What to Look for in an IT Manager

The IT Manager is arguably one of the most valuable assets to a company.  Beyond technical skills, here are the 5 most wanted traits in an IT manager:

Adaptability

The IT world is constantly changing. Nowadays, you should look for an employee who can adapt quickly and maintain productivity.  Hiring someone who has various skill sets and training’s will add to the flexibility of the entire team and lessen your chances of needing to hire additional employees. – Gabriella Stelle, Manager of Marketing and Client Services

Team building/Leadership Skills

Anyone with a strong technical aptitude can learn the required systems. Being able to function as the head of a team with a large number of critical moving internal (staff) and external (vendors, customers, etc) parts, and keeping those parts in good working order, is key. – Adam Barron, Technical Resource Manager

Strategically Minded

Finding someone who can get beyond their supervisory role and work with all constituents to align the goals of the IT team with the goals of the business is prominent. – Wayne Marshall, Vice President, Professional Services, ISO, CHP 

Communication

This is a must in this type of role.  An IT Manager needs to be able to communicate effectively with all teams inside and outside of the IT department.  A team member that lacks the ability to follow up or at least communicate when there is an issue, is creating a gap between your IT department and the rest of your infrastructure.  Look for strong communication skills in your next IT Manager.  – Nathan Horsman, Technical Resource Manager, New England              

Problem Solver

Having the ability to problem solve may seem obvious, but the fact is, some people still lack this skill. It’s actually vital for an IT Manager to problem solve. An outstanding manager is more than willing to go out of their way to find a solution to an issue before passing it off to someone else. A good way to get a feel for if a candidate is a problem solver, is to ask some real experience questions during the interview. –Andy Oliver- Technical Recruiting Manager 

If you’re looking for IT resources, one of our National Account Managers or subject matter experts can help you.  With a database of well over 2,000,000 candidates, memberships with most major job boards and expert recruiters standing by, finding your next IT Manager doesn’t have to be hard.