Many people in possession of hard skills tend to look down upon the relevance of soft skills, only to discover the truth at a critical juncture in their career.

What is a hard skill?

A skill that can typically be quantified and measured is considered to be a hard skill. Programming, mathematical ability can be considered as examples. They can also be developed through a regimen of coursework and practice.

What is a soft skill?

While people have tried, and measures created, a soft skill is considered to be difficult to measure and quantify. Empathy could be considered as a soft skill. Soft skills are famously difficult to develop even though many programmes and courses have been created with a view to developing employee soft skills. They are typically slow to develop, and when they do, it is mostly as a response to life situations and experiences.

Why soft skills are important

Hard skills being measurable and well defined, in a competitive world, all participants make an effort to upgrade them and be among the best. What this results in is a lack of differentiation on the basis of hard skills. It is becoming something like a commodity. Everyone has them. How does a professional differentiate himself/herself from the crowd? Or, how does an organisation differentiate between employees? Or, with comparable hard skills, what enables an individual or organisation to perform better than others? Right, through soft skills. Employees possessing soft skills and organisations recognizing their need will have an edge over their lesser soft-skilled competitors.

As we have seen, hard skills, if absent or deficient, can be developed through the right strategies. Hence, increasingly, modern organizations are less concerned about the deficiency of hard skills required for a role, as they know they can be developed. Soft skills, on the other hand, either being difficult to develop, or the process being slow, are seen as more critical to be present in employees. Hence, even though difficult and less precise, organisations are making greater efforts to evaluate the soft skills of target hires to ensure that they have the goods to be effective in their situation. If a person is hired with inadequate soft skills, upskilling could be an uphill task.

Established staffing companies, such as Ushankk, who have worked with multiple employers over several decades, understand the importance of soft skills and ensure candidates they provide possess the right balance of hard and soft skills.

What soft skills to focus on

While the list of required soft skills is endless, in a workplace situation, here are some that assume greater relevance:

Empathy

All work gets done through people. Even where machines are doing the work, somewhere there is a human hand either in its creation or in monitoring its performance. For two people to work together harmoniously, it is important to understand each other, not only in terms of the spoken or written words, but also from their unique perspectives. In other words, the ability to place oneself in another’s shoes is called empathy.

Communication

Almost everything gets done as a result of our ability to communicate. While verbal and written communication is what is mostly used, there are many other ways in which communication takes place. A nod of the head or a roll of the eyes can be communication. Making someone wait for a meeting can be communication. And it is not merely the ability to transfer your message effectively to another person that is communication; it is also your ability to interpret the messaging directed towards you.

Selflessness

Selfishness might be a necessary skill at times, especially when one is in a dangerous situation. However, organizations are anything but. They require quite the opposite skill, that of selflessness. One needs to be able to identify with the larger organisational goal and direct one’s energies towards its attainment, rather than the focus narrowing down to one’s own goals. As they say, “a rising tide lifts all boats.”

In conclusion

To ensure you get the right balance of skills, trust IT outsourcing companies like Ushankk. Their exposure to multiple client requirements and work environments enables them to offer best-practice based solutions.

Often, there could be a mismatch between the requirements of industry and the output of the academic world, requiring industry to step in and fill the gaps.

The search for the right skills combines injecting fresh talent and upskilling and reskilling of employees. Of course, it is assumed that the same is done with the consent of impacted people.

What is reskilling?

Reskilling is used to refer to skilling employees to perform jobs and roles that are significantly different from the ones they have been doing. The need for reskilling arises when a job or role-type becomes obsolete or redundant. Rather than losing employees who possess valuable knowledge about the company, and have been doing a commendable job, the company invests in equipping them for other that require skills different from the ones they possess. Effectively, from one specialized job, employees move to a different specialized job.

What is upskilling?

