We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic.
We also share information about your use of our site with our social media,
advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services.
BCS
15 May 2026 - 3 min read
When most people consider a career in IT, they tend to focus on hard skills – like coding, data analysis, and system architecture While it’s true that technical skills can help you get a job, soft skills in IT are just as important.
After all, today, IT professionals rarely work alone. They collaborate across departments and with key stakeholders, supporting organisations with achieving long-term business goals.
However, without soft skills – like communication – it becomes a lot harder to achieve them.
In this guide, we’ll break down what soft skills are, why they matter, and how they can help you succeed in your IT career.
Strong technical skills are essential in IT, but they only solve part of the problem. In the real world, success depends on how well you can apply those hard skills alongside soft skills so you can better understand what users actually need.
In other words, it’s not just about what you build: it’s about how you work with others to make it meaningful.
This is why interpersonal skills are key – so that you can share ideas clearly, solve problems effectively, and work well within your team and the wider business. For example, a developer might create a great app or system, but if they can’t explain its value to the business or make changes based on feedback, the impact will be limited.
According to a recent Startups Workforce Report, 64% of technology firms intend to prioritise soft skills over hard skills when hiring. This shows the rising demand for emotional intelligence and communication in the sector.
That’s why, among all soft skills, communication and collaboration stand out as the most essential in IT roles.
Soft skills are personal qualities that affect how you work and get along with others. Unlike technical skills, which are specific to certain jobs, soft skills can be used in many different roles – and are typically more abstract in nature.
In tech, soft skills help improve cross-team collaboration and creating solutions that fit user needs and align with business goals. Let’s take a closer look at the most important soft skills for IT professionals.
Communication is arguably the most important soft skill in IT and one that’s often underestimated. Think about it this way: if someone can’t understand what you’ve built, they’re unlikely to use it properly.
Having good communication skills in IT means you’re able to:
For example, if someone does not fully understand a system you have built, they might use it the wrong way or expect more from it than it can do. Clear communication reduces confusion and leads to better project results.
Keep in mind that good communication is important not only in meetings, but also in emails, documents, and presentations.
Most projects you’ll be part of in your tech career involve more than one person, which is why collaboration is a core soft skill in IT. Whether you build software, manage systems, or analyse data, you will almost always work as part of a team.
In practice, collaboration means more than simply working alongside others – it’s about actively contributing and supporting the team around you. Strong teamwork includes being able to respect different points of view and areas of expertise, helping others when needed and communicating progress and challenges openly.
When people work well together, projects go smoothly, results improve, and the workplace feels more positive.
Problem-solving is a key part of nearly every IT job. It means more than just fixing things fast; it’s about dealing with challenges in a thoughtful and organised way.
Good problem-solving skills help you to:
For example, if a system crashes, restarting it might solve the problem for now. But a good problem-solver will try to find out why it crashed so it doesn’t happen again. Employers really value this kind of critical thinking because it leads to better and longer-lasting solutions.
New technologies, tools, and best practices appear all the time. What matters today might not be important tomorrow, so it’s important for you to stay adaptable.
This is even more important now, as artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly changing many IT jobs. If you're willing to learn how to use AI tools to automate routine tasks and support coding or testing, while continuing to use your human thinking and analysis, you’re more likely to stay relevant and valuable.
However, being adaptable also means having a positive attitude toward change and staying flexible in different situations. You can show your adaptability when project requirements or priorities change, staying calm and continuing to work well in uncertain or fast-paced environments.
For example, you might need to learn a new programming language for a new project or adjust to a new way of working in an Agile team. Being open to learning new things and change in general will help you stay competitive and set you up for a successful career.
In most IT roles, whether it is information security, front-end or back-end development or user experience, you’ll need to handle multiple tasks at the same time. And, without good time management, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or miss important deadlines.
Managing your time well means setting priorities and staying organised, even when you have a lot to do. The good news is that you don’t have to manage everything alone. If you’re just starting out, your manager can help you plan and prioritise your workload.
Managing your time well helps you stay productive, reduce stress, and consistently deliver quality work.
So, how can you build your soft skills in IT? Like anything in life, you can develop it through trial, error, and feedback!
Here are a few practical ways to get started:
To improve your communication skills, try explaining technical ideas in simple language whenever possible. This will be especially useful when talking to people who do not have a technical background.
For example, you can practice by explaining a new feature to a friend or coworker before sharing it with a stakeholder. You could also use AI to help make your documentation clearer or speak up in meetings when you have ideas to share.
As you practice, you’ll become more confident and better at sharing information in a straightforward way.
Feedback is essential to growth in all areas of your life. Sometimes it can be tough to hear, but it definitely makes you grow in the right direction.
So, whenever possible, ask colleagues, managers or mentors for honest thoughts on how you can improve your soft skills. You might find out you need to be more concise in meetings or write documentation more clearly, as the way you are describing processes is still a bit vague.
Using this feedback helps you keep improving and build better relationships at work.
Where you can, try to jump on team projects! Working with others is a great way to build soft skills in real-life situations.
After all, being on a team helps you practice problem-solving, adaptability, time management and sometimes, conflict management.
Team projects often involve sharing ideas, working with different viewpoints, and reaching common goals. These experiences help you gain confidence and learn to work well with groups, which is important in any IT job.
Taking time to reflect on your work is another good way to improve your soft skills. After finishing a project or task, ask yourself what went well, what was difficult, and how you handled communication.
Reflecting helps you understand yourself better and notice patterns in your actions that you can tackle alone or with the help of your supervisor or manager.
Taking IT qualifications can help you grow both your technical and soft skills. Many IT courses now include elements of teamwork, communication, and real-world situations to help you build a well-rounded skill set.
However, developing your soft skills doesn’t have to come from IT courses alone.
Qualifications in areas like leadership and management or project management can also be really helpful in strengthening skills like communication, decision-making, collaboration and time management. These are all highly valuable qualities to have, especially as you progress in your career and get promoted to more senior roles.
Courses can also introduce you to new ideas and different approaches to solving problems, preparing you to apply these skills to your day-to-day role.
As the IT industry continues to evolve, employers are increasingly looking for professionals who can combine technical expertise with strong soft skills.
By developing both, you are positioning yourself as a more adaptable and valuable professional: someone who can not only build solutions but also ensure they are understood and adopted.
Whether you’re starting out in IT or progressing your career, investing in your soft skills will help you stand out, work more effectively with others, and succeed in a fast-changing industry.
Explore our 100% online IT qualifications and take the next step towards building a successful career in IT.
Share this post