Editor's note: This article is part of The Water Cooler, a recurring column for technology executives to digest, discuss and debate. Next up: What's the first step in your incident response plan? Email us here.
The future of business is digital, but not every company has the skills to capitalize
Within the IT workforce, upskilling is necessary to keep up with the pace of transformation. Employees well-rounded in the new and the next will push the company forward into an increasingly digital world.
Workers can gain digital skills on the job tailored to business needs, though there are certain prerequisites management looks for as they evaluate the hiring landscape, such as a familiarity with agile and a user-centric mindset.
CIO Dive asked technology executives for a glimpse into the hiring process. We asked: Which digital skills do you look for in IT job candidates? Five leaders shared what digital skills they look for when screening potential candidates.
(The comments below have been lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Raphael Ly, VP at Pariveda Solutions
"Agile and disruptive in a way that accepts (1) leading practices have a much shorter lifespan than before and (2) that thinking of the next big thing is now the new normal."
Raphael Ly
VP at Pariveda Solutions
A growth-oriented mindset on how technology can increase and create new forms of revenue. More than ever before, IT needs to be a trusted business partner versus a provider of technology.
Agile and disruptive in a way that accepts (1) leading practices have a much shorter lifespan than before and (2) that thinking of the next big thing is now the new normal.
User-centered in how [candidates] approach problem-solving, meaning IT professionals need strong empathy to truly understand the motivations and frustrations before designing and building solutions.
Ravi Penikala, senior director of engineering at OpsRamp
"We look for a variety of skills across platform development, data management, user interface design and integration support."
Ravi Penikala
Senior director of engineering at OpsRamp
We look for a variety of skills across platform development, data management, user interface design and integration support.
The most desired skills right now include Java (application architecture design and development and database design and development, including multi-threading and data caching); experience designing and deploying REST-based APIs for web applications; Javascript, CSS and HTML for interface design, including ReactJS, NodeJS and Angular 7; and Windows or Unix/Linux platform experience both for development and system administration.
Jim Brennan, CPO at BetterCloud
"Employees need to have a solid understanding of basic security practices (password management, network encryption, etc.), but they also must understand the implications of the choices they make when it comes to sharing files, calendars and other resources with non-company individuals and groups."
Jim Brennan
CPO at BetterCloud
Collaboration Tools — the use of tools such as Slack, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 was steadily increasing long before COVID[-19], but the move to remote-first work brought a dependency on a whole new suite of collaboration applications meant to replicate the in-office experience, such as Zoom, Miro and Calendly.
Employees must be highly proficient in the use of these tools, as well as capable of rapidly adapting to new tools, in order to be productive and impactful team members.
Security — it's long been thought that security is everyone's job, but with the move to remote work as well as the increasing use of powerful SaaS-based collaboration tools, this is more important than ever.
Employees need to have a solid understanding of basic security practices (password management, network encryption, etc.), but they also must understand the implications of the choices they make when it comes to sharing files, calendars and other resources with non-company individuals and groups.
Varun Singh, founder, VP of product at Moveworks
"The most important skill for IT professionals today is to leverage technology while working backwards from employee experience."
Varun Singh
Founder, VP of product at Moveworks
The most important skill for IT professionals today is to leverage technology while working backward from employee experience.
In this era of hybrid work, employees depend on technology for more than just solitary projects, like making slides and spreadsheets. Tech defines their entire workday, from meeting with colleagues over Zoom to staying informed whenever things change to getting help when they're stuck. The company HQ has moved to the cloud, and as a result, so has the company culture.
That's why the IT team now bears a crucial new responsibility: establishing a frictionless employee experience.
It's not just about fixing problems as they happen; it's about proactively keeping pace with the innovative technologies that people need to stay productive from anywhere. Getting this right — ensuring that hybrid employees feel connected and empowered — will make or break the business.
