Skills in Information Technology
This page groups popular IT careers into three categories - Leadership, Technical and Process. It provides industry statistics on the type of skills relevant to each category and indicates the level of industry demand for each skill.
Job specific skills demand is also available on our IT Qualifications page. Furthermore, if you want to dig even deeper into skills, salary, duties and competencies for each role we provide this information and more on every role listed in this page, just follow the links provided.
Leadership and Governance
Leadership and governance roles provide direction to technology teams. The following skills and abilities are noted as key attributes of successful IT leaders;
IT Leadership Roles Skills
Demonstrating an ability to persuade, pacify or progress through well constructed communications to achieve an end goal desired by the communicator.
Having awareness of the business strategy in considering the impact of decisions, actions or choices to the business as a whole. Note: Roles that specify strategy or strategic skills pay 22% higher than the average governance role.
Cogent construct and expression of thoughts and ideas.
Determining the requirements of an activity to assess its workload, impacts and resources.
Note: Jobs listing this skill payed 11% higher salary on average. Having an understanding of the financial impact of activities.
Technical and Support Skills
Skills for technical and support roles typically suit friendly, sociable people with excellent communication skills. Whilst many support roles are highly technical in nature, pathways to these technical roles usually occurs via service oriented roles that involve a significant amount of customer interaction.
Technical and Support Roles Skills Graph
Putting the customers viewpoint to the front of any situation. Taking on board the customers needs and providing the best solution or result to satisfy the customer.
Working well with others to successfully achieve a common goal or achievement, giving consideration and mutual respect for all others involved in the activity whilst recognizing own contributions as being part of the whole. Responding well to others suggestions, making own recommendations without issue and accepting the purpose of activity is to reach a goal, best achieves through collaborative and cooperative activity rather than individual and isolated undertakings.
Accepting training needs as required and appreciating the need for constructive appraisal of capability and competence. Being willing to learn and increase ones capability. Note: Jobs requesting this trait pay 18% higher on average.
Cogent construct and expression of thoughts and ideas.
Maintaining a professional relationship with the customer, understanding your role to the customer and managing the customers expectations of your role.
Being able to break down a problem into its core components, calculate the best cause of action to either sole or alleviate the problem within a reasonable timescale. Asking the right questions and finding the answers from the right sources to get the best solution to a problem.
Understanding the technical specification of the hardware and software used by customers and within the business. Having the ability to recall relevant facts about the hardware or software for use by the business or the client as appropriate when undertaking any interaction or service provision for the customer.
Process Skills
As the Information Technology industry continues to grow and increase in complexity Skills in Information Technology process driven roles are expected to become even more important. Process roles generally help to define or coordinate different groups, departments or entities.
Process Roles Skills Graph
Knowing what administrative processes are required by the business to monitor, analyze and improve the business operations. Making recommendations for improved processes and procedures bases on experience and sound understanding of existing ones.
Demonstrating a methodical approach to work. To undertake tasks in a systematic way demonstrating good logic and sound reasoning. To structure items in sequence, considering the consequences of each action on the next. Preparing charts, process maps, and displaying systematic events over a period of time. Demonstrating connectivity of events and separation of activities when required.
Putting the customers viewpoint to the front of any situation. Taking on board the customers needs and providing the best solution or result to satisfy the customer.
Cogent construct and expression of thoughts and ideas.
Ensuring that information is retained in an orderly manner, allowing others to retrieve the information when needed. Ensuring information is not incorrectly destroyed but mindful of not retaining unnecessary or superfluous information.
Determining the requirements of an activity to assess its workload, impacts and resources to structure this with one or more other tasks within a daily work schedule, project plan or agreed delivery period. Being able to determine the key deliverables of a task and directing the right people to undertake the task.