Data analytics is becoming an increasingly sought-after skill. We spoke about what a Data Analyst does in a previous article, Data Science vs. Data Analytics. While most people focus on the technologies they need to learn or hard skills to possess to excel at Data Analytics, less attention is paid to the character traits and soft skills necessary for a Data Analyst. A skill is said to be an ability or capacity to do things well. If you’re able to master certain actions to get a desirable result, then you are skilled. Skills, however, go beyond physical actions or things we can get done with our hands; soft skills are essential in different spheres of life, even in tech. While a hard skill is acquired through training, education, and hours of practice and is usually profession/industry-specific, soft skills, on the other hand, are skills that even though are developed over a long period, they can cut across professions. They are often identified as behaviours and interpersonal skills which incorrectly, are mostly thought to be personality traits. In this article, we’ll discuss soft skills that will be needed for success in a Data Analyst (DA) role.

Critical Thinking As a DA, you’ll be required to get to correctly identify the problems that need to be solved because it’s possible to be focused on fixing the symptom while forgetting about the cause of the problem. The onus of identifying the root causes of problems falls on the DA.

Storytelling It isn’t enough to be able to create good visualizations, it’s equally, if not more important to be able to have clear and easily understood illustrations/diagrams that immediately pass along your message. It is a great way to ensure that everyone on the team is on the same page and reduces the risk of miscommunication.

Communication Colourful graphs and beautiful visuals won't mean a thing if the intended audience doesn't know what they mean. A good DA can use both written and oral techniques to pass along the result of his analytics to both internal and external customers.

Problem-solving Every profession typically has problems to solve and fires to be put out. Due to the critical nature of your job as a DA, seeing that it influences decision making, your role as an integral team member will require you to scrutinize problems, analyze them and reach valid conclusions from available data.

Research & Curiosity Data analytics is a fast-moving field and you must be abreast of the latest and best techniques in the field. You need to be engaged enough to want to explore available data to the best of your ability and find ways to do that by doing research. You must actively search for information using different techniques. It is a great approach to solving unusual problems and remaining relevant in your field.

Time Management & Teamwork As a Data Analyst, you will be required to work in a team of people who are dependent on you to carry out their job functions based on the skills that you hone. As a good DA, being able to work while carrying your team along will make you an invaluable member of the team and also make sure your team consistently beats the deadlines and achieve its objectives.

In conclusion, A Data Analyst's job isn't just to work with numbers, a good DA should be well rounded to be considered invaluable in their respective teams.