Upskilling could be viewed as a less dramatic change. Though it is possibly a response to developments in the world and the workplace, upskilling is required to equip an individual to perform the role he/she is doing, in a more effective manner. It might result in improved productivity and might also be positioned as a positive career development, being asked to do more. Through upskilling, employees are equipped to cover a wider range of tasks and expectations.

How do they help?

Initiatives like upskilling and reskilling help a company cope and compete. A changing world cannot be controlled by an enterprise. What it can do is keep is make efforts to keep pace with them, either in advance, or after they become embedded.

They create a set of loyal and committed employees and help in reducing attrition. Not everyone gets to work for an organization willing to invest in the development of their employees. Often, it results in employees gaining relevant skills which makes them more valuable and competitive.

The organization is able to buttress its reputation as a company willing to adapt and change and learn, with its efforts at identifying trends and upskilling and reskilling employees. Effectively, it results in a dynamic, forward-looking environment within the company.

Implementation

While many corporations swear by the need to upskill and reskill, they often struggle when the time for action approaches. They find it difficult to identify the roles and employees that need to go through this process of change. Even the shape of the future organization is, sometimes, not very clear.

Leveraging the specialist skills of staffing companies like Ushankk can significantly aid companies’ efforts in this direction. Ushankk, through the manpower support it provides to Fortune 500 companies and many others, has been engaged in the reskilling and upskilling of employees to cater to the evolving needs of its clients.

In many ways, there is some truth in this statement. Even a company that, prima facie, appears to be traditional, or bricks and mortar, will place significant reliance on digital tools for their work, from the basic communication services such as email to the more complex and business-specific digital applications specific to their industry.

Have you ever wondered how these companies are able to operate, mostly without glitches, despite relying on software tools and computing devices?

Most people who work in these companies are experts in their area of work. A real estate company could have designers and landscapers, as an example. While they are expected to possess the smarts to be able to use the tools required for their work, they do not know much about the many moving parts that keep it all together.

What happens when the network goes down?

Or, when a virus attacks?

Or, when a website has to be white-labelled?

Or, when the Active Directory needs to be updated?

This is where the IT team of the company comes in. And, along with the IT team, the desktop support technician. He/she may not wear a cape, but, for users, the desktop support technician is the superman, or woman, who helps them do their job by ensuring that the digital tools placed at their disposal perform to their potential.

So far, we have discussed a technician’s role in the context of a company. However, the job is much wider.

How is that?

Each one of us use devices and software applications in our daily lives; in fact, many of them have now become indispensable. Many situations that can affect technology in a corporate setting, also impact all of us as individuals.

The network may go down.

The device may get afflicted by a virus.

An application may start misbehaving.

What do we do?

We reach out to a help desk, usually provided by the manufacturer of the device or application, to ensure that users can have an uninterrupted, positive experience. These desks are managed, again, by the supermen and women who help us navigate through the issue and resolve them. In some cases, a physical inspection or site visit may be needed but, thanks to the growing capability of the desktop support technicians, these are becoming rarer.

While acting as an extension of the company’s brand, these technicians are carrying out a multi-dimensional task, and marrying technical skills with communication and customer-handling skills, to deliver. After all, people seeking support from a help desk may have limited technical understanding and often need patience and understanding while handling.

The desktop support technician’s role has gradually become portable. That is the reason many companies prefer to hire partners who specialize in this activity, instead of hiring inhouse technicians. Established staffing companies like Ushankk are a preferred partner for organizations for IT Infrastructure Support services.

Ushankk is able to attract the best talent as it is well placed to create career paths for technicians to keep the IT Infrastructure up and running in a variety of streams such as database administration, IT security and network administration, among others, based on the area of interest of individuals.

Of course, it has some benefits for both the employer and the employed, which is why it has grown and established itself, even though the final push may have been given by Covid-19. Companies have found an opportunity of reducing real estate cost by allowing people to work from a place of their choice, usually home. In some cases, they may also have been able to negotiate the compensation package downwards for the flexibility offered. Employees are saving on commute time, a killer in most big cities, get to spend more time with loved ones, and take on family duties and help out in the chores, important for nuclear families. They are also able to look for employment anywhere in the world where the company permits remote work.

