The Crucial Computer Science Skills Employers Are Craving

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You’ve spent a lot of time around technology. Whether through formal training or pursuing your natural interests, you have likely developed a skill set that employers all over will value. But if Computer Science is your subject of choice and potential career direction—you might well wonder if what you have is enough.

What computer science skills matter most? What do you need to land a job in one of the many careers a degree in Computer Science can lead to? How can you demonstrate your abilities to potential employers and turn your skill set into a salary?

Whether you are considering a career in computer programming, web development, software development or one of many other careers tied to this booming field, you want to make sure what you learn will match what employers want. Keep reading to find out which computer science skills matter most to hiring managers and a few bonus skills that will really help you stand out.

This article appeared on Rasmussen College’s website. TechCXO Partner Kevin Carlson is quoted.

The technical computer science skills employers want

We analyzed nearly 3,000,000 online job postings that sought applicants with Computer Science degrees in the last year to find out which technical skills employers were most commonly seeking.* Note that these skills aren’t pulled from listings for a specific job role—they reflect the skills identified in any job postings that are seeking candidates with a Computer Science degree. These are the desired technical skills listed:

  • Java™
  • SQL
  • Software development
  • Project management
  • JavaScript™
  • Software engineering
  • Linux operating systems
  • Python™
  • Business process analysis
  • Information systems design

But hiring managers and experts in various fields assure us that technical skills, while sometimes required for a position, aren’t necessarily the green-light signal job applicants might hope for.

“I care most about an applicant’s ability to solve a problem, how they think through a task and communicate with those around them,” says Kevin Carlson, vice president of development at DataFinch Technologies. “This shows me how they’ll work with the team long-term. I couldn’t care less if they can pass a pop quiz on a certain technology.”

Carlson explains that too many candidates think about meeting short-term needs and whatever is trending in the moment, when hiring is really a long-term play. In technology, constant learning is almost guaranteed, so some employers will be less concerned about which specific technical skills you have and a lot more interested in the soft skills and less-tangible traits and abilities you bring to the table.

Remember, an employer can always teach you a new process or platform—but it’s hard to teach someone to be a team player or a motivated problem-solver.

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How to Build a Tech Culture that Makes People Want to Stay

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One of the first things to suffer when things take off, is culture. Rapid hiring that ignores cultural norms can introduce new attitudes and expectations. Some good, some bad, the worst of which can deteriorate trust and breed a culture of fear — and fast. So how can you start to repair a tech culture?

One of the most effective ways to build efficiencies in a technical team is to focus on culture. It’s said that culture trumps strategy. Why? Because the execution of any strategy by a dysfunctional team, will be poor.

Some of the signs of cultural problems within a technology organization are:

  • Poor communication between development teams
  • Lack of visibility to the business
  • Ability to avoid accountability
  • Avoidance of meaningful conflict
  • The ridicule of ideas

If you’ve spent any time at all working within a technology team, you’ve seen several of these problems.

So, let’s get started. Below are three things I do to get things moving.

Prove that Conflict and Vulnerability are Acceptable

People often avoid conflict because their leadership taught them to. It’s that simple.

Many situations occur where someone disagrees with leadership and they are dismissed. Worse, they could face ridicule in front of their peers. The effects of this type of behavior are fast acting and long lasting. In such a culture, the best ideas often die before they’re ever explored.

Many years ago I was co-writing a song with a very talented writer who said to me, “Give me any ideas you have an I’ll give you mine. Some are going to be awful, but you never know what other ideas an awful one will spark.” It was a little uncomfortable at first, but I soon recognized my ideas weren’t getting an eye-roll. That motivated me to dig deeper. We agreed, we disagreed. There was meaningful conflict. We were kind to each other, but didn’t hesitate to disagree.

It was an impactful experience that I carried into other areas of my life.

[For More Posts like this, see Kevin Carlson’s blog: The Fractional CTO]

And that’s exactly how to approach it in the tech world. Prove that conflict is acceptable by welcoming new ideas. Avoid any response that could make a person regret their decision to be open.

More important, the team should see you do this with other leaders. Show that you’re not afraid to be vulnerable and introduce conflict. Above all, show your team how to do that while being kind.

