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Can you think of a time when you worked with someone that was a rock star at their job? What made them so fun to work with? Was it the smile they brought to work everyday? Was it their in-depth knowledge of their job? Was it their ability to always have a solution to a problem? Was it their ability to communicate with anyone in the company? Oftentimes, the best coworkers are the ones that build their peers up and are open minded. Those types of employees are the ones that managers consistently choose when it comes time for promotions or a higher level position within the company. Here are some of the things that the best network / system engineers do that set them apart from their colleagues.
1. Automate processes to save your coworkers’ time
The primary goal of any team of network professionals is to keep the network up and running 24/7. A company expects almost constant up-time in order for their business to run as efficiently as possible. Suggesting and implementing automation tools to your organization is a home run in the eyes of this CIO. A recent network professional this CIO recently hired recommended and implemented automated tools that created a more reliable solution and cut consulting fees by over 17%. An unexpected benefit that his peers enjoyed was a significant decrease in the amount of time that his coworkers have to devote during off hours upgrades and maintenance. Your coworker will appreciate the ability to not have to run into the office on a Saturday evening to fix a network issue.
2. Be a business minded IT professional
The best employees in any department, especially IT, are the ones that think big picture. One way to do that as a network professional is to be aligned with the company’s growth strategy and constantly be thinking about what IT infrastructure solutions are out there that will help the company get to where they are headed. A manager at a global fortune 500 company has stressed to me that the IT professionals that get chosen for promotions are the ones that have the ability to understand where the company is heading and offer technology options that keeps the business moving forward. They look for someone that is doing their technical duties exceptionally, but is also creative and looking for better ways to run the business. Business and work is more collaborative than ever before and the ability to align technology solutions to the business goals helps employees stand out above the rest.
3. Little things go a long way
As I just said above, work is more collaborative and interdepartmental than ever before. That is why it is essential to have well developed soft skills. Little things go a long way when it comes to impressing your coworkers and your boss. Hiring managers want people that can show empathy and understanding towards their colleagues. Not everyone is on their A game at work 24/7, humans are humans and make mistakes. But, if you are someone that can be the one to immediately be there to offer an extra helping hand with a calm, understanding demeanor, your coworkers will love working with you and you’re well on your way to building a great working reputation. They will see you as the one that is always there to help. What I have seen in 30 years of being in the IT recruiting industry is you can get everything you want in life, if you just help enough people get what they want in theirs.
Be the best
Time and time again in my career, I have seen that the candidates that hiring managers desire most are those that show empathy and compassion towards their peers, think broadly about how their work fits into the business goals, and those that help their colleagues work more efficiently. These traits make the IT department, network, and company operate more smoothly.
If you consider yourself open minded and want to learn about what exciting and exclusive opportunities, we are currently working in the IT infrastructure space, please reach out to me! I want to help you succeed in any way I can.