Thanks to a growing trend of Developer Relations teams within companies hiring and building out their teams, there's no doubt the industry is evolving. If you are thinking about pursuing a career in DevRel, you might be wondering if you have got the necessary skills for it.
While the Developer Relations field often requires a profound technical background, employers stress interpersonal "soft" skills more than any other quality.
So here are five important skills you can and should improve as an aspiring DevRel professional.
Sharing Your Knowledge
This is one of the main qualities you must have to be a successful developer advocate. You need to be able to share your expertise with others and make them understand how they can use it in their projects. If you are not passionate about sharing your knowledge, you will soon get tired of doing it and probably quit. So make sure you enjoy sharing your expertise with others before starting a career in developer relations. The best way to master this skill is to create educational materials and share them with the community. The more content you create, the better you will get at explaining complex things in an easy-to-understand way.
Ability to Communicate Effectively
There are very few jobs available that don’t have communication listed as a requirement. If you don’t communicate well, it will be hard for you to convey your knowledge effectively to other people. You need to be able to explain things clearly so that everyone can understand what you are saying easily without any confusion or lack of understanding on their part. Communication skills become especially important in Developer Relations, since the subject matters are often complex and technical.
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It is a critical skill for Developer Relations professionals, who must be able to see the world from the perspective of the developers they support.
Empathy is important in Developer Relations for several reasons. First, it allows you to build trust and rapport with developers. If you can understand and relate to their experiences, they are more likely to trust and confide in you. Second, empathy helps to create better documentation, tutorials, and other resources. When you can see things from the developers’ perspective, you can anticipate their needs and create materials that are more likely to be helpful and used.
Lifelong Learning
Lifelong learning is important in the DevRel field because it helps you to stay at the top of your game. You need to be able to quickly learn new technologies and concepts so that you can effectively advocate for them. Additionally, as you learn more about the industry, you can share that knowledge with others and help them grow as developers.
Curiosity
Curiosity will allow you to better understand the products you are promoting and the people you are supporting. With a deep understanding of the products and the people, you as a DevRel professional can become more effective in promoting and supporting them.
Also, curiosity helps you to become a better problem-solver. Asking why things are the way they are and how they can be improved, allows you to quickly identify potential issues and offer solutions that others might not think of.
Now that you've read about these essential skills, do you agree with them? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter or TikTok and don't forget to sign up for the Developer Relations Job Alerts to get the latest opportunities to your inbox!