As the general coordinator for a technology firm or department, a technology coordinator handles a broad range of responsibilities, not all of which are necessarily technical in nature. If a job applicant lacks an academic or professional background in the technology sector, he or she might still be qualified to become a technology coordinator if the hirer places a priority on communication and administration skills. Experience with Internet research, interacting with suppliers, and acting as the main point of contact for an organization are all key functions of a tech coordinator role, and may provide the background that one needs in order to become a technology coordinator.
When a tech coordinator position opens up within a technology firm or technology department, organizations initially tend to take an inside-out approach toward hiring. If you work for an organization that is hiring a technology coordinator, but you happen to be employed in another department that is not tech-related, your working knowledge of how the organization functions as a whole could provide an advantage over outside applicants. Particularly if you already have coordinating experience within the organization, whether it be marketing, sales, or shipping coordination, you likely have the transferable skills required in order to become a technology coordinator.
A candidate who wants to become a technology coordinator but lacks professional experience in the organization that is hiring should emphasize his experience in a directly-related role, such as a technology assistant for another firm, when applying. Their CVs should reflect experience in exactly the areas of responsibility that are outlined in the job advertisement, and may include such tasks as researching competitive technologies, corresponding with colleagues, suppliers, and clients, and coordinating events such as tech trade shows. Many job advertisements for coordinator positions list “other tasks as required” among the job’s responsibilities, which usually indicates that the position is best-suited for an applicant that is willing to be flexible about his or her daily tasks in order to become a technology coordinator.
Occasionally, a technology coordinator's role might not require specific technological skills, but rather a broad knowledge of different technologies. Unlike a chief technology officer or manager, the technology coordinator is not expected to have an intricate knowledge of technological operations. The technology coordinator is, however, expected to field frequently asked questions about the technology from a client or customer’s point of view, and direct technical queries to the appropriate person.
