Why IT expertise just isn’t enough

Contrary to popular belief, there’s really no shortage of information technology talent out there.

What’s all-too-often lacking in the employment market are people who have a talent for more than IT. That’s because (also contrary to popular belief) most IT jobs can only be done by people who work well with other people — and that’s a rarer quality, not just in IT but in every workforce segment in the world.

So yes, it’s absolutely vital to be great at what you do. But when hundreds of hiring managers were asked to rate traits and behaviors they consider most and least appealing during a job interview, it was people skills they were after.

They wanted to see job candidates who were confident. They wanted candidates who were articulate. They wanted to see honestly, timeliness, good listening skills and eye contact.

And yes, they wanted a good, old-fashioned, firm handshake.

When Smith Johnson connects employers to employees, IT expertise is just the start. It’s that rarer combination of expertise and “easy-to-work-with-ness” that creates working relationships that will last.