Four Career Tips for Financial Executives

Four Career Tips for Financial Executives Chief Financial Officers and other financial executives have usually already journeyed a long career path to get into their current position. However, once professionals have reached the realm of financial executive management, many find it hard to stay there, or worse, hard to even keep their job. The difficulty of keeping and grooming your financial management career is of course interwoven with the scarcity of options. Executive jobs in finance and CFO roles are few and far between. Even for professionals not directly in the search for a new job, the scarcity of alternative positions does not help the relative strength of the executives position with their current company. With usually very few alternative career options available to them, it is all the more imperative for financial executives to mind their careers and follow a plan.Financial executives are usually highly analytical even in relation to their own careers. They tend to plan better than average when it comes to their professional advancement. However, there are of course many common mistakes that financial executives make. These four career tips are meant to help drive continued career success.1. Be careful when divining the futureFinancial executives are judged not only on their ability to report and interpret past results and drive new business decisions, but also on how they forecast future growth and budgets. Financial executives often get trapped into divining the business results on operations that they know little about. Remember to be very cautious when providing forecasts. One key rule to follow is to involve the business operations of particular projects in your data plans. Get sign-off from the executive management of each department on your numbers and let them be the one to look into a crystal ball.2. Network outside your companyFinancial executives are not only judged on the internal controls and management which they drive, but also on their external relationships which they cultivate. Top financial executives network in areas which will benefit their company. If you work at a public company, financial executives should build strong relationships with investment banks if at a small start-up, they should be involved in the venture capital community. Get involved with the financial community that most directly impacts the future of your company.3. Branch out within your companyFinancial executives often surround themselves with number crunchers and other executive managers. As it is very important to involve the stakeholders in your forecasting, it is as vital to develop business understanding through conversations with other departments. The number one differentiator between a good financial executive and a great one is depth of business and industry knowledge. This knowledge can only be developed through a deep understanding of your own internal company workings. Network with line management, Human Resources, product development, RD, and IT the goal of a top financial executive should be to become the employee with the most comprehensive knowledge of how the company operates.4. Get involved with developing talentExecutives are often judged more on the performance of their department and their reports than simply on their own merits. However, financial executives often find people management and talent development skills quite foreign from their background andskill-set. The ability to select, nourish, and sustain talent in a department is however a very important differentiator between financial executives. If you often delegate the responsibility of selection and development of your people to either management or an outside consulting firm, you are missing out on a very important opportunity. Simply put, the people behind you will make your career. Ongoing advancement of those employees skills and abiliti es will be the compounding factor in your performance.Keeping your career in financial management moving forward is a difficult task. CFOs even feel that their careers have plateaued once they reach the top financial role. Being overworked andunder-appreciatedoftenaggravatesthe feeling of malaise.However, a properly cared for career can always be advanced. These four career tips are designed to help keep your financial management career moving forward and to put you in a place of strength in your negotiations. Hope you enjoyed these suggestions if you have additional thoughts, let us know

Police Information Technology Officer

Police Information Technology OfficerPolice Information Technology OfficerTechnology has changed so rapidly over the past several decades that its difficult to keep track, much less up to date with, all of the advancements those changes present. And there are few career fields where technology offers as many opportunities and pitfalls as policing, which is why many agencies now offer law enforcement technology officer jobs to keep up with the ever-changing technological world. Job Function of a Law Enforcement Technology Officer The entire historical timeline of criminal justice and criminology is full of technological and other advancements by an enterprising officer and scientists who found ways to make the job easier, more effective and more efficient. But whereas changes were once gradual and incremental, the so-called technology curve has made tracking and implementing technologies for industries like law enforcement a full-time job. A police technology officer plans, direct s and guides technology decisions for her department. She does this by applying her experience and knowledge of law enforcement principles and practices in combination with knowledge of computing and other technologies and overall technological vision. Essentially, a law enforcement technology officers job is to ensure the departments current technologies continue to work properly while at the same time looking forward to identify technologies on the horizon that can help police officers and agencies carry out their missions. Technology officers oversee the maintenance of current systems and the purchasing of new systems and equipment. They also identify technologies that may affect the law enforcement community in the ever-changing social and technological landscape. In short, the job of the law enforcement technology officer is to prepare police departments for the future, wherever that may lead. Job Requirements Often, the specific requirements for a law enforcement technolog y officer are loosely defined. The two most important qualifications, though, are a background actually working as sworn police officer and a better-than-average understanding and appreciation for computer systems and technology. Technology officers often first become police officers and work their way into the potion, either because of a prior personal or professional background in technology. Training Law enforcement technology officers receive both formal and informal training. They attend seminars and conferences to stay up-to-date on police and other technologies. They can also attend specific computer and information technology-related training programs to improve their skills and working knowledge. Salary Technological systems and infrastructure are critical to any modern police department. Because of this, technology officers need to have the unique know-how to understand what needs to be done and the authority to make it happen. Technology officers often hold high r anks within their departments and enjoy higher salaries, often earning more than $100,000 per year. Job Prospects Police technology sections, while critical, are often small, meaning opportunities are hard to come by. The best way to have a chance at working in police technology is to hone your technological knowledge and skills while continuing to serve your community. Volunteer to assist with major technology implementations within your department, read and stay up to date on police tech, and develop a vision for your agency so that youre ready and able to ace the job interview when a position does come available in your department. Consider Becoming a Law Enforcement Technology Officer? Just as law enforcement isnt a job for just anyone, not everyone has an interest or background in technology. If youre a person with a unique combination of law enforcement experience and technological know-how, though, a job as a police technology officer can be the perfect criminology ca reer for you.