To succeed in IT, employers value both technical skills and soft skills. Technically, the skills required vary by role but include things like programming languages, networking, operating systems, and security awareness. Soft skills like communication, teamwork, planning, and adaptability are also highly valued. Employers seek people who are self-motivated, take initiative, and have a positive attitude like integrity, dependability, and problem-solving abilities. Maintaining technical skills through continuous learning is important, as is having both technical knowledge and the ability to communicate clearly with different audiences.

1. To do well in a job in the IT industry you need to have good personal attributes that are valued
by employers as well as good communication skills. To understand the personal attributes
valued by employers you should have a good knowledge off specific and general attributes as
well as the professional attributes needed to work in a professional manner.
Some of the specific attributes needed are job-related such as having a good technical
knowledge of the IT skills needed and a good awareness of working procedures such as health
and safety and security. Job related attributes vary greatly across the IT Industry but one of the
key attributes is to have a good technical knowledge of the hardware and software that is used
within your organization. For example working as a programmer you need to have a good
knowledge of the software development lifecycle and a range of programming languages that
are used within the organization. A Technician needs to have a good technical understanding of
networks and the range of operating systems and software applications that other staff is using
so that they can support them. Having the correct technical knowledge and qualifications is
very important for many roles in IT. You as a worker need to constantly upgrade your skills to
know and understand the latest technologies. Another key attribute is having a good awareness
of good working procedures such as health and safety and security. All IT staff must be trained
to ensure they are aware of health and safety requirements of sitting at a computer. They
should know that they need to adjust their monitor settings and ensure that their keyboard and
mouse it set correctly. Being aware of the surrounding and loose cables and spillages is
essential and having the confidence to report issues as you see them is a good attribute to
have. Security is another concern in the IT industry. Staff that understand how to use smart
passwords when logging on to a company network and having the knowledge not to give their
password to anyone else inside or outside the company are a valuable asset and companies
seek staff with a security conscious attitude like this. Being professional and having an
awareness of using the internet and email correctly within the company to limit and viruses
entering into the company network is a good attribute to have in terms of security.
We have mentioned some specific attributes that are job related and relevant to understanding
good working procedures but companies also look to hire staff with good general attributes
such as: planning skills, organisational skills, time management, team working, verbal skills,
written communication skills, numeracy and creativity. Being able to plan as an individual and
work within a team is essential. Have the organizational skills and time management skills to

2. effectively plan your work and meet deadlines is a skill that is highly valued by employers. For
example when working as a technician being organized and informing all staff of software
updates that are needed can speed things up. If you are well organized and send a patch to all
staff in the company and schedule a time to check that the update has work this can save lots
of time rather than doing the update yourself. This shows that you are also a good team
worker. To successfully communicate within a team you need good written and verbal
communication skills. If you send an email to other staff with instructions on how to use a new
piece of software that your company has purchased the written instructions need to be clear.
Written communication needs to be precise and to the point and should be understandable by
everyone that receives this. If you were sending instructions to technical and non technical staff
then you need to consider this before communicating the information. Being a successful verbal
communicator is also an important attribute. If you were managing a team of people as an IT
Project Manager then you need to be able to talk to people of all levels. You might have a
technical group of people working on one part of the project and the marketing team working
on the other. You need to be able to adapt your language to talk to both groups and
communicate successfully. Another key attribute is having good numeric skills. Lots of technical
roles require you to make calculations. A programmer needs to have a good mathematical
brain as they will need to use logical reasoning when writing code. A web designer would also
need to make calculations on how to divide up a web page and how many pixels are needed for
each section. A games programmer would need to calculate scores during gameplay and
reward the player with bonuses based on their current score. Many IT jobs also require you to
be creative and creativity is a key skill that employers seek out. Having fresh and new ideas that
you use to try and improve products and services is something that many employers will look
for.
In addition to having many attributes in the work place, employers also want people with the
right attitude! People who are determined to succeed and will do whatever it takes such as
learning a new programming language to get the job done. The ability to be independent and
work on your own is shows that you have a good attitude. For example a Junior Graphics
Designer that does not need to constantly go to senior colleagues and ask for help will be more
valued than someone who cannot work on their own initiative. Having integrity and being
dependable is a key skill. Staff who show integrity and honesty are valued for example someone
that never misses a day at work unless they are really ill or someone that does not abuse the
company internet policy by spending hours on Facebook. This shows that they are dependable
and can be trusted to do a good job. If someone is dependable they will do what it takes to
meet deadlines when needed. Having good problem solving skills and being able to resolve
conflict and work things out with other members of staff is important. Being a leader and being

3. able to take on responsibility is also a valuable skill. For example a tester who says that they will
take responsibility in organizing all test plans for the user interface of a new product will take
some of the responsibility off a project manager. Having skills like this gives you a good chance
of gaining promotion over time. Being confident and not having to have everything you do
checked is an excellent attitude to have this shows that you are self-motivated and wish to do
well at your job!
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