The recession has started showing slow but sure signs of recovery, and you are looking for that promotion that is long due, or looking for a new job with better pay. You have polished your resume, making sure to list details of every project you have worked on, every platform you are adept at working with, every API that you know to program in. You are recognized as a maverick programmer or IT professional; a person who can “deliver on time”, a “problem solver” with “sharp analytical skills”.Yet, that promotion seems to elude you. You just can’t seem to convert those job interviews into offer letters and you are puzzled as to why.

The answer may be where you least thought to look. While companies readily hire entry-level programmers and engineers, based primarily on their analytical, problem solving skills and technical know-how, , they look for a variety of soft skills. Headhunters are skilled at probing the soft skills of the candidates they are interviewing, using subtly worded questions. In short, you are required to possess skills that help with interpersonal interaction with your colleagues in your job.

Here are the Top 5 Skills that IT Headhunters look for in Candidates:

1. Positive Attitude

While it may sound vague, the cliché about attitude being everything is just as valid in the IT industry as it is anywhere else. A cheerful disposition, especially when the chips are down, and deadlines are looming, is that social lubricant within your team, that keeps the team together, and helps it emerge stronger from the crisis. Being able to look at opportunities even when faced with dismal projections is the need of the hour, given the tepid climate of the economy. 

2. Communication Skills

Often confused for just the attribute of being able to talk fluently, communication is as much about being able to listen and respond as it is about just talking. An effective communicator serves as an indispensable bridge between your team members, between your team and your superiors and your company and client. 

3. Team Play

Consider the work you did on your last team project. Do you see it as having revolved around you primarily or did you need the input and support of other team members? If you would rather pick the former option, then you probably need to reassess your ability to work within the team. Listening to inputs from other team members and acknowledging that they are as indispensable to the team as you are will go a long way in proving that you can work as part of a team, especially in a leadership role.

4.Working Well Under Pressure

As a team leader, you will need to think with clarity when faced with daunting tasks and troubleshoot problems as they arise. You will need to discharge your duties effectively and make quick decisions, effectively communicating your decisions to team members. 

5. Ability to Accept Criticism

In engineering, as Murphy’s Law warrants, things seldom go the way you planned for them to. While making mistakes is part of the job, you must learn to learn from them. Do not blame team members for something that went wrong in a collective effort. Instead, focus on how the mistake can be averted in the future. Effectively communicate the lessons you have learnt from the incident to your superiors so that they are assured of your abilities to continue leading the team. 

In conclusion, the skills that recruiters are looking for in IT professionals may not be those that are listed in your resume. Polish the innate ability you have to interact with people and exude the confidence headhunters are looking for in a team leader.