Who’s the person everyone calls as soon as there’s a network outage? The indispensable IT department Help Desk. Everyone in the office wants the problem fixed, immediately if not sooner, with little interruption to their daily work routine. We can guess that based on this scenario, the IT Industry seeks out internship candidates who have certain attributes, amongst technical skills and knowledge. IT internship is a diverse and rewarding field, and this is evident in the extent to which technology is utilised in our personal and professional lives.
If you’re new to all things related to the IT Department or about to graduate from an IT internship related qualification, then starting out in the field can be difficult if you don’t know how to market yourself to stand out amongst prospective employees. An internship placement is a way to get around this feeling. Interested in finding out more about if you’re suited to the booming IT industry? Let’s go over the top 3 qualities you need in order to make yourself stand out as a star candidate in the process of applying for IT internship programs.
1. Attention to Detail
Do you like making sure that things are done with precision? Are you someone who enjoys making and following to-do-lists, and the thought of checking for systemic errors in software makes you feel accomplished? Then you have a keen sense of attention to detail. Conscientiousness goes a long way in a candidate’s professional life, especially in the IT sector where many projects are often of a high level of importance and require diligent and specialised input from workers who started out as interns, just like you. Tasks like programming code, maintaining and updating software, implementing security measures, and program development require a level of dedicated time and effort.
2. Patience
They say that patience is a virtue, and in the IT internships, candidates who exhibit patience come with great value to the company culture. If you’re in a customer service role in the IT Department, like undertaking diagnostics from a Help Desk, or if you’re tasked with performing maintenance upkeep, then communication and people skills are a must. You will likely be interacting with clients who might not know how to express the reasons behind the difficulty that they’re having with their computer or device, so it is important for an IT intern to be able to patiently assist and explain aspects of technology in layman’s terms to clients. Customer service skills do not go unnoticed in IT internships, as technological problems can be a massive interruption in someone’s work schedule, or even company-wide operations– chances are, you are their hero of the day for coming to the tech rescue!
3. Curiosity
Do you ask a lot of questions, and have a keen sense of wonder? Want to figure out the ins and outs of how things like machines work? While IT interns aren’t expected to know every single technological detail about computers or software, being an inquisitive and curious person will come hand in hand with developing a deeper understanding of how the technology works and get the cogs moving in your mind. Curiosity is for diagnosing technical problems in an office space or an IT Help Desk. People who are curious show the ability to flexible in their approaches to thinking about problem solving. In the IT sector, logical and creative thinking are two sides of the same coin. Essentially, the best candidates for IT Internships are those who can think outside of the box, and come up with both creative and logical solutions to problems. At the centre of this is a sense of curiosity. It’s been said that the greatest problems that have been solved through technology, all beginning with a simple question of asking why.
There are many personal qualities in IT Interns that companies look for when screening for who might make the best fit in their team. In order to increase your chances of becoming a successful stand-out candidate, there are some attributes that you can embody. Having a sense of attention to detail is important, alongside patience in customer service situations, and a sense of curiosity. Being a patient person will make your time as an IT intern go smoothly in a technical support capacity dealing with the public, and curiosity about the way things work will help you come up with creative solutions to problems. All of these three qualities require logical and creative thinking – if you’re into thinking outside the box, then you’re well on your way to being a stand out in an IT internship program! If you are interested in pursuing IT Internships in your city or in a work from home capacity, then click here to get all the information you need about the Premium Graduate Placements in the IT industry on offer for you today.
