A minimum of 10 years of experience in lower-level accounting and finance positions is required to become a chief financial officer.
Key personality traits for CFOs include strong communication, interpersonal, organizational, and time-management skills; leadership ability; an analytical and detail-oriented personality; strong ethics; the ability to multitask and change gears as project requirements evolve; and a willingness to continue to learn throughout their careers. Chief financial officers must be familiar with venture capital funding accounting rules, reporting practices, and valuation methodology; have experience in project/deal financing; and be proficient in the use financial-related software and databases such as Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains, Oracle PeopleSoft, and SAP; data management software such as Microsoft Excel; and presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint.