Don't Call Yourself A Programmer, And Other Career Advice
[If you can't help someone, pass them to the appropriate person with a recommendation. Doing this right will make two people happy and more disposed to helping you in the future.]
[Sell solutions to increase revenue or decrease cost, nothing else.]
[The question 'What is your previous salary?' is about finding ways to pay you less money.]
[Always have counteroffers, including non-monetary ones. If they can't go higher on salary, talk about vacation.]
[Communication skills: describe the level of your programming abilities as stories of building systems that helped millions of kids to learn and made tons of money for the company.]
[Modesty is not career-enhancing in American business culture.]