Other developments, like the growth of the gig economy, with freelancers available for short periods and specific assignments, have further fuelled the movement. Staff augmentation providers like Ushankk, already familiar with remote work over several decades, are helping companies and jobseekers make the transition.

However, behaviour and mindset changes are needed, both in managers as well as in the managed, to ensure that its full potential can be realized and it becomes an ongoing, sustainable trend.

Confidence building measures

There can be questions in the mind of the manager regarding the sincerity and commitment of people working from home. Is she putting in the hours required? Is she doing something else at the same time, that is not company work?

The employee in question needs to maintain utmost transparency, perhaps more than needed in an office scenario where there is general visibility of people around you. She should be visible to the manager on a video tool, if that is the policy of the company, and be willing to provide an update on her work whenever asked, to demonstrate progress.

For people interacting with clients, similar levels of transparency will be needed when interacting with them.

Clear definition of roles and responsibilities

The more specific expectations and roles can be made, the more effective remote work will be. In the absence of a line of sight, doubts and hesitation can creep in. Should I take a break now or later? Will my manager think I am always taking breaks? If possible, build breaks into the schedule that is created between an employee and manager.

Communication is key

Whether interacting with clients or colleagues, if you are stuck you cannot simply tap on someone’s shoulder for support. Remote workers need to be able to communicate in a manner that promotes clarity and removes doubts and grey areas. Further, their personal and physical presentation needs to be professional. Working from home does not mean you appear unkempt in your interactions. If you are on a call, as far as possible, try to eliminate background noises such as the TV blaring in the background. Of course, it is understood that not everyone will have the space or setup at home which will come across as a totally professional workplace.

Time commitment and hours

This is perhaps an offshoot of the transparency and definition needed for such an arrangement to work smoothly. It will help to operate on a schedule that mimics the workplace schedule. This way, the team that worked together in the office, will still be able to do work together remotely. It will be difficult to do so if either everyone operates on a different schedule or the schedule is either not known or keeps changing.

Onus is on the manager

We all want to belong. When we work from office, we are surrounded by the symbols and brands that refer to our employer. We are also in the physical company of others like us, which builds relationships and bonds, and helps people in backing each other when needed.

In a remote environment, all this goes missing. It is easy to feel alienated. One of the challenges companies have been facing with remote work is that attrition levels have shot up. Managers need to step up and ensure that remote workers continue to feel wanted and a part of the bigger picture. They should take help from others, such as HR, in this exercise, if needed.

Managers and organizations can take help from established companies in the staff augmentation solutions space, such as Ushankk, who have been working with remote staff much before Covid-19 happened.

Though India may not have been a part of the study, the trends resonated across industries all across the country. In part it was judged to be a response of individuals to the threat posed by the virulent second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic that raged across the nation around the end of the first quarter of 2021. The other part seemed to be a realization that there is more to life than earning the highest wage possible and that there were downsides to an existence on the margins of society in the big city while attempting to do so. Behaviour that would have been classified as madness a couple of years back, like leaving a job without having an offer in hand, started being witnessed to the dismay of employers.

With many young IT workers taking the next train or bus to the place they called home, a new phenomenon is being witnessed in hiring; that of scale employers, like the major IT companies, beating a path to their towns and villages in a bid to get them to work, or continue work. And the workers seem to be calling the shots, at least as of now. Many are negotiating ‘work from home’ as a condition.

These developments pose challenges for employers, like how to reach them across the length and breadth of the country. Earlier they could rely on jobseekers from anywhere looking out for their job openings and applying. The shoe is now on the other foot. Having evaluated that ‘work from home’ will work for them in certain cases, they now need to go looking for them. They need to explore avenues of reaching them in their small towns and cities. And even provide a support system so that eventually people who work virtually for them in a location, can access help when they need it. Large IT companies are taking tentative steps to address this gap.

