If you want to pursue a career in the IT field, whether you are a seasoned professional or a fresh graduate, you need specific skills and personal qualities to help you succeed in your chosen field.
Not only do you need to have the technical skills to perform well in an information technology position, but you also need to have the soft skills that enable you to work well with others.
Here are some IT skills you need to start or advance your career as an IT professional.
What are IT skills?
The IT field is growing field. Since its inception, technology has always been changing and improving. As a result, IT jobs have also changed according to the market need.
What employers want from an IT worker today may differ from what they wanted yesterday. Information technology skills are the skills that make you stand out as an IT worker.
IT professionals must have hard skills, such as specific technology knowledge, such as cloud security and coding skills, and soft skills, such as communication and organization.
IT skills you need to be good at
Cloud computing:
Many companies use the cloud to store their data and work online. You can help them do that with your IT skills. You can also earn a certification from Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Academy, or Microsoft Azure to show your skills.
Network and information security:
Companies need to keep their data safe from hackers and viruses. A cybersecurity job will use your IT skills like database modeling, open-source application knowledge, and Linux OS and Microsoft systems.
Mobile engineering:
Mobile devices are very important in our daily life. Mobile engineering is a new IT skill for companies that want their workers to use their mobile devices. Mobile development skills will help you find many jobs.
Full stack web development:
As an IT professional, you should know many programming languages, like Java, Python, and PHP. You should be able to code both the front end and the back end of a website.
Data mining and analysis:
Data mining is a good business in any industry. If you know how to get and analyze data with tools like Apache, Hadoop, NoSQL, and SQL, your resume will look good to hiring managers and recruiters.
Project management skills:
Most IT departments have many projects at the same time. A good IT professional will have the skills to work on different projects simultaneously and finish them on time. Project management skills will make you a good candidate.
Communication:
As an IT professional, you must talk to many people, like other IT professionals, managers, and vendors. Good writing and speaking skills are important to keep everyone informed, share your ideas with your team and boss, and keep your customers happy with the project.
Analytical skills:
Many IT jobs need analytical skills. You will need to solve problems daily in an IT job, like discovering why a server is not working or which line of code is causing an error.
Organization:
Being organized is important for working in an IT job. You will have many daily tasks and need to keep everything in order.
Problem-solving:
No matter what job you have, you will face problems every day. Solving these problems yourself and with your team makes you a valuable employee. Employers like people who can find problems, think of solutions, do them, and check the results.
Negotiation:
Negotiation skill is unbeatable. As an IT professional, you must know how to negotiate well. Whether agreeing on something with your teammates or making a deal with a vendor, you will need this skill to get what you want and make good relationships.
The best way to improve your IT skills
To improve your IT skills, you can:
- Earn one or more relevant certifications.
- Take on more and more job responsibilities.
- Practice on staging or in-house projects that you already have.
- Find your weak points and find a mentor or a guide.
- Keep an eye on the latest trends and developments in the industry.
To use your IT skills in the workplace, you need to:
- Collaborate with different teams and share your skills and knowledge.
- Persevere through issues and find solutions to challenges you face every day.
- Pay attention to the small details, avoid errors and get help from seniors if needed.
The bottom line
The information technology (IT) skills you need to become an experienced IT professional in the workplace are like a two-sided coin. On one side, you have technical skills that show your mastery of technology, such as cloud security and coding skills.
On the other side, you have interpersonal skills that show your ability to work with others, such as communication and organization. You’ll shine brighter than other qualified candidates if you balance both skills well and give clear, specific examples of using them.
