AugurySoft Skills and Tech Fluency Top Hiring Managers’ 2026 Wish List
This article was written by the Augury Times
Hiring managers say people skills and software chops matter most for 2026 — and that will shape jobs
A new survey from ResumeTemplates.com makes one clear point: hiring managers are putting communication and teamwork at the top of their lists, but they also expect candidates to know practical software tools. For people looking for work, that means soft skills still win the first impression. For companies, it means training and screening will lean toward real-world tests instead of jargon-filled résumés.
Headlines from the numbers: which skills rose to the top
- Communication and collaboration ranked highest among soft skills, with a strong majority of respondents saying these mattered most in recent hires.
- On the hard-skills side, familiarity with common office and productivity tools — think spreadsheets, presentation software and basic data-handling — topped the list ahead of specialized technical skills.
- Several industry splits appeared: smaller firms placed slightly more weight on broad, adaptable skills like problem solving, while larger companies favored platform-specific experience.
- Employers said practical tests and work samples were becoming more common in screening, replacing some of the earlier emphasis on credentials or long experience lists.
- The survey showed a clear preference for demonstrable outcomes over long lists of technologies: hiring managers wanted proof someone could use a tool to solve a real problem, not just name it on a résumé.
Why managers are leaning on communication and tech fluency now
Hiring leaders interviewed or surveyed by ResumeTemplates.com framed this shift as practical, not ideological. Teams are leaner after recent rounds of restructuring across many sectors, so new hires are expected to come ready to work with others and to pick up the software tools their teams use.
One recurring theme: companies can train technical specifics more easily than they can teach clear communication or the ability to move a project forward with other people. That is why adaptable, visible soft skills—writing clearly, running meetings, explaining ideas—carry extra weight in interviews and in on-the-job tests.
At the same time, managers said they want candidates who can show real experience with the tools they use daily. That often means being able to build a spreadsheet that answers a business question, or turning raw data into a short presentation that a non-technical manager can act on.
How jobseekers should present themselves for 2026 openings
Jobseekers benefit from thinking in outcomes. On résumés and in interviews, emphasize clear examples of collaboration and of solving real problems with common tools. Instead of listing many software names, describe a project: what you needed to find out, how you used a tool to get the answer, and what changed because of your work.
Keep language simple. Say you led a cross-team update, improved a workflow, or created a report that saved time — these short outcome lines show both communication and tech fluency. When possible, use short, concrete metrics: how much time a process was cut or how a report influenced a decision. Those details create the impression of practical competence without relying on technical jargon.
What this means for HR and hiring teams
Recruiters should think about swapping long checklists for small work samples or short take-home tasks. Those exercises reveal both how a candidate communicates and how quickly they can use everyday software to produce an answer.
Training budgets may shift too. Organizations can get more value by investing in communication coaching and shared tool-training sessions than by buying access to advanced, niche certifications for every new hire. For larger firms, refining job descriptions to highlight the outcomes expected in the first 90 days will attract candidates who can show relevant, practical experience.
Survey limits and what the numbers don’t tell us
The report comes from a single survey sample produced by ResumeTemplates.com. Timing, the mix of industries represented, and how questions were worded can all affect responses. The results are a useful snapshot of manager preferences, but they don’t prove how every sector or every country is hiring. Readers should treat the findings as a guide to broad trends rather than a universal rule.
Still, the message is straightforward: employers in this sample want people who can explain their work and who can use everyday tools to get things done. That combination will shape hiring and training choices through 2026.
Photo: Edmond Dantès / Pexels
Sources