Career Boost is a monthly column on CIO.com designed to help IT professionals advance in their careers. Written by executive recruiters, career coaches and leadership development experts, Career Boost provides practical advice on a variety of topics including networking, salary negotiation, interviewing, switching industries, career paths and much more.

Salaries: Seven Tips for Getting What You Want
Hashing out pay and perks with a prospective employer is fraught with risk. Follow these tips to negotiate the tricky salary question with confidence and sophistication.
By Debra Feldman

Becoming a Change Leader
If you want your organization to achieve its goals—and stand out from the pack when competing for jobs—you need to lead change effectively.
By Maya Townsend

Leadership & Generation X
How understanding the relevance of generational dynamics can invigorate your leadership potential.
By Deborah Gilburg

Five Tips for Making Progress In Your Career While Staying Put
By taking on developmental or stretch assignments, you can expand your skill set and develop your leadership capabilities—and thus your marketability—without spending all that time and effort job-hunting.
By Cynthia McCauley

Generation X: Stepping Up to the Leadership Plate
How to leverage the mind-share of retiring baby-boomers to advance your career.
By Deborah Gilburg

Seven Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Top IT Talent
The IT departments that effectively support and enable their companies in the next decade will be the ones that have enough of the best people. Your career hinges on your ability to hire the best.
By David Reff

How to Make the Most of those Holiday Networking Sessions
Season festivities present ample opportunities to network in relaxed, convivial settings. Savvy job seekers don't dread these social events; they embrace them, and you should too.
By Debra Feldman

Create a Smart Succession Plan
Without a succession plan, your retention rates will suffer—and so will your own ability to advance in your career.
By Martha Heller

Getting Your Name Out There: Four Simple Steps to Worldwide Fame
How the CIO can achieve a measure of fame and publicity in four simple steps.
By Martha Heller

Managing Competing IT Priorities
Here four of the most effective actions you can take to manage your organization's priorities.
By Maya Townsend

How to Go from CIO to IT Consultant
Here are three ways to pursue a career as a consultant.
By Martha Heller