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Internet Executives

Experience, Skills, and Personality Traits

Since the executive position is not considered entry level, employers expect candidates for these jobs to have as many as five to ten years of experience at e-commerce companies. The person should have a history that includes promotions to higher level positions, increased responsibilities, and oversight of employees, budgets, and other company resources. Executives should be able to show they have successfully managed departments within a company or large parts of a company.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, computer-related executives may need more than 15 years of experience before obtaining executive-level positions. There are more executive-level positions available at large companies.

In addition to this experience, Internet executives should have some knowledge or experience in marketing, both traditional and online marketing, have extensive knowledge of successful e-commerce strategies and operations, and have excellent leadership, communication, and business skills.

Personally, executives should be very organized and have the ability to see the "big picture." They also need to be able to project future customer and market trends and be able to work with other leaders in the company to ensure the company meets or stays ahead of these trends.

There are a number of personal characteristics that make a successful executive, depending upon the specific responsibilities of the position. An executive who manages other employees should have good communication, decision-making, leadership, and interpersonal skills.

The ability to delegate work and think on your feet is often key in executive business management. A certain degree of organization is important, since executives often manage many different tasks simultaneously. Other traits considered important for top executives are intelligence, intuition, creativity, honesty, loyalty, and a sense of responsibility. Finally, successful executives should be interested in staying abreast of new developments in their industry and technology.

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