Not true, according to Loomis's Sadin. He says the closer you get to a trusted recruiter, the faster you can work. With an IT talent shortage, good recruiters are now essential to CIO success, Sadin says.

When Sadin joined Bank United in 1998 as a turnaround CIO, he needed to fill a critical director-level position. The national firm he had been working with wasn't cutting it so he gave a local recruiter, Tony Pannagl, a shot. Within weeks, Pannagl brought two qualified candidates, one of whom Sadin hired.

Later, when Sadin joined Aegis Mortgage, he had Pannagl set up an office inside the firm to help internal HR fill 70 open positions, doubling the IT staff. He's had Pannagl's cell number in his cell phone ever since.

"A CIO needs to have recruiting firms that understand how he or she thinks," he says. His shared history with Pannagl means positions are filled quickly, making Sadin more efficient. Pannagl's success rates are better than those of internal human resources groups he has worked with in the past, Sadin says.

To fill jobs, says Pannagl, the two talk about the business goals of Sadin's company. Then they compare people they both know in terms of personality, technology backgrounds and competencies. They've come up with about a dozen IT staff prototypes they refer to in these conversations, Pannagl says. Shorthand like that is "very important," adds Sadin, "especially in a high-change or high-pressure environment."

If a recruiter knows a CIO's plans three or six or more months out, he can earmark candidates for those future projects. "This intimate relationship with Wayne and his staff lets us understand the goals of the company, which allows us to screen candidates better," Pannagl says. "Wayne knows I'm not going to bite the hand that feeds me."

Illustration by Gary Hovland

The Publicist

We all know CIOs who can't talk business strategy as well as they should. Yet it's one of the most important skills a CEO wants from a CIO. Many technology leaders will admit to needing help to convey their ideas to colleagues above and below. A publicist can help with that, as well as build the CIO's reputation outside the company. A CIO with a good image can attract new talent to the IT department.

Chicago-based Wendy Serafin spotted this need when a former coworker became the CIO of her company, and few people outside of IT knew of his talents and achievements. She was working in the marketing department and knew she could get the word out about her modest IT friend better than he could himself. She did so, then started her own business handling communications for tech-exec clients.

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