It all boils down to this one idea, according to Vik Nath, recruiting director for digital marketing and technology resourcing firm Mondo.
"The really good people, the ones that are going to be at that high level where they're getting the highest paying jobs...not only understand the technical part but how it relates back to the business," Nath told Business Insider.
Nath says all of his clients have been asking for candidates that not only "talk geek" and understand the company's needs from an IT standpoint, but can also talk about how it will improve the overall business.
Ideally, a developer would be able to talk about how the project he or she would boost the company's sales, for example.
"A lot more companies are expecting more of candidates," Nath said. "About five or 10 years ago, a developer was a developer. They didn't have to be outgoing. They didn't have to understand the problems of the business."
Nath estimated salaries for mobile developers as being between $130,000 and $140,000 depending on your location and experience. For Dev Ops engineers - those whose job entails a mix of developer responsibilities and system administration - that range extends a little higher between about $130,000 and $160,000.
To land on the farther end of the spectrum, you'd want to show your employer that you can relate the tech side of the company to the business side.
The easiest way to do that, according to Nath, is by starting to collaborate with other departments more often.
"Candidates are starting to say, 'OK, if I want to get into this company, I really need to understand X,Y, and Z," Nath said. "And, if I want to understand X, Y, and Z, I need to go to and talk to the marketing department...Nowadays it's like most companies are looking for self starters that want to understand the business."