Networking Basics: What You Need To Know?

 Technical skills alone are not enough for a successful network engineer career.

"Soft skills" are playing an increasingly important role in differentiating the hiring and promotion of technical specialists. According to a survey by Millennial Branding in mid-2012, soft skills topped the employer's list of key elements. 98% said communication skills are essential and 92% are teamwork.

However, most engineering degrees and manufacturer certifications focus on theoretical knowledge and technical skills and may not necessarily be the full work skills your employer needs. Therefore, it is important to understand what constitutes a complete professional skill profile for the positions in which engineers are interested.

A lack of soft skills can also reduce productivity. As a result, more and more employers on the technical team are paying attention to the quality of these skills. The important soft skills in the technical area are:

Effective communication (written and oral)

Interactions between interested parties, whether within an organization or outside a partner or customer, can be misleading. Effective communication therefore also includes listening, which in itself is an essential soft skill. Solving problems is much more difficult and time-consuming without actively listening to clients, clients or project partners. An engineer can only fully fulfill his role if he is an effective speaker, writer, and listener. This includes both formally prepared presentations and informal presentations of ideas and facts at the conference.

Creativity

Creativity is the driving force behind innovation and is therefore increasingly recognized as an important skill in uncertain and difficult economic times. Innovation depends on groundbreaking thinking, agility and empowerment. Companies rely on great ideas and creative people to innovate future products and services while maintaining market relevance in an ever-changing environment. The core function of engineers is to design products, processes and networks that improve utilization and service quality and provide the best business solutions in the most cost-effective way possible. This requires creative thinking skills.

Adaptability

Experts demonstrate adaptability by showing that they can think for themselves, evaluate problems and find solutions. Developing a high quality solution within a given amount of time is a valuable skill. At the same time, today's technology environment is changing rapidly and organizations often need to implement changes in-house to keep up. Adaptability here also means willingness to change. “When your plans change, do you complain first? Do you get sick if something goes wrong?” AOL Jobs recently asked. "If it's you, think about how you can get a little less rigid. That will make you a more marketable job seeker."

Teamwork and collaboration

A 2007 study by Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Business used approximately 20 million papers and 2.1 million patents in 50 years to produce knowledge for far more teams than a single inventor. Indicates that it can be found as the author of. Whether it's collaboration, collaborative work, or teamwork, the ability of engineers to work with other people from different backgrounds is vital. For example, network technicians rarely work alone on a project. Typically, a team of engineers from different disciplines working in a specific area, project managers and executives work together to achieve a goal and share responsibility as a team.

Guide

Leadership is the merging and integration of different skills. Leaders should interact well with them and persuade them to obey them. This makes leadership an important soft skill for STEM professionals who want to make a difference. According to the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), "leadership in a technical context encompasses many characteristics that are important for functioning at a professional level." "These skills include the ability to assess risk and take the lead, the willingness to make decisions in the face of uncertainty, the sense of urgency, the willingness to deliver on time in the face of constraints and obstacles, and the agility. Includes flexibility, Trust and loyalty in team attitudes and in the ability to interact with others.