Attributes valued by employers

Skills and attributes are important when applying for a job as most employers would look for these types of skills and attributes. The specific attribute which are important to have qualifications for the job role that you apply for as the company wouldn’t employ someone who have not academically achieved in the area for example a computer programmer would most likely need to go through the education route in order to gain a detailed understanding of what is involved in programming, society has very much changed over the year, where most employers now a days will not have anyone without desirable qualification, having qualifications showed that the person is able to commit themselves to something and also shows that the person holds specific qualifications for a specific role which they will have learnt the challenges which they will face in a working environment.

Also another specific attribute is pervious experience; this would most likely make you a stronger candidate. It doesn’t cost the company as much money if they employ someone with experience. Employers want someone that is ready to start straight away without requiring much training time. In the IT industry knowledge is power, and because of the complexity of the industry having previous experience will let the company know that you understand the pressures and demands of what’s expected.  General attributes are planning, organisations etc. Attitudes such determinations, honesty etc. are also important when applying for a job.

For more information click on the links below

 

 General/Specific

Attitudes

     

 

General Skills

Planning

In the IT industry it is good for employee’s to plan their tasks before starting a task so that they can keep on time with the tasks on hand and make sure they have all the resources the need in order to complete the task. Also planning will help a person to meet task deadlines e.g. A web designer plans their website before creating it so that they know what is going into this site so that they don’t waste time making up the website as they go along if they did carryout the task this way it would most likely not meet the clients requirements.

Communication Skill

In the IT industry communication is important as people in the industry need to be able to speak to customers and other members of staff who come from a non technical background and not aware of the different IT jargon terms that is used to diagnose and discuss problems among people who have knowledge they usually will need to use high-tech language when they are discussing problem’s among themselves. Every job within the IT industry requires good communication skills not only verbal communication, written forms communication is vital because of the large amount of document that is required in the industry. A staff member may have to produce a technical document that will be viewed by people from a technical background and a non technical background; it can be very difficult to produce a document that is presentable and understandable by bother parties. Because coding plays such a huge part in the IT industry it is important that form of communication is understood by other members of staff in that department, for example if you have started to program a system which is due by the end of the week and you fall sick a work colleague will have to step up in and finish the coding so they must understand what you have written in order to get the project completed to meet the deadline.

Organizations

 In the IT industry it is important for employee’s to name their files and folders with appropriate names so that they are easy to find later with when needed. Naming files and folders appropriately means that their work will most likely not get lost. Good file keeping saves people time when going to look for work as they know the name of the folder that they saved it in and the name of the document where the information is being held because a lot of organisations work from a shared drive it is vital it the IT industry that files and folders are organised for all staff t access.

In the IT industry people have meeting’s with different companies and organisation's therefore they need to have their diary/calendar organised so they don’t double book meeting an agreed meeting day as it would create a bad image in the clients eye’s if they can’t get to a meeting in time then they not turn up at work in time then how would them possibly get the work I need done on time.

Organisation skills sometimes involves people prioritising their work load this means making a list of the different tasks that need to be completed starting with the important task first.       

  

Team Working

In the world work in particular the IT industry you need to have good team skills as within this industry you job could involve you being in a group to come up with idea’s to a solve problem that occur e.g. If the system cash then your team must first come up idea’s for the staff to continue their work without use the system. Then you must come up a solution to fix the system within a certain amount of time. Team work involves people inputting their ideas in to the group, also everyone must have equal share of the task ‘There is no I in team’.


Here is a link to take you back to the Attributes vaules by empolyers


Here is an link below to bring you back to Principels of Effective Communication

Attitudes

Confidence 

Being confident means that you do not give up when things stop going the way you wanted them to. It also means that you know that you have the ability to do something and if you are s confident employee you will most likely set yourself challenges that will improve your work. Employers of the IT industry value confidence in a member of staff because if they are confident their work will most likely be good and they will not fear away from unfamiliar tasks that need to be done.

 

Self motivation 

One of the most important skills to have in when working it the IT industry is self motivation as all the technology is being updated daily therefore it is important to keep your own personal stills level up to date for example web designer needs to keep their skills up to date with new software that becomes a available on the market to help create website as well as new features added to old software client may what their website created with a particular software that the designer will be required to have knowledge in using. Self motivation is also very important in the IT industry because even though a lot of team work occurs, many staff members are expected to work independently without continually making them motivated even if they find themselves being bored with a particular project. 

