Resolving the Skills Paradox: A Content Analysis of a Jobs Database

Today, the demand for IS professionals is greater than the supply, and filling the IT pipeline with individuals with the right skills and knowledge is more important than ever. Gaining a better understanding of the technical skills and "soft skills" needed in IS jobs will enable industry professionals to focus their recruiting and development practices on these high-priority competencies. In addition academic professionals can better prepare graduates with the right skills and knowledge. The overall objective of this study of IS job descriptions was to determine the job skills in existing IS jobs. This is the first study which is based upon an analysis of actual job descriptions within a large IS operation. The study addressed three research questions, including the skills identified in the job descriptions, the skills weighted by the number of IS professionals in each job, and the skills relevant to job clusters consisting of comparable tasks. Our findings explain the paradox of survey studies showing a predominant need for interpersonal and communications skills while the job advertisements emphasize technical skills. Our analysis indicates that IS job skill and knowledge components include a cross-section of technical skills and "soft skills," and that both skill sets are important criteria in hiring, training, and career development.