Top 8 IT Specialist Skills (And Tips To Improve Them)

Updated 12 October 2022

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Information Technology (IT) is a fast-growing field. To succeed in it, you may benefit from certain skills, technical experiences and knowledge. Learning about IT specialist skills can help you prepare for your interview and increase your chances of securing a position. In this article, we discuss what an IT specialist is, explore their most important skills and review how you can improve them.

What Does An IT Specialist Do?

An IT specialist is a technical professional who handles the implementation, monitoring and maintenance of IT systems. They assist enterprises with their technological requirements. Sometimes, they are required to design entire systems or perform an analysis on the current software and applications being used by the organisation. IT professionals can work in a variety of fields and often provide services related to networks, hardware, software, databases and web resources. Regardless of what field they work in, their job description demands strong analytical abilities and experience with multiple operating systems and programming languages.

Important IT Specialist Skills

Here are some beneficial IT specialist skills:

Problem solving

As an IT specialist, you are going to solve problems on a regular basis, which makes problem solving an important skill to have. When issues arise, a smart problem solver can observe, judge and act promptly. This involves a lot of analysis, which is beneficial to companies that rely on their staff to recognise and address difficulties.

Project management

As an IT specialist, it is highly likely that you may work on multiple projects. These projects have their own teams and may require you to manage them. An effective project manager leads by example, balances priorities, manages resources and monitors progress towards the objectives. Good managerial skills can further help you get to higher positions of management in your organisation as well.

Persistence

It is helpful in IT to work on a project until it is done. Often, working on a problem continuously refines the solution. Persistence can help in the search for solutions to recurring issues. You may also work on long-term projects, so your ability to keep them in consideration is important.

Resourcefulness

IT specialists deal with new situations frequently. These can be tricky and may require them to learn unexpected tools and software. Creative thinking, the production of new ideas, and the capacity to imagine are examples of resourcefulness. Resourcefulness is becoming more important as the field of IT grows. Having this skill makes you an important asset to the organisation. If you are among those who love to learn and adapt to situations, you already possess this skill.

Analysis

Analytical thinking may assist you in solving problems in IT, such as hardware failures or software defects. Analytical abilities are crucial because they enable people to identify answers to a variety of issues and to develop strategies to address such issues. It may also assist you in anticipating and preventing problems before they occur, ensuring that everything goes as planned. This ability may help you appreciate the bigger ramifications of a project by analysing data sets, charts and graphs.

Communication

You work with a wide range of people in IT. This could be both within and outside of your team or even outside your organisation. It is just as vital to understand how to communicate with your supervisors as it is to learn how to explain technical topics to those who do not have as much prior knowledge or expertise. You may interact with individuals on the phone, send emails or produce technical documentation, so both verbal and written communication is important. To allow others and oneself to absorb information more properly and rapidly, good communication skills are required.

Knowledge of the Industry

Every organisation works in a different way. As you change jobs, you may shift from one industry to another. The cornerstone for your success in the position is understanding the terminology, equipment and other industry-specific knowledge. These are the things that your schooling, internships, previous job experiences and on-the-job experience may teach you. This talent may serve as the basis for applying for a job in the sector, while the others are useful supplementary abilities that may help you stand out from other applicants.

Time management

Time management is a skill that portrays how you use your time to make the best use of it. It does not mean that you always put in extra hours but rather that in the given amount of time, how efficiently and effectively you utilise it. An IT specialist can have multiple different tasks in a day to complete. Time management is essential to be able to keep up with the tasks.

How To Improve And Gain More IT Specialist Skills?

Here is how you can improve and gain more IT skills:

1. Keep yourself updated

The industry adapts to the change in technologies and frequently updates its workflow. To make the best out of the current situation, knowledge of the ongoing trends is important. Noticing how the field is developing and strengthening is where this knowledge goes a long way. A lot of organisations provide training sessions and courses. There are also a lot of free resources online to help you. Implementing these newly learned skills makes you a valuable addition to any organisation.

2. Continue practicing

IT specialist skills grow and become more refined as you practice different aspects of your job. With time, you can learn and improve on a lot of skills. As it is unlikely that you get to practice all your skills at once during your day-to-day work, constant practice is the key. Online resources can help prepare you for newer challenges or opportunities that may arise.

3. Interact with others

Interacting with colleagues, clients or customers and other professionals allows you to improve your communication abilities. Speaking during meetings, sending emails, making phone calls and asking questions are all examples of communication skills. Working on documentation and responding to comments aids in the development of written communication abilities. Talking to individuals outside of your niche is especially beneficial, as it allows you to improve your ability to express complicated concepts more clearly.

4. Find a mentor to guide you

One of the best ways to learn something new faster and more effectively is to learn from someone who has been in your place. They can guide you to take the path you could benefit from so that you reach your goals. In addition, a mentor can also help you avoid mistakes they made in their early career.

Ways To Highlight IT Specialist Skills During A Job Search

When you are looking for a new job, here are some ways you could consider highlighting your skills:

Add the skills to the resume

In the skills section of your resume, add a bulleted list of all the technical skills and soft skills you have. Make sure that these match the job description so that the hiring manager can see relevant information to determine how skilled and qualified you are for the role. Some companies use an application tracking system (ATS) to scan and rank the resume, so use the job description as a guide to increase the chances of making it through this step.

Discuss your skills in the cover letter

Use your cover letter to mention your skills by offering instances of scenarios when you have used them. You can utilise real-life scenarios in which you have confronted a problem at work and used these abilities to find the best answer or reach a quick decision. You could also describe the scenario in a way that highlights how important was a role you played in that certain situation.

Express your skills during the interview

Prepare for the interview so that you can elaborate on the skills you have and how you have utilised them in the past. Communicate these in an organised manner, so it helps to showcase your strengths in a clear manner. In addition, try to use the STAR method to explain the situation. It is a method of answering a behavioural-based interview question by explaining the precise circumstance, task, action and outcome of the event you are describing in a systematic way. This can help your interviewer understand your answers better, which also increases your chances of qualifying for the job.