Are you looking for a job as a systems technician? Already have one, but feel like a change of scenery? Or are you just curious to see what’s going on in your sector? Okay, we’ll try to answer your questions… Among them, it is likely that you are wondering what is the profile that companies are demanding when they want to hire a systems technician. If we take a look at the job offers that appear in the main search portals we can extract a series of more or less common requirements that can help us to build that profile. But before doing so, how about explaining a bit what a systems technician is and what he/she does?
What is a systems technician?
A systems technician is the person in charge of the maintenance, supervision, repair, creation of scripts, automation of tasks on the servers and their operating systems and applications. This is not what I say, it says it in the BOE, so we will have to pay attention to it…. In addition to these, the systems technician will also frequently perform other tasks, such as software installation, maintenance, security measures, etc. In other words, the systems technician is a colossus who is in charge of making our computer systems work as they should. Almost nothing.
What profile are companies looking for in a systems technician?
Luckily, there are a lot of companies looking for systems technicians these days, which is great news if you’re looking for a job in this role or if you’re looking for a change of scenery. But what exactly are they looking for? As you can guess, each company will have different requirements depending on the needs of the position and those “own tastes” that are usually part of the personality of the companies and the people in charge of Human Resources, but an analysis of the job offers allows us to extract some more or less common requirements.
1. Technical knowledge
It is an absolute truism, but that does not mean that we should forget it. The systems technician, as its name suggests, is a technical profile, so it will be essential to have very specific knowledge. Shall we specify a little more? Although sometimes this will not be the case, in principle it is a position that does not usually require university education, although it does require an official degree, such as Vocational Training (Bachelor’s Degree). As you can understand, the type of degree will depend on the country you are in. In addition, official certifications that accredit the handling of certain tools, granted by their manufacturers or by accredited institutions, will also often be required. What is not so easy is to assess which are the most demanded fields of technical knowledge, due to the heterogeneous nature of the offers. By way of example, knowledge of communications systems administration (WiFi, switches, routers, etc.), monitoring tools, network environments, Windows environments, Linux, databases, virtualization, security administration, cloud architecture administration, etc., are usually quite highly valued. The truth is that the variety of knowledge demanded is such that, again it is obvious to say it, but the more you have, the better!
2. People skills
Not that this is a position where you need to display a bombproof charisma, but working as a systems technician usually requires dealing regularly with system users who will communicate needs (for example, troubleshooting), so it will be necessary to have the ability to communicate with them effectively and have the necessary dose of kindness and tranquility to do so without ending up pulling your hair out (something not easy sometimes). Patience!
3. Ability to work as part of a team
Surely you know this if you have already worked as a systems technician. In addition to the relationship with users, the position will require teamwork with other colleagues or managers, or even lead small teams sometimes, which will demand the ability to know how to make a group and relate to other team members in an effective way.
4. Methodical character
Both when solving incidents and when developing or participating in projects, being a methodical, organized and meticulously working person will be of great help to the systems technician, and something highly valued by companies.
5. Driver’s license
Although sometimes the systems technician’s place of work will be more or less fixed, he or she will often have to travel to various locations to meet the needs of the companies for which services are offered. Taking into account that many companies have their work centers or their IT infrastructures located in places that are poorly communicated by public transport, having a driver’s license will be an essential requirement for many job offers.
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In conclusion
So far we have seen some of the requirements that companies are looking for to fill such a demanding position as systems technician. Do you want to see more? If you are a systems technician or if you work in the sector, you will know the importance of monitoring tools to supervise the proper functioning of computer systems. And it is even very likely that you already know Pandora FMS. Whether you do or not, let us remind you that Pandora FMS is one of the most flexible monitoring software on the market, capable of monitoring devices, infrastructures, applications, services and business processes. Pandora FMS is a tool already used by companies and organizations all over the world. And many customers monitor tens and hundreds of thousands of devices using the Open Source version of Pandora. A version that you too can start using today (and for free, because it is Open Source):
Pandora FMS’s editorial team is made up of a group of writers and IT professionals with one thing in common: their passion for computer system monitoring. Pandora FMS’s editorial team is made up of a group of writers and IT professionals with one thing in common: their passion for computer system monitoring.
