Rent the Runway’s Niamh Rooney and Stephanus Meiring discuss the skills needed to work in the ever-evolving tech sector.
The global technology space is heating up, with a number of organisations announcing key strategies and expansions this year to keep in line with the growing demand for skilled professionals and improved innovation.
More and more companies are searching for key talent that will enable them to embrace transformation and improve diversity, without causing too much disruption to everyday working life.
“Our industry is quite dynamic,” said Niamh Rooney, a HR business partner at e-commerce platform Rent the Runway.
“So we tend to value individuals that are naturally curious. If you can show on your CV or application a time where you learned a new skill or adapted to a changing environment, or took on some feedback and developed yourself or changed the way you approach something, it shows us that you’re agile and that you’re ready to evolve,” she told SiliconRepublic.com
That is often true of technology roles. Professionals in this space are competing with one another for jobs that enable them to innovate, create and contribute to a rapidly advancing sector, meaning it is important to take into account opportunities for upskilling and growth.
Which is where programmes designed for early-career starters and new hires can have a positive impact on careers currently considered to be in their infancy.
“We have a host of initiatives and programmes that would be very useful to new hires,” said Rooney. “In particular, I’d like to point out that we have Rent the Runway EDU, or RTR EDU as we call it. It’s our internal learning and development programme that helps employees learn new skills and also develop a deeper understanding for the wider business.”
She added: “We also have employee resource groups or ERGs. These are communities that welcome and amplify diverse voices from all backgrounds ensuring that everyone that comes to Rent the Runway feels welcome and has a feeling of belonging while they’re here.”
The future of work
Throughout 2025, a number of skills were shown to be crucial to the evolving technology space. Research shows that capabilities in areas such as cybersecurity, AI, DevOps, data analytics and programming, among others, have the potential to somewhat future-proof a career.
With that in mind, Stephanus Meiring, managing director at Rent the Runway’s Galway facility, explained that the industry – and indeed Rent the Runway itself – needs professionals that have the ability to work well across teams. More specifically, it needs people with the skills to operate production systems that are live and actively supporting real consumers.
“That’s a unique skill,” said Meiring. “You need to learn how to engineer and design systems and write code that is resilient and reliable because it’s actually being used by customers.”
But, it isn’t all technical. As research shows, soft skills were, throughout 2025, a deeply desired ability for individuals and their organisations. Abilities such as strong communication skills, the ability to negotiate, delegate, cross-collaborate and lead were just some of the skills companies and professionals in 2025 expressed an interest in further developing.
Which is why Meiring advises anyone at the beginning or even in the middle of their career to stay curious and make a commitment to continuous, lifelong learning. “Technology moves so fast, you cannot afford to be stagnant,” he said.
Rooney encouraged new hires to always be their “authentic self” and to come in every day invigorated and excited about the work that they do. She said: “Show up and be ready to disrupt, to debate and fully commit to your role.”
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