DevOps is quickly becoming a go-to strategy for organizations across industries. And why not? With its focus on collaboration and automation, this engineering culture and practice ultimately enables companies to better serve its customers and be more competitive in the market.

Due to its success, there has been a wave of hiring for DevOps roles. In fact, a 2017 report from Dice and The Linux Foundation found that DevOps was one of the most in-demand skills among more than half of the hiring managers surveyed.

“As this trend continues to transform organizations, the demand for professionals to first lead DevOps implementations, and later manage these operations and practices, will only continue to grow,” says Bryan Luther, a Senior Technical Recruiter within The Execu|Search Group’s Information Technology division. “Since every company has their own interpretation of DevOps, there isn’t one specific background in demand. Instead, these needs seem to vary based on different combinations or certain tools/technologies.”

To help unify processes and departments, many employers are turning to candidates who possess a well-blended mix of technical and soft skills. Learn more about what DevOps skills are in demand below:

Technical Skills

• Cloud-based Technology: With most companies moving to the cloud, experience with cloud-based technology—such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud—is necessary for these types of roles.
• Version Control System Software: Since this allows companies to manage changes to source code over time, this is important experience to highlight when applying for DevOps jobs. CI/CD is one specific skill that employers look for.
• App Development: To ensure continuous integration and delivery, DevOps plays an important role in app development. As a result, app developers typically have a good foundation of the DevOps skills needed to make the transition to this field.
• Infrastructure: DevOps is all about blending development and operational needs to make business more agile, so someone with strong knowledge of operating systems would also be a good fit for these roles.

Soft Skills

• Flexibility: Professionals who work in DevOps are often required to wear many hats. Since this work can be fast-paced and ever-changing, a proven ability to juggle multiple responsibilities at once and be self-sufficient can make you a more attractive candidate.
• Team Collaboration + Communication: A successful implementation or deployment, from start to finish, requires collaboration across departments. As a result, strong communication skills and being an effective team player are key to success in this position.
• Desire To Learn: If you work in DevOps, you must take the time to fully understand your employer’s unique processes as well as stay up-to-date with evolving technology. In this sense, showing a desire to learn might prove to be just as—if not more—important as your technical DevOps skills.