Independent 

It is important to work independently as you can’t keep asking people question’s as this is unprofessional and shows a lack in your own abilities. When working independently you has fewer distractions also your task may be more secure as nobody else can make changes and mistakes in your work. When working independently it shows the management team you can cope with the job in hand and get on tasks done with minimum supervision. While working independently you may develop new skills and confidence that will be an asset t yourself and the company you will also feel a sense of ownership in your work and be proud of the accomplishment you made.

  

Leadership 

It is important to have good leadership skills because if you are in a position to lead a team you could be the driving force in the team’s success or failure. Leadership skills are important because the person who leads a team must be able to guide them in the right direction, keep them motivated and the moral high even when things are not going as well as planned a not all members of staff will have leadership skills, often it is a unique still within a person and due to the pressures in the IT industry to meet specific deadlines, solve difficult problem’s and come up with innovate ideas being in a leadership role will be very challenging to that individual you most not only know the in and outs of a particular project but also know your staff and have a knowledge of each person strengths and weakness so you can strategically assign tasks. 

Creativity

 Creativity involves a person coming up with idea’s that would attract other people’s attention. Also creativity is important in the design process within the IT industry it also shows originality. Employees within IT also need to show creativity in other roles, in order to solve problems they must find creative solutions.

Being creative is important for people like a web designer as they need to make a website attractive and appealing to variety of audiences including their clients and all customers who use the website. Also creativity is important for a games developer because they need to come up with new idea’s in the gaming industry because of the popularity of gaming now a days competition is fierce the idea must be creative and so must the complete functionality of the game being produced.


Here is a link to take you back to the Attributes vaules by empolyers


Here is an link below to bring you back to Principels of Effective Communication

Principles of Effective Communication

A principle of effective communication goes on the type of communication that people use. General communication - this type of skill is essential as it is used in all jobs which people apply for. Example of this is general planning, engaging audience e.g. changing intonation this means if the information is important then people use a change of tone to highlight the point that they are trying to get across, use of technology. Example would be me talk to a family member, tutor. Interpersonal skills is also seen as a Principles of Effect Communication: ways in which these is done e.g. verbal exchanges, signing, lip reading; techniques and indication e.g. body language, use of intonation; positive language; negative language. . Written communication skills are another form of effective communication this would consist of; ‘smiley’s’ or emoticons, key messages e.g. letter, fax, email; grammar; spelling; structure; identifying relevance; proofreading; alternative viewpoints; note taking.

General Communication skills:  An illustration of this type of ability is planning, this can be used before people start a task as a plan would keep them on track also it would keep the focus of on they are exactly going do and what they need to do next. Use of technology is other way of general communication this means the way contact people. This could be through social networking sites e.g. Facebook, twitter, msn. Interpersonal is another example of effective communication is communication skills this type of skill comes to use when people are talking to someone face to face and not over the phone or through a web cam (Skype).

Interpersonal Communication skills: This skill would involve a face to face secession between two or more people. As people could use sign language- this is when a person uses their hands or other parts of their body to communicate with people. Another reason why it requires face to face communication as people could lip read to each other. This is a technique of understanding speech by visually understand the movements of the lips, face and tongue with information provided by the environment, language, and any residual hearing. However there are other forms of interpersonal communication this consist of verbally exchanging words to one another for example use of intonation – positive and negative language this could contain people who are angry would rise their voice. People who are in high spirits would use a pleasant tone of voice which would be quite and friendly.     

Written Communication skills: This skill would entail people using smiley faces or other emoticons in text messages, emails etc. As a smiley face which is sometimes known as a smiley or emoticon is used in text messaging or online chat messaging e.g. Facebook, MSN as they express an emotion.  They are used in the way the person’s would react as if they were talking to the person face to face. Example of this would be if the person was joking with the other person and send a text message saying GAL (Get A Life) the person receiving the message may come to the expression that the other person is sending an inappropriate text message. However if the person sent the same message but with a happy face ( J) with the abbreviation then the person would know that the other person is joking. With a face to face communication the person would laugh or really smile when they are speaking the words or say that they are ‘I’m joking around or kidding with you’.   

Here are links to Barriers of Effective Communication and Mechanisms of Barriers of Communication

Here is a link to Attributes vaules by empolyers

Barriers of effective communication

In order for the communication which is can taking place to be effective the person on the receiver end needs to understand the message. However there are barriers that can have an impact these types of barriers are:

Background Noises - This is can vary from noise even though it is light continuous noise etc. road works this could effect people learning as they would not be listen to their tutor but look out at hat is going on.

