A
recent academic study looked at
executive trends among Fortune 100
companies, and it turned up some
very interesting insights. Some are
trends that could impact your future career
trajectory, and are therefore worth paying
attention to — especially if you have at least
one career move still in your future career-
management plan. Four trends stand out.
1
Anomalies
The percentage
of executive women
is on the rise. That
is great news for
women. For men,
you just might find
you have some
additional, unexpected competition.
Male or female, it is, and will remain, about
your value. If you want to win the position,
you cannot default to what you’ve done. You
must compete on how you solve problems
and deliver. Value has become the great
mitigator of all things negative, leveling the
playing field among men and women, even
within the male-dominated world of finance.
There has also been an uptick in leaders
who have been educated outside the U.S. That
tends to fit with the trend of international
experience — not just supervising from the
U.S., but also living in other countries —
adding to a candidate’s marketability.
In the future, the most marketable CFOs
will bring both international and technolog-
ical expertise to the role, and we are already
seeing those two skill sets sought in today’s
finance chief.
2
Experience
Not too surprising-
ly, financial companies
that were forced to
restructure because
of the continuing
economic instability
are choosing to hire
executives from outside rather than
grooming existing talent and promoting from
within the organization.
What is interesting to me is the trend of
not only hiring from the outside, but going
outside the industry as well. A few years ago,
it was difficult to change industries. Today, with
the right value messaging, a well-positioned
and visible problem-solving executive can
move easily between industries.
3
Tenure
With the
continuing
economic
uncertainty, it’s
not surprising
that executive
tenure has also
lengthened. I believe executives are choosing
to stay in their jobs longer for two reasons:
1) What they have, no matter how stressful,
painful, and/or exhausting, is better than the
unknown; and 2) Fewer opportunities
translates to stiffer competition among the
most-qualified candidates.
I’m finding this trend to be true of chief
financial officers as well, because there are
only so many open CFO positions.
Longer tenure goes hand-in-hand with age.
Executives aren’t really getting that much
younger. If you bring something of value that
a company wants and will pay to get, you are
still marketable despite your age. The average
CFO is still in the 45 to 60+ age range.
4
Education
Your degree is
important, and the
Master of Business
Administration
(MBA) is still king.
Even the coveted
CPA is often listed
with an MBA in
corporate job descriptions. And the number
of men and women holding a business degree
is almost evenly split.
Important to remember is the quality of
the graduate school; they are not all created
equal. If you are thinking about an MBA,
consider that elite candidates rank higher
among outside hires than those groomed
from within, with emphasis on “elite.”
As you execute your personal career
management plan, remember: Dinosaurs
are now extinct. Trends are very important
and a candidate who is willing to embrace
change to stay aligned with career trends
will be the most effective in his or her
efforts to win new opportunities.
C
Executive Career Trends
Today’s trends bode well for your future
CINDY KRAFT
The CFO-Coach
Cindy Kraft is the CFO-Coach and America’s leading Career & Personal Brand Strategist for Corporate Finance Executives, helping clients understand their marketability, articulate their
value, and position themselves as the clear and compelling choice. She is a Certified Reach Personal Brand Strategist, Certified Reach Online Identity Strategist, Certified Career Management
Coach, Credentialed Career Master, Certified Professional Resume Writer, and Job & Career Transition Coach. Cindy can be reached via email,
; by phone, 813-655-
0658; or through her website at
Learn more about the author
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2nd QUARTER 2014
