Personal Qualities

The IT professional will need a variety of personal qualities if he or she is to succeed in their career. They will need good oral communication skills when dealing with end-users. The end user will probably be unaware of the capabilities of a proposed system and may, in many cases, be unaware of the information handling system that they currently work with. It will be the job of the IT specialist to help the proposed end-user identify their requirements. This will involve a great deal of face to face discussion.

Documentation and reports form an important part of any IT solution. From the initial feasibility study and system specifications through to user guides and system documentation any implementation requires written documentation at each stage. The IT professional must therefore have good written communication skills. He or she will usually be expected to be able to prepare documents that are understandable to different audiences with varying degrees of technical background.

Most IT work is done within small teams or groups. These teams will be in a constant state of flux as one project ends and another begins. People may in fact be part of several teams as projects overlap. The ability to work with a team and to adapt to working with different people is therefore important. Since projects are often in danger of overrunning team members will be expected to make additional efforts to ensure that a system is delivered to the client on time. This means that IT workers will be expected to cope with working for long periods under extreme pressure. They will also need to have a flexible approach to working hours. Sometimes maintenance or trouble shooting can only take place out of normal working hours when the system can be 'downed'.

The IT professional will often have access to confidential client information. Personal integrity is therefore an important characteristic.

Finally, since the IT industry is one where rapid and continual developments are taking place, employees must be adaptable, ready to accept training and be prepared to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. This implies a liking and enthusiasm for their chosen area of work.

© LEV