Distractions – This can break off the run of an audience as they would stop listening to what the person is trying to say.

Lack of concentration – This is vital as people will need to keep eye contact when talking to other because making eye contact with your audience as the person would grab their audience attention better.  


Here is a link to Principels of Effective Communication

Mechanisms that can reduce the impact of barriers to communication

Background Noise: In order stop background noise tell other around you be quiet while you are doing work.

This type of mechanism is vital by stopping people talking when you are doing work. Another reason in how you can stop this mechanism is that you can put your mobile phone on silent or put it in your bag and keep it way from you as this can stop distract you from doing your work as when it rings you automatically have intention to answer.

Distractions: You can stop distractions by moving away from an employee that is distracting you in your work place and then you won’t get distracted no more and you will be able to carry on with your work.

This type of mechanism is very important as if people around you are distracting from doing your work, you could ask your manager/supervisor if you can move in to a private room, and then you will be able to continue with your work and get your work done in time.

Lack of concentration: Eye contact is essential as you will need eye contact when you are going for a job, having eye contact will mean that you are more focused in getting the job, as when you don’t use any eye contact the employer will think that you are not interested in the work.

This type of mechanism is the most important of them all since you will need eye contact in your life. Eye contact will be needed for a job, as this will mean that you interested and very focused in getting the job, if you make a presentation to your work colleagues without eye contact then thy would lose interest as a result will not list to want you have to say.


Here is a link to Principels of Effective Communication


Glossary and FQA

Glossary of Technical Term/ FAQ

Glossary of Technical Terms

Attributes - Is made up of different selection: Specific, General etc. These are important when applying for a job as employers look for things types of skill.

Barrier of communication-  A Barrier is somewhat that “gets in the way” or stops people from communicating with each other.

Creativity- This is when someone comes up with idea’s which other people didn’t think of.

Flexible- This means that people need to be able to do more then one job at a time. In addition people need to be able to work at anytime and anywhere.

Organizational - This means prioritizing different tasks starting with important tasks first.

Soft skills – Skills that influence how people interact with each other, for example analytical thinking, creativity, diplomacy, effective communication, flexibility, leadership, listening skills, problem solving, team building and a readiness for change.

Perception- Is the way people look at things with their eyes.

Planning- This helps people to keep on time with their tasks. Planning also helps people to meet deadlines.

Team working- This is when people work in a group in order to complete a certain task. Team working involves people inputting their ideas into a group and different tasks shared equal between the people in the group.

Writing Communication Skill – This is the way people write. People may use emailing; write a letter, text to write a message. It allows people who can’t speak to communicate with others.

Independent- This is when people work on their own without seeking assistance from others.

Self motivation - This is when a person pushes themselves along in order to complete a task. In addition self motivation is been able to do different project without people having to keep requesting them to do it.  

Frequently Asked Questions

1.       Give examples of technical skills

a. Program a computer, Maintain computer ensure that the computer is functioning properly and customers support if work in a help desk, another technical skill would be communication this could be used in the working industry.

2.      How could I prevent my computer from crushing down

a. To prevent the computer from crushing the user should install anti virus as viruses will allows people to access your computer. As result they may delete files, mess up the processor. Another solution would be installing firewall to prevent viruses from entering and are out of the computer from the internet.  

3.      Why is written communication important in the IT industry?

a. Written communication is important in the IT  industry as people are required to email other people in the industry. As result a people need to be able to  write email without having spelling mistake
    as this would so other people e.g. future employers, that they can’tspeak proper English.

4.       What is proofreading and what other tools could I use to in accuracy?

a.      Proofreading is when you are reading over what have done and ensure that what you are trying to say read correctly. Another way to ensure that your work reads correctly is to use spelling and grammar tool which is available in Microsoft Word.   

5.      What are the main communication skills and what are the advantage and disadvantage?

a.  General communication – A disadvantage would be that people would not understand your slang/jargon therefore leaving the communication limited. An advantage would be able to learn from one another for example new language. 

Interpersonal communication – A disadvantage would take time out of your schedule as result your work load may increase due to you not completing it. Another disadvantage would be distracted by surrounding. An advantage of this would be able to speak the person that you are communicating with face to face as this would improve your communication skills.

Written communication- A disadvantage would people may misspell a word which results in the person receiving the letter would get it hard to understand what the person is trying to say.   Advantage would be that the letter which is hand written is personnel to both the person who is writing the letter and receiving the letter. 

Here is a link to mechanisms to reduce barriers