What does IT support do?

IT support is a broad job category and the role responsibilities depend very much on the needs of a business or client. Often, however, an IT support worker will assist with the overall functioning of a business’s IT system or customers with technical support issues.

Within a business’s support team, they are often designated as the first point of contact for any IT troubleshooting issues. A business might even redirect calls or emails to an IT support team so that they can answer questions from clients, customers or other staff directly.

IT support skills and qualifications

While IT support workers need the technical know-how to solve IT-related issues, they also require good interpersonal skills. They should ideally recognise the importance of good customer service and understand how to communicate difficult concepts clearly. An IT support worker is often methodical and can explain solutions in a step-by-step manner which is understandable to someone with very little IT experience. Other skills and qualifications that are useful to IT support staff include:

• The ability to work one-on-one with clients as well as within a support team;
• The ability to break down an issue logically, providing a solution based on methodical problem solving;
• Being good at listening and understanding a technical issue to provide clear, unambiguous feedback;
• Having a steady disposition and being patient with technical setbacks or time-consuming problems;
• Having experience working across multiple operating systems like MacOS, Windows and Linux;
• Having some familiarity with command line shells like Terminal in MacOS or Command Prompt in Windows.

IT support experience requirements

An IT support worker often has previous experience working with computer systems, including hardware and software. The experience needed for this role will vary depending on its level of seniority, or how complex a company’s IT system is. Smaller companies might require an IT support worker who has experience setting up IT infrastructure from scratch.

IT support education and training requirements

As their job requires an understanding of knowledge that is complex and often changing, IT support staff often have on-the-job experience combined with relevant qualifications. This might be an IT-related degree, completed course or diploma.

IT support workers might have to enrol in training courses to keep their knowledge relevant and up to date. They can then demonstrate this via certifications which companies might ask for in a job application.

IT support salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for an IT support staff member in the UK is £26,418 per year. Salary is usually dependent on experience, location and company.

Job description samples for similar positions

If an IT support worker is not what you need, similar jobs that may be closer to what you want to advertise for include:

• IT Technician
• IT Specialist

IT support job description FAQs

What does a good IT support job description look like?

Firstly, think about how to outline the job title and duties clearly in the description. This includes any hardware and software they might have to work with, troubleshoot or maintain. If your company uses any cloud software or server technology, it is worth mentioning this in the job description as well. You can help attract strong candidates by stating a salary, perks, pension plan and any additional holiday pay that your company might offer.

How do you choose a good IT support CV?

Good candidates will often have demonstrable previous experience, perhaps working on an IT support desk in a similar role. They have a proven ability of being able to stay up to date with hardware and software packages. They may have enrolled on further training courses and have the certificates to prove it. IT support workers often need to continue to learn and will stand out with a university degree or diploma in a related field.