5 answers
Oreoluwa
Student
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
2
Questions
Updated
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What factors are used in hiring for I.T. related jobs in the U.S.?
What kind of skills do they look for and or want for hiring in there
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5 answers
Bill Corning
Information Security Manager
1
Answer
Espoo, Finland
Updated
Bill’s Answer
Hi Oreoluwa,
As others have mentioned, a solid understanding of the fundamentals (operating systems, scripting, networking) is important. That said, interviews are also an opportunity to differentiate yourself beyond technical skillset. If you have passion projects, IT-related or otherwise, this is the perfect time to talk about them. In other words: what makes you… you?
For example, maybe you’ve done some scripting in Python, but your real passion is playing guitar. That’s not irrelevant. Talk about what inspired you to start, what’s been challenging, how you practice through frustration, and what you’re trying to achieve. Then connect the discipline, persistence and curiosity to how you approach learning and problem solving in IT.
No candidate is perfect, and no one is an expert in everything. Strong candidates demonstrate the basics, but what often matters just as much is fit, motivation, discipline, and growth.
In closing, consider this: if you were stripped of your education, certifications, and income, what would remain? Understanding who you are and how you learn, adapt, and persist often matters more than any single credential.
Best of luck to you!
As others have mentioned, a solid understanding of the fundamentals (operating systems, scripting, networking) is important. That said, interviews are also an opportunity to differentiate yourself beyond technical skillset. If you have passion projects, IT-related or otherwise, this is the perfect time to talk about them. In other words: what makes you… you?
For example, maybe you’ve done some scripting in Python, but your real passion is playing guitar. That’s not irrelevant. Talk about what inspired you to start, what’s been challenging, how you practice through frustration, and what you’re trying to achieve. Then connect the discipline, persistence and curiosity to how you approach learning and problem solving in IT.
No candidate is perfect, and no one is an expert in everything. Strong candidates demonstrate the basics, but what often matters just as much is fit, motivation, discipline, and growth.
In closing, consider this: if you were stripped of your education, certifications, and income, what would remain? Understanding who you are and how you learn, adapt, and persist often matters more than any single credential.
Best of luck to you!
Teklemuz Ayenew Tesfay
Electrical Engineer, Software Developer, and Career Mentor
517
Answers
Ethiopia
Updated
Teklemuz Ayenew’s Answer
To succeed in I.T. jobs in the U.S., focus on building strong technical skills and gaining real-world experience. Employers look for problem-solving and communication skills, Git proficiency, and knowledge of Agile or DevOps. Being good at troubleshooting and having certifications in areas like cloud computing, networking, or cybersecurity can really help. Show that you can make a real impact, take charge of projects, and explain the value of your technical decisions. It's important to be aware of security, act ethically, learn quickly, fit well with company culture, work well in teams, adapt easily, and be reliable. Make sure you have legal work authorization, pass background checks, and, for some roles, get security clearances.
To boost your hiring chances, get hands-on experience and showcase your projects on GitHub. Earn relevant certifications and keep learning through training. Join technical communities and network with professionals on LinkedIn and Stack Overflow. Prepare a strong resume, practice for interviews, and always show professionalism, curiosity, and ownership in your work.
To boost your hiring chances, get hands-on experience and showcase your projects on GitHub. Earn relevant certifications and keep learning through training. Join technical communities and network with professionals on LinkedIn and Stack Overflow. Prepare a strong resume, practice for interviews, and always show professionalism, curiosity, and ownership in your work.
Mary Ann Faue
Communications, Training, and People Development
59
Answers
Hayward, California
Updated
Mary Ann’s Answer
Hello Oreolewa,
The skills that hiring managers look for are the skills that match the requirements of the job. When you read a job description, there will be a section that lists the required skills for a job. It will have things like years of experience, education required, and other tech specific requirements like Python.
I'm guessing you are asking this question because you are trying to determine what courses to take at school to ready you for a job in the IT world. My best advice is to look at different job descriptions that sound interesting to you and see what job requirements show up most commonly and then plan your studies around that.
Separately from specific technical skills, when you are newly out of school, hiring managers know you don't have a lot of experience. Things that I used to look for when interviewing interns were enthusiasm, good grades, do you know something about my company/have you done some research about my company, extracurricular activities, and willingness to learn. For example, for certain roles, I used to love to see someone who was a summer camp counselor or day camp counselor. What that told me was that they had experience managing groups. They were responsible. They had conflict resolution skills (I mean let's face it, kids at camp don't always get a long and someone needs to step in). For people who were officers in their fraternity or sorority, or leaders of their church group, that told me they had leadership experience and could rally people around a goal. Whatever that job was that they had, no matter how unrelated it seemed, I could find the transferable skills. I once interviewed a guy who created an app for his high school for tracking permission slips for field trips. He created this because he was tired of sitting on the bus waiting for the teachers to manually reconcile students and permission slips. What this told me about the guy was that he was innovative, took initiative and was a problem solver. You can bet we offered him an internship.
So, about what classes should you take? Take the classes that are of most interest to you and that match the skills for the jobs you think you want to do in the future. And remember, you can always change your mind and go a different direction.
Good luck!
The skills that hiring managers look for are the skills that match the requirements of the job. When you read a job description, there will be a section that lists the required skills for a job. It will have things like years of experience, education required, and other tech specific requirements like Python.
I'm guessing you are asking this question because you are trying to determine what courses to take at school to ready you for a job in the IT world. My best advice is to look at different job descriptions that sound interesting to you and see what job requirements show up most commonly and then plan your studies around that.
Separately from specific technical skills, when you are newly out of school, hiring managers know you don't have a lot of experience. Things that I used to look for when interviewing interns were enthusiasm, good grades, do you know something about my company/have you done some research about my company, extracurricular activities, and willingness to learn. For example, for certain roles, I used to love to see someone who was a summer camp counselor or day camp counselor. What that told me was that they had experience managing groups. They were responsible. They had conflict resolution skills (I mean let's face it, kids at camp don't always get a long and someone needs to step in). For people who were officers in their fraternity or sorority, or leaders of their church group, that told me they had leadership experience and could rally people around a goal. Whatever that job was that they had, no matter how unrelated it seemed, I could find the transferable skills. I once interviewed a guy who created an app for his high school for tracking permission slips for field trips. He created this because he was tired of sitting on the bus waiting for the teachers to manually reconcile students and permission slips. What this told me about the guy was that he was innovative, took initiative and was a problem solver. You can bet we offered him an internship.
So, about what classes should you take? Take the classes that are of most interest to you and that match the skills for the jobs you think you want to do in the future. And remember, you can always change your mind and go a different direction.
Good luck!
Isaac Joseph
IT Data & Analytics
5
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Isaac’s Answer
To improve your chances of getting hired in the IT field, start by gaining internship experience after completing some IT college courses. Focus on taking special topics courses in your junior or senior year, such as Data Management or Advanced Analytics. The projects you complete in these classes will be valuable during job interviews. Practical experience is key to landing your dream job.
Rahul Patil
Software engineer
13
Answers
Raleigh, North Carolina
Updated
Rahul’s Answer
As a Software engineer in the US, the main things i see hiring managers looks for are real skills and evidence you have used them. For IT roles that usually means solid fundamentals(one programming language, basic networking or OS knowledge), plus projects, internships or GitHub work that show you can build and debug real systems. They also care a lot about how you communicate and work with a team. Finally your ability to learn quickly matters more than knowing every tool in advance, because the tech stack keeps changing.