Active Listening and Empathy with the Client: The Transition from University to Work — Stacy Chacón
At university, students prepare to face the working world with various technical and theoretical skills. However, one of the most important abilities not always emphasized in academic training is the capacity for active listening and developing empathy with the client. This competency makes a big difference between success and failure in the workplace, especially in product development.
At university, students often work on projects that, while challenging, do not always reflect real-world situations. Academic projects tend to be clearly defined, with fixed goals and set requirements from the start. In this environment, the “voice of the customer” is often absent or imagined. Students learn to solve problems, but most of the time, they do not face the ambiguity and uncertainty that come with interactions with real clients.
In the workplace, the situation is entirely different. Here, customers or end users play a key role. Their needs, desires, and sometimes concerns are not perfectly defined or easy to understand. They may not know exactly what they want or need, and it is the responsibility of the development team to help them clarify and refine those requirements.
This is where three crucial skills come into play, developed beyond what is taught in textbooks: active listening, empathy, and the ability to offer suggestions.
Active listening involves paying attention to what the client says and what they don’t say, picking up on nuances and emotions. Empathy allows you to understand how the client feels and why their problem is important to them, helping to connect on an emotional level. Finally, offering suggestions requires balancing technical knowledge with the client’s needs, providing solutions that not only solve the immediate problem but also add long-term value.
At university, projects often focus on technical solutions without exploring the human implications. But in the workplace, developers face real users who experience frustrations or have specific expectations about how a solution should improve their lives or make their work easier.
A clear example of this is software development. At university, students may create applications with a simple and functional interface, that meets technical requirements. However, in the real world, clients are not only looking for functionality but also for a pleasant, intuitive, and efficient user experience. Developers must have empathy to understand how the end user will interact with the product and what frustrations might arise.
When a developer can put themselves in the client’s shoes and listen not only to what is said but also to what is truly needed, doors open for creating innovative and effective products. This ability not only improves the relationship between client and developer but also drives project success, as something is being created that truly solves the client’s problems.
University provides a solid technical foundation, but success in the working world requires additional skills, such as active listening and empathy with the client. These competencies allow developers to connect with the real needs of users, offering solutions that go beyond functionality and create a significant impact. Understanding and practicing these skills is key to a successful transition from the academic to the professional environment.