Operating in Bharat, or small-town India, has been a blind spot for many large companies, comfortable in issuing orders from their big-city perches. Historically, leaders in large organizations, which invariably are the large employers, have fought shy of having to operate out of small towns. They are struggling to find answers to the challenge of hiring from the small towns of India, and managing staff who have chosen to stay there while working virtually.

What is the answer?

Hiring specialists like Ushankk, can help. Ushankk has been hiring and supporting large IT players with talented staff from across the country. Ushankk’s network is spread across both big and small towns with the specialists it employs for client projects being stationed anywhere in the country, where clients permit virtual work.

The unspoken vibes and messages we receive from the older generations, and even the spoken ones, may be contributing to this desire. This is why government jobs continue to draw people in droves. Once obtained, a government job is usually guaranteed to last a lifetime. The salary may not permit a lavish life, but at least it provides security.

Lower on security but higher on money comes a job with a private employer, the larger usually considered to be the better, perhaps again for security reasons. Larger employers are likely to have defined processes, reducing the possibility of whim-based decision-making, including sacking. A private job provides the opportunity to earn a lot more, but comes with a risk of being terminated at any time.

In a young nation, struggling to find its feet, this thinking was understandable.

Perhaps expectedly, signs of change are now visible. Increasing economic prospects have made it possible for young workers to look beyond security in their work. Youngsters are learning to identify what their interests are and choose a career accordingly, rather than choosing one for the security it provides. The startup ecosystem is buzzing. The gig economy has thousands of people signing up for outcome-based work almost every other day.

It is no surprise that in a nation known for its strength in software and technology, the role of an IT contractor has come to establish itself as a key position in the scheme of things of most large organizations. It provides skills and knowledge and manpower to them when they need it, without the responsibility of long-term engagement. This trend is supported and driven by renowned providers of staffing solutions such as Ushankk.

But, what about the IT contractors themselves? How does it help them?

They are having a ball.

Firstly, instead of being button-holed into doing what, in normal employed life, their employer would be asking them to do, they will be working on technologies that they have interest in.

How is that?

Because that is what they have stated on their profile as their area of interest. Besides, when an offer comes along that does not fit the bill, they can say no. Manpower consulting companies like Ushankk that they sign up with are conscious of their preferences and try to match their skills and preferences with assignments.

By focusing on their area of interest they will not only do work that is of better quality and earn accolades and stars, they will also enhance their skills in that area through repeated assignments.

There is more. They will be able to build a network of like-minded people and support each other in the quest. Remember, a rising tide lifts all boats.

Better remuneration is often the result as they enhance their skills and competence. If the area is one where the skills are less easily available, even more so.

When they move from one role to another, the transition can be quick, unlike in employment, which usually takes a long time for evaluation and consummation and eventual joining. Thus, they will be able to do more.

There are many other advantages of a contractual role such as opportunities for multi and upskilling. Check out our post on the role of an IT consultant to know more about the benefits.

What does it eventually lead to?

Faster growth. Isn’t that what we all want?

The odds are increasingly getting stacked against people in entry-level or relatively junior roles who are either looking for a swift switch to another company where they will continue to ply the same trade, or for an employer where they will get an exposure to other skills and tools, enabling them to widen their skills and experience.

What is a young worker/ jobseeker to do?

There is a solution for them. That of engaging as a consultant with staffing companies in India such as Ushankk.

A professional staffing services partner, at any time, offers a variety of talent and skills to its clients. Besides, at any point in time, established companies like Ushankk have several clients. The variety of roles that a consultant, who is on the roles of Ushankk, can get, thus gets multiplied manifold.

From a consultant’s perspective, he or she can get an opportunity to work in different capacities in different roles, perhaps helping them decide what is likely to work best in the long run. They can also add skills to their Resume at a much faster pace than would be possible if they were employed by one company where they would, in all probability, be doing the same job for a much longer period of time.

