3. Practice open-and frequent-communication. And hold the jargon

Halamka believes that people's interest in him is a direct result of something he holds core: communication. "It is absolutely key," he says. To that end, he uses broadcast e-mails, public speaking and blogs to give as many folks as possible insight into his plans, doings, and accomplishments. He believes communicating on such a large scale creates openness and trust that isn't possible with a multitude of single-person or small-group e-mail threads. And such public conversations have a side benefit: "I actually avoid having to write hundreds of individual e-mails," he says.

Halamka's openness is not for the faint of heart, but his information sharing provides a lesson for all: Your colleagues, managers and customers are more likely to care about what you are doing, root for your success and help out when things get tough if they have clear visibility into what your daily workings and projects are. "The consequence of being so public at everything is that you become a personality," says Halamka. Being known as a good communicator makes others perceive him as more human, he adds. Being extremely visible with your communications turns you into a real person, not just "a CIO" or "a developer" and therefore others-even your customers and vendors-interact with you in a different way.

Of course, some of that communication should include talking about your achievements. You don't have to be an obnoxious self-promoter, but you need to share your successes with others. And a key piece of that communication is quantifying your achievements (which must include work on visible projects the company deems important) in terms of dollars. "So many people think they are the exception to the rule, 'my job can't be quantified in cost,'" Trunk says. But such ability is crucial. For one thing, talking numbers arms others with justification on why you should be given a promotion or raise. If you don't know how to do it, go to a resume consultant or other professional who can teach you how. One important point: Keep both your written and verbal conversations a jargon-free zone. Communication should be simple, clear and easy-to-understand. Remember, communication is a two-way process: If your audience doesn't understand what you're saying, then you haven't communicated.

Get noticed and get talked about: "Being a best-kept secret will not deliver the promotion or raise." Wendy Serafin, principal of marketing firm Nifares Group 4. Participate in social networks and media conversations about your passionate interests.

Contributing to the conversations on Web 2.0 venues and more traditional media outlets can allow a greater number of people to see you as an expert in your field, create new job opportunities and aid in recruitment efforts as your company's Google presence grows. (And as a side benefit, such participation will help you learn about new things that matter to you.)

You should be participating in the social media forums that feel relevant for you: blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and so on, says Trunk. "We're past the point where you can successfully self-promote by just telling your message to everyone and expecting them to listen, it's about conversation, and social media is the way people are having conversations." Trunk says to make sure you are genuinely engaged with people-the worst thing you can do is participate merely to promote yourself. Such activity will turn people off from you (having the opposite effect you're looking for) and could get you labeled a spammer by the site.

On top of building your general media presence on social networks, you may wish to be written up in more traditional publications and websites. One way to get a bit of visibility is to leave comments on online articles that you care about in a respectful, intelligent way (and be sure you spell-check), along with your full name and contact information. Also, don't be shy, either, about e-mailing writers to tell them you enjoy their work.

After you know you that you've established presence either through such participation or by some other publicity you're sure journalists would see as relevant, Serafin suggests introducing yourself to journalists you admire through e-mail, by phone or at a conference, and offering yourself as a potential article source.

And be patient, says Serafin. It takes time to cultivate relationships with reporters, sources and thought experts.