Features: 5 ways to find employment in a technical role

With a highly educated graduate market in the UK and the boom in big data we have access to, the technical sector is flourishing

Maths, computer science and statistics were once seen as a prerequisite for a career in finance and business analysis. Now, many analytic companies are specifically looking for the skills that these degrees give you.

If you are a recent graduate you may struggle to find out the skills these employers are looking for. Although you may feel you have the necessary attributes, here is an overview of the things ResponseTap , an analytics company based in Manchester, think are important in their industry.

Be analytical and creative

Being able to be both creative and technical are attributes which are increasingly sought after. Showing a strong numerical and statistical understanding and applying it in a creative and commercial way is also essential.

Key tip: Develop understanding of excel and get creative.

Ask questions

The digital technical sector is still very adolescent; no set rules about what to do and how to do it exist. Taking a very entrepreneurial approach to your job is important and keeping up to date with industry developments is vital if you are to become a specialist in your role.

Having your own ideas is exactly what companies (especially small busSMEs) look for. It is important that you are someone that asks 'why?', not just someone who accepts the conventional wisdom of the industry.

Key tip: Fully embrace the industry you are moving into, have your own ideas, always ask why.

Make things happen

Linking closely with innovation, you have to be able to make things happen. It is no good being an ideas guru if you are not going to be able to back them up with actions, and employers will recognise this.

This again leads back to undertaking your own personal project and showing the employer that you are keen to do so. This could be a blog, a tool or even a report, showing that you are interested in the industry enough to do it in your free time.

Key tip: Set up a blog looking at industry news, develop a tool or produce a report on data.

Be a team player

Working well with others is important in every job, and a technical role is no different. You will have to speak regularly with your colleagues and clients, often explaining complex information in a manner that is easily understandable.

Be able to show your potential employers a few situations where you have worked well with others (such as booking a group holiday, winning a university team competition or working behind a bar). Detail a problem that you faced, how you came up with an idea to solve it, how you worked in the team and the outcome.

Always use the first person when talking about the situations. Although it may have been a team effort, the employer will want to know what you did specifically. This will give your employer a good idea of your processes and team work skills.

Key tip: Think about times you have worked in a team, and detail your past experiences.

Keep learning

Unless you apply for a developer position, your most important skill will be the ability to understand technical applications more than writing code. It is a huge advantage if you are able to write code, but that doesn't mean it is an absolute requirement.

More often than not, you will be working on a pre-built piece of software, and it is more important that you are picking up new processes quickly rather than being ultra-specialised in a niche. Being able to identify problems and come up with a way of solving them is probably more beneficial to employers than the ability to write something from scratch.

Key tip: Prove that you are more than a developer and that you can pick up new processes quickly.