have to work or interact with the rest of the team. Working well with others makes your work more fun. It makes people more likely to help you in the future,=.

Working with the team is often the best way to create a coherent product. It is always a good idea for developers to interface with colleagues regularly. If it’s not possible to interact with the team in person, you can use apps like Zoom, Trello, or Slack to keep in touch and stay updated. You can even train new hires under your wing.

Patience

Being patient with colleagues is crucial for the teams to work together in a DevOps environment. You might be the best coder in your team, but it amounts to nothing if you don’t treat well other team members. Because a developer doesn’t work alone on a project. They work with other team members. Thus, your patience and perseverance will take you far as a developer.

Your patience through obstacles and difficult situations is something employers are looking for in a goof DevOps leader. Take your time to answer every question, solve every issue, and your future sessions will become much easier.

Adaptability

Adaptability is one of the most important soft skills for any DevOps person. As a tech nerd, you know that software and hardware evolve continuously. However still many seasoned developers struggle to keep pace with the new programming languages, frameworks, and tools.

Hence, developers must be prepared to regularly invest in updating their skills. But how do you convey your adaptability? There are several ways:

1. 1. Prove adaptability through hard-skills, learn a new programming language or a new skill. This proves that you are adaptable and flexible.
   2. You can prove your adaptability by adding more data to the work experience section of your CV. This will make it clear that you are completely adaptable to learn new things and evolve in different environments.
   3. Explain how much you like teamwork and how comfortable you are working with others.

Accountability

Accountability means taking ownership of all your mistakes. When you ignore your mistakes, there are chances you or other team members might make the same mistake again. It is not easy to admit our own mistakes but in long term, this is the best thing done by you for the team. So accountability is essential for any leader. If you are brave enough to admit your mistakes, your team will be encouraged to do the same. Eventually, everyone will adopt this soft skill. Use this as an opportunity to analyze what went wrong & how to avoid such mistakes in the future.

Time management

Managing your time effectively allows developers to focus on the important tasks and get tasks done more effectively. When you have a lot to do, managing time can be difficult. There are numerous techniques to effectively manage your time.

Time management will allow you to work for a fix period and take breaks when needed. Also, avoid multitasking as much as possible as it’s bad for productivity. Good time management skills will surprise you how much faster you get things done when they have your full attention.

Good Communication skills

Whether you work full time or remotely, Communication skill is the critical skill to develop. It is even vital when you work remotely. Developers/ DevOps pro should know how to communicate with people from all backgrounds & cultures.

It’s also important for developers to understand people’s emotions, what they say, and how they say it.

Many times, there will be a need to interact using written communication like email, slack & instant messaging. Concise writing skills are also crucial for the DevOps Pro. So that they can put their thoughts in writing, too.

So apart from being technically sound and equipped with the Devops tools and technologies, to ace in the DevOps domain a person should also possess the above mentioned soft skills.

As last would like to conclude on the note that, it is a blend of good technical skills with great soft skills that will differentiate and define an average Devops person from a Pro or a Leader.