While the movement of more business executives into the CIO office will create more competition for traditional technology leaders seeking the same role, it may also create opportunities for them. "The business people will need to surround themselves with deep, dyed-in-the-wool technologists," says Horowitz.

Prediction: It will be harder to get CIO jobs.

Most experts interviewed for this article say job opportunities will abound for CIOs in 2008, but competition for them will be stiffer.

"As computers become faster, as bandwidth increases, as technology capabilities increase significantly year over year and as business users and CEOs become more comfortable investing in technology, we're seeing technology leveraged more and more," says Groce. And that creates opportunities for CIOs.

Even if the economy slows, there will still be demand for IT leaders. "Downturns and cost containment, to a degree, force greater leveraging of technology resources," says Groce.

Pappalardo believes the spike in CEO turnover will result in more CIO turnover and create new openings for CIOs. Think Citigroup, Motorola and Sprint Nextel to name just a few companies that have announced CEO changes over the past several months.

Whether the market is hot or cold, experts agree that it won't be easy to get CIO jobs. "There's been a lot of M&A activity. When one company gets acquired, that's one less [CIO] job," says Forrester's Hios. Applebee's CIO Mike Czenige lost his job after International House of Pancakes purchased his employer in November.

"I always think it's very difficult for CIOs to get jobs," says Horowitz. "There are only so many slots available and only so many truly, deeply, qualified CIOs who can say they've been there and done that."

The due diligence process companies go through when hiring a CIO is also much more rigorous today than it was five years ago, according to Groce, and that makes it harder for CIOs to get jobs. "CEOs and, in some cases, boards are more involved because they view the CIO as a key strategic member of the executive team," he says.

Prediction: Business references will become more important than technical references when vying for CIO jobs.

Groce advises IT leaders to compile a list of businesspeople as references to give to recruiters and hiring managers. He also recommends tactfully dropping the names of these people during interviews so you can explain how you helped them.

"If I look at a slate of 12 candidates, the ones who impress me are those who can fluently talk about so-and-so who ran a $2 billion division, the things they did for her and who suggest I give her a call, says Groce. "The CIO selected for the great role is the one who can point to three or four leaders of multibillion-dollar P&Ls they've worked for, not to former CIOs they've worked for."

SIDEBAR: Three Things IT Leaders Need to Do to Earn Promotions in 2008

1. Run the IT department like a profit and loss center.



2. Generate ideas for business growth and work with a business unit head to implement them.



3. Solve business problems. "You want executives coming to you with IT issues and issues that have nothing to do with IT because you're a good problem-solver," says Stephen Pickett, vice president and CIO of transportation services company Penske.