The problem you identify is very real. Many internal audit departments in corporate America and almost all public accounting firms focus heavily on hiring people who can come into the organization with less than five years of experience and rotate up or out in the next three years. But these are departments that have rotation programs. In these companies internal audit is meant to groom people for future roles in the company.

Fortunately there are also a fair number of audit groups that prize your years of experience. How do you find them? Go to meetings of the IIA and ISACA and ask the more mature people in attendance where they work and how well they like their companies. Network! Ironically in most parts of the nation the IIA and ISACA chapters are run almost entirely by the audit groups that prize more years of experience. In fact the audit departments that have rotation programs seldom attend chapter meetings; their auditors are usually too busy traveling and also don't want to be perceived as being too closely aligned with the audit profession. After all, they are merely passing through audit using it as a steppingstone to what they really want to do next in their careers.

Executive recruiters can also be helpful in landing you a new job. An experienced recruiter should know the philosophies and approaches of each client company's audit department. They can steer you towards the ones that are seeking your skill set and experience and help you avoid the frustration of being rejected by the organizations that follow the General Electric pattern of rotating people. As a rule financial services firms and utilities tend to prize more experienced people over technology companies. And the government and non-profit sectors thrive on hiring people with many years of experience.