Inter personal skills importance as an IT Pro

Snow.bros

I often come across these requirements in IT positions be it a junior role or senior role:

* Must have strong inter personal skills
* Must be able to work well and be able to coordinate with the team
* Candidate must have good communication skills
* Work independently in a team

I know have posted about the importance of having soft skills in IT but I have a few questions I have been meaning to ask.

As a junior/senior IT professional in all fields of IT imagined, according to the skills listed above, have you ever worked with a candidate who lacks any of those skills and how did that affect the teams performance or the teams ability to do the job?

Can you please describe if possible the perfect candidate who fits perfectly the description of requirements listed above.

The reason I am asking these questions honestly is because I lack strong inter personal skills but I can communicate what needs to be communicated to other team members and in my view, I believe i have ethical telephonic skills (don't if that's even a skill) basically I am the speak when spoken to kind of guy around people I am not used to or people I have just met.

Sometimes I feel like IT is looking for a personality of a sales person or public relations person.

What have you observed in your experience regarding this. Thanks in advance!

NetworkNewb

Snow.bros wrote: »

Sometimes I feel like IT is looking for a personality of a sales person or public relations person.

Who wants to work with anyone who lacks those skills? Doesn't matter the profession. It definitely makes work more enjoyable for everyone if your able to communicate well. Not just as you put it, "speak when spoken to". Some people have this skill naturally and some have to work on it. It is something everyone should learn though.

I know don't want to work with someone who just stares at the screen all day and doesn't try make any conversation. Sounds like it would make for alot of pretty dull work days.

Kai123

I think, if your fairly quiet then just be really friendly and helpful. Banter is good, and there will always be someone who you have shared interests with.

I've worked with quiet, introverted people who were really cool, not chatty but would chat with you. Its good to get to know your colleagues that way as well.

If your overly quiet, and really shy away from conversation (its easy to tell when your making the effort not to converse) then eventually no-one will chat with you and your going to miss out on alot of things. Treat your interpersonal skills as knowledge, the same you would studying a cert.

scaredoftests

and have a sense of humor....irony..and a thick skin.

da_vato

I have come across this quite a bit throughout my career. The people that tend to be recluses tend to not last too long, as the entire team is usually makes it uncomfortable for the individual. Of course I have noticed the other way around too, where the recluse makes everyone else feel awkward to approach them for tasks and or support. Generally that dynamic makes where the people with “people skills” get tasked more often which can create animosity amongst the team.
You don’t have to be the “life of the party” type if that is basically what you are asking but you do have to be approachable. Communication is really about ensuring pertinent information is passed along to all necessary parties; for instance if there is a problem that can potentially grow, your immediate supervisor needs be made aware instantly and perhaps your team so they have a peripheral understanding. This helps everyone to prepare for what might be coming their way. You do not need to gossip about what happened or is about to happen just get the important aspects out.

The sales person type can help when dealing with customers but is not necessary as long as you can disseminate accurate and pertinent information.

Snow.bros

I do converse if anyone comes through and pops up a conversation and I feel like if it's work related I do go out of my way to be approachable and I do approach others to ask a question or pass on the information, the big problem is when it becomes social and oh I am super friendly and helpful but I'm just a shy kinda guy. On the other hand I think I am not that talkative at work because I am the one who is younger (23) and not married almost all of them married with they families so most of the times I don't really fit into their conversations believe I could be a different guy if i was with guys who were in the same age group as me, but I am not out spoken or something like that.

ImThe0ne

scaredoftests wrote: »

and have a sense of humor....irony..and a thick skin.

This, this is very important. I have yet to work in an IT department that didn't know how to cut up and have a good time. Laughter is always the best medicine in my book. Get some thick skin, learn to pick back and you will have a good time!

ImThe0ne

Snow.bros wrote: »

On the other hand I think I am not that talkative at work because I am the one who is younger (23)

I am also 23 and work with an older group of people, the next closest to my age is 46, so twice my age. I have no problems getting in on conversations, put yourself out there and talk with them more. The more you join in their conversations, the more you can talk about stuff that pertains to you. You put it the effort, most of the time the others will return it.

JimSwe

Inter-personal skills are important. Being an extrovert isn't the same as having good people skills. You can have excellent people skills and be an introvert, and you can be an extremely annoying and obnoxious extrovert that nobody wants to be around.

I've been turned down for several helpdesk positions because the recruiter didn't think I was "outgoing" enough or whatever, and it would take too long for me to feel comfortable answering a phone, talking with customers/users etc. However at all such jobs I've had, people have been surprised by how well I handle all kinds of customers/users, from the talkative ones to the furious and irate ones. If they keep talking I quickly extract whatever info I need from the endless stream of babble, and use that to solve their tech issue while they think I'm still listening to them. I'm also extremely efficient during meetings or conversation, since I'm to the point and either contribute with something useful or shut up.

echo_time_cat

scaredoftests wrote: »

and have a sense of humor....irony..and a thick skin.

Absolutely!

Also, my two cents regarding the OP's question:

I've worked with not only friendly recluses that behind the scenes are keeping the ship afloat, but obnoxious-sociopathic extroverts who operate on their own agenda and will go to war with anyone over anything. I'll take the friendly recluse any day thank you!

The obnoxious personalities, if they survive, often do so by ensuring there is an appropriate amount of fear around them ever not being there... so they hang onto their job while making a team miserable because management thinks "We can't survive without 'so-and-so...'"

Snow.bros

Well I guess at some point in life we all have to get rid of the shy guy in ourselves but I still question the requirements of getting into IT or being an IT pro and if you do look for answers it just doesn't add up. Judging from the response above, I thought your inter personal skills were relevant to doing the job or has something to do with ethics but it has little to partly with the job or am I getting it wrong here?

I don't know if I am the only one but sometimes I think IT gets dodgy or doesn't make any sense at some stages.

One last thing, it's posted at the top of the thread but I didn't get a response so thought I would take the opportunity to ask it here.

Can you describe good communication skills in your opinion.

thomas_

Can you describe good communication skills in your opinion.

Just my opinion, but here it goes:

In regards to coworkers:

-Say hello/good morning when you see them for the first time during the day.
-Get to know them on a personal level, if appropriate. Show an interest in them.
-Ask them how their weekend went, what they did, etc.
-Please and thank you go a long ways when working with other people.

In regards to customers:
-Be friendly/nice
-Don't be the guy that gets irritated when you have to fix their problems.
-Be able to translate technical language into non-technical language and vice versa
-Please and thank you go a long ways.

In regards to anyone else you may come in contact with:
-Don't be irritable, irate, cantankerous, abrasive. No one likes being around those types of people.

phantasm

Gone are the days of the IT guy hiding in the server closet to never be seen. As a Network Engineer I interface with customers, senior leadership, vendor's, the public, etc etc. You need to know how to communicate verbally and in the written form. Expect to give presentations or conduct tech talks with your peers or subordinates. It's a requirement now. You need to be able to communicate.