Good tech, business skills give you hiring advantage

As companies work to protect their networks and in-house technology, the demand for IT professionals continues to grow.

According to Robert Half Technology's 2008 Salary Guide, the workers most in demand include chief information-technology officers, project managers, database managers, Web developers and help-desk support.

Employers want workers with technology skills as well as broad business knowledge, according to the guide.

Chief technology officer: Oversees product offerings to clients; responsible for delivering services to customers; makes sure infrastructure and servers are properly designed. Job candidates should be methodical, subject-matter experts and have managerial experience.

"In addition to a degree in computer science, they should have past business experience and be able to understand the decisions they are making," said Ron Brubarger of Bitwise Solutions.

Training: Bachelor's degree in computer science.

Pay range: $128,017 to $212,100

Project manager: Responsible for putting together project specifications. Makes sure documents are relayed to clients; balances and manages resources to make sure commitments to clients are kept. Responsible for starting projects and making sure they are delivered to the client. Should have organizational and people skills.

How to land it: Bachelor's degree. PMI certification preferred.

Pay range: $77,265 to $112,615

Help-desk support: May take phone inquiries to troubleshoot and manage simple or complex network issues. Typically divided into three tiers, depending on skills. Should be knowledgeable in software and network troubleshooting.

"More and more companies are relying on their help desk not only to take the calls and troubleshoot, but take care of [other tech] issues at the local level," said Nick Fletcher, division director of Robert Half Technology in Indianapolis.

Training: Bachelor's degree.

Pay range: $79,033 to $109,838

Web developer: Plans, designs, develops, tests, edits, maintains and documents the look and flow of Web sites. Interviews clients to help them establish a site. Should be able to design Web sites and have good communication skills.

"We are finding the most highly skilled professionals in this area are harder to find; therefore companies are compensating highly to entice people to stay or join their work force," Fletcher said.

How to land it: Bachelor's degree.

Pay range: $57,823 to $87,113.