Praise Those Who Take Accountability, Whether for Success or Failure.

One of the best signs of an improving culture is the admission of failure. In a recent client engagement, a team member sent me an email telling me of a problem they caused. It cost the company customers and money.

Here’s what I did next:

  1. Immediately thanked the person for bringing the issue to my attention
  2. Asked for their recommendation on how to solve the problem
  3. Requested they quantify the impact to the company and share the detail with me

This person knew they made a mistake. There was obvious regret. But they had the courage to step forward and make things right. No need to make them feel any worse.

It’s important in this situation to express gratitude that you’re now aware of the issue. Learn what went wrong. Hear recommendations from the person that brought it to your attention. You will get the best from your team if they can be honest with you without fear of retribution.

Quick story: A CEO and CFO were talking about a new salesperson. The CFO was angry that the rep messed up a $2 million dollar deal and recommended he fire the salesperson. The CEO responded, “Why would we fire someone we spent $2 million training?”

Be Open in Your Interactions with Everyone

A few years ago, I had been coaching a 25 person development team on the importance of building trust. I wanted people to admit when they didn’t know how to do something. I wanted them to be open when they made a mistake.

Then it happened.

I had been upgrading a Jira instance and something went wrong. Long story short, every single bit of data had been completely wiped from the system. Not realizing that had happened, I decided to head home and get back at it the next day.

The next morning everyone was frantic. Luckily, one of my colleagues saved me from embarrassment and restored Jira from a backup. Things were up and running again. All was good with the world, right?

Not at all. I needed to prove to the team that everyone, including and especially me, needed to be open. At a team meeting that afternoon, I opened with, “We found out who deleted the data from Jira.” A nervous silence enveloped the room as people looked around and tried to guess who was in trouble.

“It was me”, I said. “I made a mistake during an upgrade and I apologize if it caused anyone any trouble.”

The team was gracious and accepted my apology.

From that point on, people new that it was OK to be honest. That they could trust I wouldn’t hold myself to a different standard than I expected from them. Communication almost immediately began to improve.

You must be the example you want your team to follow. Asking people to be accountable, yet avoiding it yourself is only going to build cynicism in the team.

If you’re in a position of leadership, prove that you will hold yourself accountable. And prove that the standard isn’t any different for you than it is for your team.

It’s an Ongoing Process

You can have significant impact and begin to repair a tech culture by taking these straightforward actions. But it doesn’t stop there.

As a leader, you are the guardian of the culture you want to have. You will have to make occasional adjustments to process, technology, and, yes, people.

Sometimes they will be painful decisions. But make them anyway and learn as you go.

And when you’re wrong, tell the team, adjust, and keep moving. I promise you, it will be worth it.

[This post originally appeared on TheFractionalCTO.blog]

How a Recruiting Process Exposes Your Authentic Values

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If you’ve ever looked for a job, you know.

You know what it’s like to put time and effort into a resume, research a company, and write a thoughtful cover letter. You send it off and wait. And wait.

And a response never comes, or comes long after you’ve already found another role.

In one case, I received a rejection email from a company a full 6 months after I had already landed another role. And yeah, I’d already figured out they weren’t interested by then…

The funny thing was that this company heavily sold their culture in the job posting. They said that people were their focus, they valued communication, and acted with a sense of urgency.

Unless you’re an applicant.

Well, OK, I added that bit, but you get my point. My experience with that company conflicted with who they wanted me to believe they were.

[The article was adapted from Kevin Carlson‘s original blog post]

Show Applicants They’re Important: Respond

A few years later, I found myself in the position of being responsible for the recruiting process. The roles I posted to job boards generated hundreds of responses. Of those I received, many were not qualified and some didn’t appear to have read the job description.

Even so, I remembered my earlier experience, and wanted to make sure I responded to everyone, even if it was to give them bad news. As applications piled up, the task seemed like a tough one to tackle.

“I’ve been there”, I thought. “I know what it’s like to face rejection and now I have to do the rejecting.” It’s a normal reaction to want to avoid this step in the process. If that’s how you feel, congratulations, you’re human.

