Computer wizards need people skills too

DALLAS — One computer whiz could rattle off the answer to nearly any technical question, but clients never wanted to work with him, said Eriq Neale, who spent 16 years in business technology departments before starting Eon Consulting.

The employee didn't realize he came across as arrogant and off-putting, said Neale, who believes technical workers often fall into one of two categories.

Some people are wizards with undeveloped social skills, and others manage to marry technical acumen with the ability to communicate.

Not all people can fit every job, and it's important to understand the realities of an individual's skills and put them in the appropriate role, said Neale, who started his one-person consulting firm two years ago.

In fact, many industries cherish someone capable of combining technical skills with the ability to explain complex issues because confusion between a technical expert and a client or in-house user can quickly dump a project into a quagmire. With challenges, though, come opportunities.

"If I have two engineers competing for the same job, the one with good communications skills will win out because they can do so much more," said Kelly Guy, director of recruiting services for HumCap in Dallas.

As demand for people with technical skills rises, many companies simply need highly trained workers who can develop computer code in jobs with limited interaction with others.

But for workers who wish to combine their expertise with the ability to understand the needs of a customer, opportunities exist to move into marketing and product-development roles, Guy said.

For example, a senior engineer who earns a master's degree in business administration can realize an 8 or 10 percent salary bump, Guy said.

Often people enter a technical field to work on cool products, but they don't always understand that the path to innovative work extends beyond the computer, said Rob Butler, director of software development for Fidelity Investments.

"The thing they need to realize is that the people who get to do the really cool technical things are in the higher design functions," he said. "You can't get to be a senior technologist without those social-interaction skills. You have to have someone who can interact and influence others."

Although it seems obvious, the initial job interview is critical. Candidates must be able to express themselves without overt effort from the potential employer, Butler said.

"I shouldn't have to draw it out of you," he said.

Of the job candidates eliminated from contention at Fidelity, many are cut because of an inability to communicate, Butler said.

Companies with large technical staffs such as Fidelity's aren't the only ones that consider communication critical.

At Dallas Semiconductor, Adam Warner's eight-person team oversees the software that tracks and controls the flow of material through the company's Farmers Branch, Texas, production plant.

"I think communication skills are as important as technical skills, at least in my shop," Warner said. "You must be able to get to the point where the boss can give loosely defined requirements and then you just run with the project."

Finding someone with that ability is rare and welcomed. Bigger technical shops might take on a different mix, with the size allowing some people to adopt purely technical roles, Warner said.

In shops where someone can specialize, the weight given communication skills varies. An employee with the right mix is often someone who combines an inherent knack with a willingness to grow.