Reader’s Choice 2013: Top IT Career Articles of 2013

The holidays will be a distant memory before long, but before we close out a fast-paced and disruptive 2013 let’s take a moment to look back at the IT career articles that most resonated with you over the last 12 months.

How to manage and work with millennials is a hot topic in the IT jobs sector. What is it about this generation that makes them so different from generations past? Or maybe they aren’t that different after all.

You have great IT skills and impressive technology experience, but if you don’t present your background effectively in your resume, you career may be going nowhere. To help you position yourself for success, we talk to career experts to identify the 16 most common resumes mistakes — and we offer advice on how to fix them.

Transformational leadership is only one style of management, but it has the potential to empower your workforce to do more than you thought possible.

More companies are adopting gamification to improve engagement with both employees and customers. Learn why gamification is an evolution in management practices, how to get started and where career opportunities lie.

ITIL is growing in demand and some employers are paying a premium for certifications and experience in the best practices methodology, but the first question is what exactly is ITIL and is it right for you or your company?

In CIO.com’s latest Resume Makeover, executive career coach Donald Burns works with an IT professional who’s won awards and worked for Fortune 500 companies, pharmaceutical businesses and in the government sector. The challenge: His resume was just a running list of the jobs he’s held. The goal: make his most impressive skills stand out.

Being an introvert isn’t the end of the world or your career. However, to be successful in the IT field today, you’ve got to overcome shyness and learn that it’s OK to ask for (and offer) help.

Landing a job interview feels great, but how much do you really know about your potential employer? Job listings often illicit more questions than provide answers. Knowing where to find inside information can mean the difference between getting a job from a great company and heading down the wrong path.

If you are in IT management long enough eventually you will have to fire someone. Knowing how to do it the right way can make it less impactful and emotional for all involved.

Everybody wants to be the boss, but do you really have what it takes to be a CIO? We talked to the experts and peeked into this year’s CIO Executive Council’s Ones to Watch awards nominations to home in on what it takes to succeed as a CIO.

Job hunting while you’re still working in your current position can be a double-edged sword. Candidates who are employed are typically more attractive to employers. However, it can be dangerous. Learn what it takes to balance your current job and your career search — without getting cut.

Bringing a new employee into your IT department has the potential to make or break your team. Avoid these common hiring mistakes and build a team of IT pros that fire on all cylinders.

In a competitive job market like IT, it’s tempting to accept an offer as soon as a company makes it. However, at this crossroad, careful deliberation is what’s in order. Choose unwisely and you may wind up back at square one.

Recognizing where you fall short in your management style and then developing a plan to strengthen those areas can mean the difference between being a boss and being a leader. It can also make a difference in how far you advance in your IT management career.