If you are a consultant with the ambition of one day becoming a CIO, take notice: it's not an easy transition. You may want the job, but big companies may not want you. Large companies tend to shy away from candidates with consulting backgrounds. They worry that consultants do not have the political savvy to operate with an existing IT staff or within a limited budget, according to Steve Kendrick, an executive recruiter with Spencer Stuart's global information officers practice. Kendrick says it's better to avoid recruiting firms and to market yourself to small and midsize companies if you want to become a CIO. It may be a big plus for smaller companies seeking to grow and wanting your experience working with different industries or even with other companies in the same industry.
But don't despair if you've hit a wall. There are consultants out there who have made the transition, and their stories are good ones to follow. Brian O'Connell, for example, the CIO at Hartford Life, showed that he was qualified for the job when he consulted on a project for The Hartford Financial Services Group while he worked for Accenture. A page out of any success story is one that can be an inspiration and evidence that you, too, can become a CIO.
For more on becoming a CIO:
- See this CIO Magazine story. Article
