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Working in IT is not just about IT any more. The industry is maturing - it's not good enough to be a techno geek any more. Increasingly, IT people are expected to more fully understand the businesses they work for. After all, whatever the business specialises in doing is what ensures you have a job. Here are some tips for making yourself indispensable in an organisation...

1. Hone your interpersonal skills. Drop the jargon when speaking to non-technical colleagues. Accept that they won't be as interested or will need you to spend time explaining complex concepts. Be patient. Use your legendary love of caffeine - invite your colleagues for coffee and get to know them.

2. Treat your colleagues with respect. They will never know as much about the technology as you will, and they don't have to. That's your job. If you work with them to translate techno talk into business talk that relates to their needs, you will cement some valuable relationships and make yourself their key technology advisor. You may even end up as part of their management team.

3. Understand what the business priorities are. Ask your colleagues about what their interests and concerns in the business are, and use that information to provide ideas and solutions.

4. Be creative. IT people have a lot of non-technical skills in analysis, process improvement, project management and change management, among others. Look for opportunities to use those skills and get them noticed.

4. Market yourself. Position yourself as a business partner. They need a solution, you are the person to provide it. Hand your business card out. Make sure you have a presence on your company's intranet. Return calls and emails promptly.

Good luck! It's an exciting industry to be in, with lots of new opportunities.

Learn more about this author, Anita Coia.
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