1. Employment Profile: What exactly does a Corporate CFO do? |
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 What field is your job in?
Accounting/Financial Services
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What is your job title?
Corporate CFO
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Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for
(size and general description of what type of organization it is)
I work for a financial services firm ( corporation )of approximately 80 employees, mostly CPA's and Pa's, with a few financial advisors and economic specialists. We provide a broad range of services to the public, including tax preparation for both individuals and small to medium businesses, as well as financial advise for IRA's, stock portfolios and all long and short term investments.
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How long have you been employed in this position?
16 years
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How many hours do you work a week on average?
40
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Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
I am the Chief Financial Officer. I handle all financial dealings of the entire company, including Profit and Loss, financial directives, tax filings, as well as supervise a group who prepare our own tax forms, and supervise both payroll and HR.
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What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
$58,950
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What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
76000
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Please
list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation,
sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
profit sharing, retirement, stock and savings match funding, medical and dental insurance, 2 weeks paid vacation, sick leave, personal leave
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Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
I am under compensated
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2. Work environment! |
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Does
your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this
something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
My job requires me to supervise around 35 people and work extensively with many others on most days. I dislike this part of my job intensely as I have little patience with people. I dislike procrastination, chatting at work, and the general failure to pay attention to oral instructions or to read and understand written instructions. If given a choice I had rather do all the paper work myself then to suffer through the constant and repeated errors, and dealing with those who fail to do their job well or who put off work, spend too much time taking personal phone calls, or chatting at work about things of no import or of little consequence.
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Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
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Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
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Describe
your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what
you like/dislike about working in it
Most of my work is done in my own private office at the corporate offices, although we have two or more conference meetings per week, which I am required to attend with other executives like myself. A small amount of my work is done at home, usually on my laptop, which I don't mind at all as I can smoke at home and relax with no interruptions.
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Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
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1 Income
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2 Work Environment - co-workers
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5 Work Environment - supervisors
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3 Benefits
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8 Hours
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7 Level of responsibility
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4 The actual "work" you do at your job
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6 Job Title
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3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours? |
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If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Make sure to get a major four year degree in a strictly financial field, such as economics, with a minor in accounting, and if at all possible, from a large university of good reputation. Be willing to work some mediocre jobs for smaller income levels for some years before getting into the area of not just accounting or working as a "controller" or "comptroller" but as a Chief Financial Advisor like my job title. Be very honest and dependable in all positions and make sure to build up references from reputable companies over the years. Always be above reproach, with absolutely no criminal record or financial problems such as a bankruptcy of your own or any impropriety. This probably isn't a position one could manage to acquire, or keep for any length of time, without having a real forte for math, a heavy background in finance and general accounting. Some work in law accounting and cost accounting provides a good background basis for added interest in your resume. Make sure your resume is a "power" one and as absolutely perfect and professional as possible.
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What
skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a
position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social
skills, organization skills, technical skills)
Heavy math skills, along with knowledge in the workings of the financial world as a whole and a genuine interest in finance are required. Strong organization skills are needed, as well, and the ability to quickly learn new computer programs used in accounting or database. Since there is a lot of "supervisory" work included in this position, as well as some "presentation" during conferences, a good clear speaking voice, a wide vocabulary, and an articulate manner of speech is necessary, along with a good memory for names and faces. Mostly the skills needed are a good head for figures and understanding calculations, good memory skills as to remembering tax laws, good skills at research of tax law and financial resources.
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Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes, a minimum of a Bachelors degree in economics is needed, although a Masters in the field will get you into a top position much faster. An added MBA is also helpful, although not a requirement.
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What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be absolutely certain you can maintain an interest in the field and not be prone to burn out quickly as this is sometimes a very boring, yet high stress position and field. Best advice is to always stick to schedules and deadlines and start all projects as early as possible, when the needed data is first available. Dress well, project confidence, and don't ever expect your job to be exciting, nor predictable.
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