Also, now they are not alone in their search for suitable employment. As long as they are on the rolls of a resource and staff augmentation provider who is a vendor to other corporations, they will be under the safety umbrella of that company. The staff augmentation solutions provider will be on the lookout for suitable assignments for them as well as all their other consultants and contractors. You will have them, with all their resources and experience, batting on your team.

All other benefits of being a consultant, such as working at your own pace, being recognized as an expert in your functional area and networking with like-skilled people from around the world, are on top.

Operating as a consultant is now a well-established and accepted practice in the IT industry. What is less well known is that consultants are in demand in a variety of industries. Check out the list of industries that Ushankk caters to with its manpower consulting and staffing solutions.

But first, what is the contract-to-hire model?

It is a staff augmentation model which could result in the consultant/ contractor being hired by the employer, after a defined period of time working as a consultant. It is usually predicated on certain conditions being achieved during the period served as a consultant and not based on the client’s whims, as is sometimes misunderstood.

It is a form of an arrangement known as staffing. The individual is on the rolls of a staffing partner of the company, who manages all the administrative aspects related to hiring, such as payment of salary, statutory deductions, medical benefits, etc. while functionally he/ she works directly under the guidance of the company. The agency also handles all pre-hire activities such as identifying and shortlisting candidates. Only the final decision needs the concurrence of the company.

In layperson terms, it could be viewed as a pre-marriage live-in relationship.

The duration and terms could vary from contract to contract. Subject to the agreed terms being fulfilled, or to the willingness of both parties, the contract could even be terminated before it has reached its completion date.

Benefits for an employer

A wrong hire can sometimes set the company further back as compared to not having hired at all, say HR consultants. Employment strategies and tools have been constantly evolving. Their objective is simple – to identify suitable candidates who will be an asset for the company. However, despite tests and tools and techniques that have kept evolving, no certain method has been found.

Contract-to-hire comes closest to getting to witness the individual working, from close quarters. This enables the most objective evaluation of the candidate’s technical competence, social skills as well as the fit with the company’s culture.

As the company is not tying itself in for a long-term employment commitment to the individual, the hiring process also sometime works out better as the employer and employee do not need to jump through hoops for a perfect slam-dunk. They will have time over the contract staffing period to evaluate their long-term interest and fit. Hence, an unintended benefit is that the company is able to fill its open positions faster.

Does it suit consultants?

While similar benefits have been available to consultants taking up the contract-to-hire positions, with the balance of power traditionally having been in favour of the recruiting companies, it has been a somewhat theoretical benefit for consultants/ contractors. However, with work from home now commonplace, and contractors beginning to exercise their choices, it seems to have become a reasonably level playing field for both parties.

For contractors who are experts in their filed, the proof of the pudding may be in the eating. By operating initially on a staffing arrangement, they can display their skills and competence to the employer and negotiate more favourable terms when the time to convert the contract-to-hire finally arrives.

Contractors will be well advised to research the history of the company regarding the fate of earlier contract-to-hire engagements. Staffing partners like Ushankk can play a crucial role in the eventual success of the contract as they represent the interest of both parties.

Who exactly is an IT consultant?

An IT consultant is an expert in Information Technology (IT), or, to be more specific, in one or more of the many skills that constitute the IT domain, and provides on-demand skills to people who need them, usually businesses. In essence, the IT consultant operates like a business entity, and enters into specific contracts, usually for a specific assignment and for a specific period of time, with other businesses. IT consultants are also known as IT contractors.

It should work for you if:

• You would like to be your own boss, choosing your work carefully and rejecting what you don’t have interest in
• You have interest in pursuing interests and passions that are currently non-remunerative and need to generate income to support yourself
• You are recognized as an expert in a specific IT-related field or skill that is both in demand and with a limited supply of talent
• You make the effort to keep yourself updated on your chosen field of expertise and work
• You have the discipline, belief and motivation to actively engage in meaningful work without constant supervision
• You have a reasonable cushion to fall back on during tough times as there is no guarantee of continuing work
• You are not dependent on benefits of a job such as retiral contributions and paid leave
• You can handle a little bit contracting and negotiation related work as it may be needed at the start of every new assignment may

What are some of the benefits that IT consultants could look forward to?