The solution for me was two-fold:

  • First, use the Applicant Tracking System we had to organize things. If you don’t have one, I’ve listed affordable options and alternatives at the end of this post.
  • Second, recognize that my silence helps neither the company or the applicant.

Use the Right Tools to Make Responding Easy

We used our Applicant Tracking System to post jobs to job boards and to our web site. It organized responses and made it easy to move candidates through the pipeline. It also made it very easy to send candidates a response.

Applicant tracking systems allow you to create email templates that request a phone conversation, an interview, or let someone know they haven’t been selected. Take the time to create a template for each type of communication you might want to send a candidate, including those for rejection.

As a rule, I would go through the new resumes first thing in the morning, and send each applicant an email:

  • We received your resume and are reviewing your qualifications…
  • We’d like to set up a phone conversation…
  • Could you answer a few questions for us…
  • Thank you for your resume. Unfortunately, you have not been selected as a candidate.

The first three? Pretty easy.

The last one is more difficult to send, and here’s why it’s so important: How you treat people outside of your company says volumes about the real values inside your company.

Actions show Authentic Values

Wall posters that display company values — we’ve all seen them.

Integrity. Honesty. Collaboration. Blah, blah, blah.

Seriously? Those values are table stakes.

If you have to tell people that you like to collaborate, are honest, and act with integrity, that’s a pretty low bar. When I see that, I’d rather ask your customers what they think your values are and get the real scoop.

Values must be in your heart and mind, not on the wall. People you interact with will talk about how they experience your values and culture. Your actions and inactions will have an impact.

How many great candidates don’t apply because a friend ridiculed your recruiting process? Might be only a few. Might be only one.

AND IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE ONE CANDIDATE THAT MATTERED.

So, take the time. Write the responses. Send the appropriate email now. With an Applicant Tracking System, it’s easy. Doesn’t matter if there are hundreds or even thousands of applicants. If you’re actually looking at the applications, it takes three seconds. And most savvy candidates know this.

What if Someone Responds to a Rejection?

You’ll get responses to rejections, no matter how tactful and kind you are. For me, they’ve varied from, “Your loss” to “Can you explain where I fell short?”

No, I didn’t respond to the first one. I have responded to many of the second type, though. Taking the time to help a candidate understand the skills or experience they need may result in their eventual hire. Ignore them and when they have the experience, they may ignore you.

The responses don’t have to be long. Send a simple note explaining there were candidates with more experience in certain areas (name them). Or perhaps tell them they need to brush on specific interview skills. It may help them and give them a little confidence to continue the hard work of looking for a job.

The “Thank You” Paradox

You’ll almost always receive a nice thank you note from those you hire or interivew. That’s common practice. Almost expected.

Yet I have received at least ten times as many emails from those that didn’t make the cut. The top responses may surprise you:

  • “Thank you for letting me know.”
  • “Thanks for your guidance.”
  • “Thanks for the encouragement.”

When this happens, you have preserved a future candidate. You may have given someone the boost they needed to write yet one more cover letter. You may have let them know that someone actually cares about the hard work they’re doing to find a job. They will remember you and your company. Your recruiting process, even in rejection, is showcasing your company’s values and takes a long-term view of candidate viability.

Recruiting is Early Proof of Your Values

When you’re faced with a lot of applicants, I encourage you to take the time to respond. You will prove your values and show that the culture you talk about is real. As I mentioned in a previous post on tech culture, you are the guardian of the culture.

Screenwriters have a mantra: “Show, don’t tell.” It’s the same thing when it comes to company values.

So, do what’s right and not what’s easy. Let candidates know where they stand so they can progress or move on. It will prove to them that your company — and you — are worth talking to.

INFO ON APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEMS AND ALTERNATIVES

If you don’t have an applicant tracking system, don’t despair. There are a lot of them on the market with varying price ranges. Some cost as little as $25/month or charge a reasonable per job posting fee. Well worth the money. Below are links to a few that I have used or have that colleagues recommend.

If you’re on a tight budget, you can use something as simple as Excel to track candidates and responses. A little tedious, but worth it.

If I’ve missed an ATS that you have used with good results, please provide a link and your comments below!