How Do Software Developers Describe Their Goals or Challenges in Business English and Communication Skills?

According to the Stack Overflow Developer Hiring Landscape 2016 Global Report, which surveyed 56,000 developers from 173 countries, most pronounced career challenges involve managing unrealistic expectations from clients and internal stakeholders. In other words, dealing with people is one of the top challenges of a software developer who desires to have a powerful international career.

You have to learn to deal with communication challenges coming in many forms such as:

• The requirements are either not clearly defined or communicated properly or even not defined at all. Moreover, usually and unfortunately the responsible person who defines the requirements is someone who doesn’t understand software. You should have very sharp need analysis skills; asking most appropriate questions, encoding the replies etc.
• In the beginning, the requirements are clearly defined but then changed in the middle of development. You’d better be good enough to make them understand the consequences, what is the best solution in that particular stage.
• You’re being forced by management to work on more projects than you have time for or you’re being forced by management to use a certain set of tools even if you know they’re not the right ones for the job. You must be very competent in negotiating so that you convince them to do what is possible.

These are the main hardships while you’re performing your core job. However, you have more communication needs that you face earlier. For example, if you are a freelancer you have to find clients, impress them and convince them that you’re the correct choice to entrust the precious codes they need. It requires networking in related communities.

You will build a connection, you will understand correctly the other parties whether they are clients or internal stakeholders, you will explain your work and ideas, successfully negotiate, sign contracts, give and receive feedback on the road. In short, your coding skills are not the only asset you have to have: you should be competent in your business communications so that you can build your career as a global developer.

Then comes the next challenge: for an introvert genius being good at all those is not a piece of cake even his/her native language. Thus, shining in all these areas while speaking English is of course far more demanding. You need to have a very specific language repertoire.