• Personal growth through a wide variety of projects with multiple organizations. Remember, you are no longer limited to one company and the type of work it chooses to give you. You can choose your work.
• Remuneration can be attractive, particularly if you are a practitioner of a rare skill that happens to be in demand.
• Growth in functional expertise as you get to experience a variety of situations and a variety of requirements.

Does it work for clients?

An arrangement only works if there is something in it for both sides. Clients today are increasingly looking for IT staff augmentation arrangements through which they engage more IT contractors instead of increasing their headcount. They have flexibility and get the services of a partner who adds to their capacity and skills, while giving them the freedom of not having to worry about finding work once the current assignment ends. With the presence of an IT staff augmentation partner such as Ushankk, they also don’t have to worry about the administrative requirements that have to be complied with.

It looks like a win-win arrangement for a client as well as an IT consultant.

However, in a competitive market, nothing comes easy. Digital technologies are evolving at a rapid pace. What is current today is dated tomorrow. The technologies a company sets out to incorporate could be a thing of the past by the time it is implemented.

Should a company set out to master emerging technologies inhouse? After all, they have a core business to manage, which exists in the same competitive world. Besides, there is often a limit to the skills each IT resource can master. In such an environment, professional staffing in the form of engaging IT consultants and IT contractors creates a viable option for many.

Who is an IT consultant or IT contractor?

IT consultants and IT contractors are skilled professionals whose technical skills can be harnessed by a company on a contractual basis as a human resource consulting solution through a staffing firm. Usually available on a time-based fee, they often plug gaps in technology and skills for a company.

The individual providing the service could be operating as an independent contactor or could be the employee of a company that is in the business of IT consulting. What this means is that a company that is in need of IT consultants in certain areas, rather than hiring contractors individually, may choose to engage with the IT consulting company who, in turn, has people with multiple types of skills required by the client. Through this staff augmentation, the client need not enter into multiple individual contracts.

There are myriad skills through which an IT consultant can add value, with SCRUM, Cyber Security, SQL Server Development, Cloud Migration, Business Analysts, Data Science and Azure being just a few indicative ones. A staffing firm can help you tap into this world of professional staffing.

Why an IT contractor or IT consultant makes sense

The usual benefit about not having to manage the ‘human resources’ aspect of the worker, with salary payment, tracking of hours, statutory deductions, that a company offering human resource solutions is better placed to handle, has long been put forward, and all of that is true.

From the business and technology standpoint, there are a few additional advantages of engaging IT contractors:

• The consultant has a wider perspective, having plied his trade in other companies and encountered and solved other problems and challenges. Internal resources will only have experience of solving their own internal problems, which could be limited. 
• The consultant may also be able to tap into other resources with whom he may have built a relationship through his trade, to bounce ideas around with and identify a more robust solution.
• An independent IT consultant can often present the true picture to a company that an internal resource may be reluctant to. For example, an internal IT resource, having grown with a certain technology, may find it difficult to recommend its burial.
• The goal of cost optimization, always a noble goal for a business, is also well served by using this strategy. Since the IT infrastructure of a company does not change every other day, the need for different skills currently not in the skillset of employees, may only be for a short period of time.
• IT consultants, with their skills as the calling card, have been found to be responsible professionals eager to do a good job, as that is the only way they will get their next assignment and the next. They can also push the internal resources to up their game.

Conclusion

IT is not just IT; it is everything. It is the bloodstream that courses through all functions of an organization.

IT contractors and IT consultants bring in much needed expertise, capacity and perspective that internal resources may lack. Engaging one, or more, through a provider of human capital consulting, should be a part of your IT strategy to meet ambitious goals.