10 Non-Technical Skills That You Have That Can Help Land Your First Cloud Role

The cloud industry has grown at a remarkable pace in the past few years, and there is no sign of this trend slowing down.

All of the major Cloud providers are constantly hiring, as the demand for their services is outpacing their ability to hire. 

Cloud professionals are desperately needed also. There simply aren’t enough cloud professionals to fill all the jobs that are currently out there! So what does this mean for you?

This means that whilst you may not have direct cloud experience, (or even IT experience in general) you may well have a particular set of skills that are highly sought after, and which you will be paid handsomely for possessing. 

Here at Level Up In Tech, we train exactly these types of individuals to take what they know and combine it with a strong technical understanding. The result has been astounding, with our students landing Cloud roles with ZERO experience - based on not just their hard cloud skills, but the soft skills they have brought with them from another job. In today’s article we are going to talk about our top ten non-technical skills you need to land your first cloud role! 

Let’s crack on.

1. Communication 

In order to get anything done in your professional life, you need to be able to communicate! This means two things: speaking your mind clearly so that people know what you mean, and listening effectively so you know what other people want. This is pivotal to success in any role, as those who communicate effectively integrate into whichever team they are placed in, and end up providing more value than they would if they were on their own. 

Communication is a two-way street - and if you want to make sure you are a team player, you need to provide effective two-way communication. This is something you can start today to better your interview prospects, and land your first cloud role.

2. Attention to Detail

This is a fairly obvious one – and if you are hands-on in the cloud, you clearly need to be attentive when you are provisioning resources. This isn’t the only time when a keen eye for detail will serve you well; however, when customers have issues that you need to help them with, only having an eye for the most important details will ensure you are helping them effectively, and providing value. Whilst there are many different roles within the cloud computing industry, there is no shortage of opportunities to use your attentiveness to help your customers.

3. Breaking Down Complex Ideas

When you are a cloud professional, you may find yourself engaging with the C-Level executives within either your own or your customer’s company. These corporate executives may be able to communicate in a technical way, but they also may not.

Your job as an effective technologist is not just to understand the tech, or even merely explain it. It explains it in a way that people understand.

This is a rare skill to have, and if it is seen during an interview, it can be all the difference to the organization that is hiring. Every smart person can explain difficult concepts, but if they can explain them in an easy-to-understand way, they are genius. 

4. Problem-Solving & Prioritization

During various parts of your career, and even at various times in the day you will be problem-solving different kinds of issues both for yourself, and your customer. If you are a solutions architect, you will be figuring out how different cloud solutions fit together. If you are a DevOps Engineer, you might have to solve issues with your CI/CD pipeline configuration. In the end, this is all the same, and it builds a muscle that will make you more resilient to difficulties, and make you a more well-rounded person.

5. Adaptability 

No two days are the same in the world of cloud computing! Things change very quickly, and the only thing that is constant is change itself. If you can take your experiences from the past, and build on top of that by exposing yourself to different opportunities to build your skillset. 

If you have been adaptable in the past, you can use this skill when building your cloud career to make the best of it - the most adaptable people in the cloud are the most successful. 

6. Willingness to Learn

The cloud is all relatively new, and when you look at sub-areas within the cloud (DevOps, DevSecOps, etc) are only a few years old. If you have your eyes set on a career in the cloud you are going to have to learn - there is no way around it. 

If you stick with it, the learning doesn’t stop either! You have to continually be upskilling yourself to put yourself at the head of the pack. So if you love learning, choose the cloud!

7. Get Used of Being Uncomfortable

At the start of your cloud career - you are going to be uncomfortable. This is often called ‘Imposter Syndrome’ and is a very normal reaction to having recently changed your career. If you don’t mind. feeling this way, you will get paid back tenfold going forward. The uncomfortable part is the learning, once you have a good level of understanding you will be primed to succeed in the cloud. 

8. Hard Work & Dedication

Everyone works 9-5, and that is hard enough. If you are working a full-time job, alongside trying to up-skill yourself to change your career you are going to have to work extra hard. This will mean early mornings, late nights, and studying during your lunch break to get where you need to go. This is all before you have even landed your first role! If you are a hard worker you will thrive, as it takes an exceptional amount of work to succeed.

9. Asking The Right Questions

When you are interviewing, or networking, the value you receive from these experiences is directly related to the quality of the questions you ask. When you get an opportunity to ask questions, you have to cut to the chase and make sure you get to the heart of the matter. Why not reach out to people who have done what you are trying to do, and ask them a question. You will find that most people are approachable and kind when helping people get into the cloud. 

10. Learning From Your Mistakes

Finally, when taking on this journey - you will be wrong - A LOT! Part of the learning process is realizing that having an ego will only be a hindrance, and you have to put that to one side and solely focus on the learning. When you are wrong, admit it. When you fail in an interview, take stock and see where you can improve. Only then will you truly succeed. 

If you want to succeed in starting a new career in the cloud, you want to make sure you are following and implementing these simple skills. When you are writing your CV, you need to show these skills - recruiters are looking for them!