When it comes to the most in-demand skills and making yourself a high-value candidate to potential employers, there is only so much IT professionals can do at short notice.

Employees should be doing many of the self-improvement activities on a day-to-day basis, not just looking to make themselves more attractive to likely employers when they suddenly decide they want to move.

A whole range of options begin to open up if the candidate starts to think about the skills market in a longer-term way. To maximise career opportunities, IT professionals should continually review their aspirations, contacts and qualities.

There are three main categories to consider: performance and contribution; the power of the network; CV presentation and interview performance.

Performance

Proving you have a range of abilities should be your key focus. Understanding how you can improve – and demonstrate that importance to other individuals – will require you to provide answers to the following questions:

Am I well-regarded by my boss and peer group – and what would I need to do to become more respected?

How am I adding value to the organisation I work for?

What opportunities are there for me to increase my contribution, both inside or outside the scope of my current responsibilities?

The most successful and effective IT managers and chief information officers are increasingly those that make a contribution outside of a purely technical role.

Think about what working outside the confines of the technology environment could mean for you, and what opportunities might exist outside of your current situation.

Also review your objectives for this year. They should relate to strategic business goals; if they do not, you would do well to revisit them with your boss.

Remember that career growth is mostly about being good at what you do, and you will find that opportunities tend to present themselves on the back of your success.

The power of the network

Networking in a career context has two main objectives: publicising your successes in business, and getting you in a position to identify potential career opportunities.

Successful networking concerns a combination of activities, such as attending and contributing to conferences and thought leadership events, nurturing important relationships, and selectively staying in touch with ex-colleagues.

Think also about people from your social network and other networks, such as parents from your children’s school, old schoolfriends and university alumni. The internet is playing an increasingly important role, with social networking sites such as LinkedIn providing a personalised contacts database.