A: What follows below, is by no means an exhaustive list of competencies, skills, and attributes, but it should give you an idea of the competencies that we see at the Senior Management level. Very important to note: People who rise up through the ranks are EXCELLENT networkers, both inside and outside their organizations. A little luck might be involved too, but being in the right place at the right time is generally a result of networking and strategic analysis of the information gathered through networking activities.

A short list of key competencies —

• Strategic thinking
• Excellent communication skills
• Knows and communicates the value of internal controls and how they relate to overall enterprise strategy
• Excellent political savvy
• Able to tailor the message to the audience
• Expert in influence and persuasion
• Charismatic leadership style
• Able to recruit, retain, manage and develop staff

A short list of key tactical experiences leading to leadership promotions —

• Successful management of a large, highly visible program (s)
• Attention to bottom-line results and delivering cost-savings, process improvement, or other quantifiable ROI
• Participation in executive committees
• Participation in presentations and projects that interface with C-suite (CFO, CEO, CIO, etc.), and the Board / Audit Committee

Resume attributes —

• Few career changes (job-hopping is generally not viewed positively)
• Upward progression
• Movement into positions of greater strategic scope and management responsibility
• Cross-disciplinary positions (e.g., the IT person who moves into business unit role outside of core IT, etc.)
• Having been tapped by Sr. management to take on special projects or important roles
• Ability to articulate contributions to the organization, and if possible, quantify them in terms of ROI / $$ / time-saved / relationships enhanced, etc.

Additional attributes —

• Graduate degree — MS in Computer Science, MIS, Information systems or similar; MBA; Masters of Accounting (from an accredited, name-brand institution)
• Certifications — typically several that mirror career development and / or specialization of skill set
• Involvement in professional organizations (IIA, ISACA, ISSA, etc.)
• Speaking engagements (e.g., IIA, ISACA, ISSA; or respected training organizations, e.g., MISTI)
• Author of white papers or articles for recognized / respected industry journals