employability skills for IT

Specific job attributes

To work in the IT industry you need a good understanding of computers, but also you need some advanced knowledge to.

For example – you need a good understanding of the following advanced topics: hardware, software and security. These will all help you get a job in the IT business. Your understanding of software is very handy for employers because if you have a project or something that needs doing that requires certain software needed to download, you need to have a good understanding on how to use the software and how to do the tasks needed to be completed.

Also in the IT industry you need to have a good understanding of the hardware. For example if something goes wrong with the computer or something needs to be upgraded then you will need to have a good understanding of the different components in the hardware section. This is because if the employer asks you to do a certain thing and you don’t have the skills required to do what has been asked, they will look for someone else who has the skills required to do what has been asked.

One specific attribute IT employers look for in the employees is there understating of the security of the computers and what needs to be done to protect them. This is a good skill to have because if there becomes a virus embedded into the computer they could use the security software to be able to manage what is allowed and what isn't allowed on the computer. For example if there is a virus on the computer and all the work is lost. Someone with a good understanding of security software could install something on to the computer to stop that from happening again.

General attributes

Planning and organisation skills – this attribute is rated fairly highly with employers, this is because to do the work that has been set, the employee needs to have some sort of plan to do the task set for example filling in a spreadsheet, this is because if the data in the spreadsheet has not been entered properly this could result into the overall final figures being wrong and the whole spreadsheet would have to be done again till the figures show the right amount. Another attribute employers consider looking for is organisational skills. This will show the employer that you are keeping on top of your work and not falling behind and getting things wrong in the process having these two attributes have a key role in getting a job in the IT industry.

Time management – this is a good skill to have when working in the IT industry because this shows the employer that you can keep on top of the work that has been set, not also if you have a good time management this will show the employer that you not only have good time management you also have an understanding on what you have been asked to do. This will also show the employer that as well as having a good understanding and getting the work in on time it also shows them that you have a good amount of confidence in what you are writing and if you can back up your knowledge to support the work employers will take that quality into strong account.

Attributes

Determination – this attribute is classed as one of the best ones to have when working in the IT industry, this is because people who laze around and don’t get the work done will not be taken into much account because of their lack of interest within the job. Whereas someone with a lot of determination has the drive and success to do well within the job and come out of it when they are finished with the best possible result they could have hoped for. Also this is valued allot by companies in general because it sees people to want success and to do well in whatever they want to do. Determination is a good quality to have when doing the work that has been set by the employer, this is because you can get the work done in the best but quickest way possible without making any mistakes in the process.

Confidence – confidence is a valued skill to have when working, this is because if you type something and you have no confidence in what you’re saying, for all you know it could right but also you have to believe that its right for example, if you've been asked to type a highly confidential document and you have typed it all up and you have no confidence in what the document says or means, it could be right even if it doesn't sound right whilst typing. This is another good skill to have because when someone is doing their work they should think to themselves “okay if I include everything and talk about it in the right manner and content nothing can go wrong”. It is better to have someone like this then to have someone who just does the basic requirement and the content needed, it could be all wrong. Also when people work in the IT industry their skills have to be continually updated because if a new piece of software is released they need to have the confidence to try and create different things because it would be no good if people didn't try apply their skills to different challenges.