The Corona crisis has hit the economy hard. The unemployment rate rose, numerous companies are still on short-time work and a recession is predicted. However, the IT industry has not been hit quite as hard, only the circumstances have changed somewhat: Computer scientists are increasingly needed in other areas as before the pandemic, recruiting has become more digital and the soft skills of IT professionals have changed. The following article shows exactly what these changes look like.
Computer scientists are needed in these areas
A reliable health care system is indispensable in the current situation. Far too often, medical practices and health authorities still record data manually and avoidable incidents occur due to overly complicated and error-prone processes. Digital information systems make a valuable contribution to capturing and processing data faster, more reliably and seamlessly.
SAP and SCM experts are increasingly sought after in the logistics industry, because export restrictions result in significant additional expenses. Tech start-ups also are increasingly looking for computer scientists who develop applications and apps for private and public use. There is even a support program for these experts from the European Innovation Council.
In addition to an increased demand for private multimedia entertainment, the working world has also become more digitalized. Remote working and home office are now commonplace in German offices. The goal of the so-called 'Economy 4.0' is to digitize numerous production and service processes. There is an increased demand for application developers, product developers, IT consultants and IT security consultants.
Recruiting becomes digital
In the wake of the Corona crisis, the IT industry has been lucky in misfortune. Skilled workers are still desperately needed, and in some cases the demand has even increased due to the growing interest in digitization. That brings us to the subject of digitization: recruiting and HR management are also increasingly taking place digitally.
The job portal StepStone, together with the Federal Association of Personnel Managers (BPM), recently conducted a study on the application process 2020, caused by Corona. Due to contact restrictions and the significant increase of employees in the home office area, the interest in and the use of digital tools has risen significantly.
According to this, video interviews have become the most important instrument in recruiting. In May of this year, 60 percent of the companies surveyed used video interviews for job interviews, compared to only a third. Three out of four HR managers believe that digital skills have become more important as a result of the Corona crisis. In the course of the crisis, one in two became aware that there are major deficits in the use of digital technologies.
According to the study, every fourth recruiter works with text and SEO analyses to optimize their own job ads. One in five use e-assessment tools that allow applicants to take certain tests online. Only 16 percent already use so-called predictive analytics to analyze the development of their own personnel requirements and/or the job market. Chatbots are used relatively less with a share of 12 percent.
But what is the situation with regrad to the applicants? More than half of the interviewed applicants have good or very good experiences with digital application procedures so far. 82 percent are open to these, after all, applying for a job is much less complicated and complies with the applicable distance rules. If an interview takes place, however, the majority of applicants would like to have an personal exchange.
This clearly shows that many recruiting processes have already been digitized - and that the interest is growing. In order to attract the right experts, of course, the personal contact is still necessary. Now the challenge is to find a healthy middle way.
Soft skills of an IT expert
The cliché of the introverted IT nerd who sits behind his PC for hours on end is long gone. After all, the IT industry has changed a lot: new technologies, activities and talents are part of the everyday life of IT professionals. IT is often no longer just a service provider in companies, but works with almost any department. This means that in the course of digitalization, and even more in the current situation, IT professionals are increasingly required to have certain soft skills:
Communication skills - To ensure that cooperation within your own team as well as in exchange with other departments is goal-oriented for all parties involved.
Analytical competence paired with curiosity - To benefit from new technologies and to integrate them.
Conflict management and negotiation skills - To keep a cool head when dealing with problems that arise when working with colleagues from other departments or even other companies.
Customer focus - To keep the customer's needs and requirements in mind when developing an application.
Flexibility and ability to change perspective - To react correctly to sudden changes in plans: not to complain, but to find an immediate and creative solution.
Leadership quality - To put tasks in the right hands and never lose sight of the project objective.
The past weeks and months are pointing the way ahead for digital transformation: digital processes and tools, changed soft skills of employees and new technologies such as Low-Code are becoming and are already part of everyday life in many companies.