In the last chapter, you saw that an IT technician needs to have a broad understanding of many technical concepts.
But beyond these technical skills, they are also expected to have some soft skills that can apply to different professional settings.
After reading some of the IT duties, you’ve decided that this could be your career path. Great! This chapter will focus on the soft skills that will make you a great IT technician.
Be Versatile
As an IT technician, you will be involved in a variety of activities. You must carry out some core tasks (installing machines, providing access to IT services, managing existing IT equipment) and respond to user requests daily.
How will I manage to do all of this? How will I manage all of these user requests? 🤨
Good question! And the answer can be summed up in one word: versatility.
Versatility is essential, especially if you work in a small organization with a scaled-down team.
A large IT department with some specialized technical teams follows set processes and procedural requirements, which might limit your scope of activity.
However, this shouldn’t stop you from finding out about other areas. 😉 Your versatility will widen your scope, and your users will consider you an IT whizz!
Adopt a Service-led Approach
As an IT technician, you want to help others.
Your primary role is fixing problems and advising users. These users consider you their go-to person, and they rely on you to fix their IT problems.
Understand the Needs of Users
Listening skills are essential for an IT technician.
Users will explain their requests and want to be heard—totally understandable. They need to know that you are committed and that they can trust you.
Rewording their explanations shows that you understand the nature of their problem. It’s important to ask them targeted questions to narrow down the root cause or understand their request better. Ask broader questions if you need to understand the wider context of their request.
To provide the best possible solution, you first need to understand their needs.
Put Yourself in Their Shoes
If you want to understand the users’ needs, you must put yourself in their shoes and show them empathy and patience.
Users may get stressed when they encounter what may seem to be the tiniest problem with their IT tools (hardware or software). Therefore, try to appreciate the pressures they may be under and understand that they might be working on tight deadlines or another critical consideration.
Be Organized
As an IT technician, you'll need to manage several tasks simultaneously and sometimes urgently.
You’ll manage your time and work efficiently if you are organized, methodical, and logical in your approach.
Apply a Troubleshooting Methodology
A methodology is a series of steps to resolve an IT issue, which you carry out in a step-by-step, logical sequence.
I’ll explain what I mean.
To fix your users’ problems efficiently, it’s essential to always start at the simplest level and work in steps from there.
For example, is the equipment connected to the power supply? Did the user click in the right place? Did they enter the correct password?
If you're methodical and organized in your work, you’ll save time and increase productivity.
Be Autonomous and Resourceful
Another important attribute of a good IT technician is autonomy.
And to succeed in this profession, you need to be quite resourceful.
However, being resourceful doesn’t mean making things up without thinking about the consequences. Don’t forget the topics we just covered - methodology and common sense are your best friends!
Some of your tasks will seem more complicated, especially when starting out.
You won’t always have the solutions at the tips of your fingers, and sometimes you’ll need to do some research to find the information you need. This is all completely normal, and there’s no shortage of resources to help you.
Your favorite search engine is an incredible source of information. 😉
Whatever the context, one essential attribute for an IT technician is knowing where to find the information on their own.
Prioritize Effectively
The idea of prioritizing is ever-present in the life of an IT technician.
You'll need to understand and identify the severity and urgency of your different tasks to put them in order from the most to least critical before dealing with them.
Let’s take an example. You’re an IT technician in a small company. Your phone rings and you have an angry director on the line whose computer won’t boot up. 😡
At the same time, all of the IT helpdesk phones have started ringing. They are panicking on the first floor, as no computers can access the network!
Ask yourself the following questions: How urgent is each request? How many people are affected?
In the first example, a temperamental computer is preventing one person from working.
In the second, an entire floor is unable to work.
If you need to prioritize these two issues, you will obviously choose the second one, the most critical, before coming back to help your director.
It’s crucial to apply common sense when prioritizing your tasks.
Yeah, but the first case is a director, so isn’t it a bit tricky to make them wait? 😨
Yes, that situation is a little delicate.
But this is where your amazing communication skills will come in useful!
Communicate With Guidance
You saw that an IT technician is in direct contact with users and needs to demonstrate listening skills and empathy. They also need to assess the situation when responding to different demands simultaneously.
Communicate Verbally
Communication is the cornerstone of a successful IT department.
In your daily role as an IT technician, you will be the key point of contact for the IT department and will deal directly with the users.
Users can be demanding and don’t always understand why you can't fix their problems quickly and efficiently. Learn to discuss the situation calmly, without anger, perhaps even with a little humor if appropriate.
Let’s go back to the director’s issue.
You made the professional decision to deal with the first-floor problem first because of its impact on the company. Having completed this task, you now must talk to the big boss who’s been waiting for at least 30 minutes. 😨
Don’t panic!
Go and see them, apologize for the delay, and explain that you had an urgent problem because the whole first floor was out of action. They’ll understand!
If a system is unavailable, that means lost time. And, as they say, time is money! They’ll appreciate that you're committed to the company and take your responsibilities seriously.
Communicate in Writing
You can also communicate with colleagues and users in writing.
You’ll need to write technical documentation, troubleshooting procedures, maintenance and software instructions, and diagnostic details to pass on to your colleagues.
How technical you can be with explanations and the level of detail will depend on the recipient of your written communication. For example, a user will want to know how to use something without understanding exactly how it works, whereas your IT colleagues will want to know everything from a technical point of view.
Let's Recap!
A good IT technician must:
Understand the users’ needs and step into their shoes.
Be methodical in their work so they can become more efficient.
Be a proven self-starter.
Have a sense of priority.
Be a good communicator.
Always develop your soft skills and highlight them when you have a job interview, as they can be a deciding factor.
In the next part, we’ll return to the daily activities of an IT technician in more detail. But before that, take the following quiz to test your knowledge of an IT technician’s working environment, their main activities, and the skills they need. Over to you!
