The increase in remote working due to the COVID-19 pandemic has ignited a new hiring trend among IT employees: prioritizing candidates with people and communication skills, according to the Wall Street Journal.
CIOs and IT recruiters are looking for IT employees with soft skills, which include peer-to-peer communications, collaboration and leadership, according to Robert Half International, a global staffing firm.
Workers who can communicate with co-workers proficiently over virtual calls rather than in person are in higher demand, as employees in almost every corporate role are relying on technology more than ever. IT departments are having to interact more frequently with the rest of their organization.
“The brilliant, introverted developer continues to be in high demand, but we are also seeing an uptick in requirements for relationship-building, business acumen and communications in our searches,” said Martha Heller, chief executive of tech recruiting firm Heller Search Associates, according to the Wall Street Journal report.