The CIO, or Chief Information Officer has duties that some people are unclear about. What was true a decade ago has evolved into a different position today. CIOs used to spend all their time tending to the big mainframe computers and databases, which needed constant programming. Today, they spend their time working with the other company executives to see how they can increase profitability through advanced technology.

Because the Internet has become such a crucial marketing tool and part of a company's identity, the Internet presence and its utilization has become key factors in becoming successful. The enormous amount of newer technologies is constantly changing the marketplace as social networking sites' (such as Twitter and Facebook) presence become part of a company's sales or customer contact strategy.

The CEOs of many companies do not profess to know the intricacies of utilizing things like keywords, websites, building links, or email promotions for building a company's sales or cutting advertising costs. This is the reason many companies that did not previously have a CIO position may be looking for one now.

What the CEOs are looking for in a CIO has also changed. Initially, they looked for someone who knew a lot about IT and hooking up desktop computers. Today, they are looking for someone who can look at the business and help guide their technology strategies to improve the business through increased sales and more productive or cost effective marketing campaigns using advanced technology.

In a recent study, the successful CIO candidates are listing their skills with long-term strategic thinking and planning significantly ahead of their expertise in IT. They are also mentioning things like team leadership and collaboration. When you look at their previous experience, a majority of their prior experience is listed in IT operations, with very little experience in maybe consulting or operations and finance.

This shows the shift in the role of the CIO, and most successful job candidates in the field realize this shift in corporate philosophy. If you are not looking at a CIO position as something more than the IT position it once was, you will not be very successful in convincing potential employers. Instead, the emphasis has to be how you can use the knowledge of IT that you have to make the business money, which is the number one goal. The new CIO positions revolve around strategies, and overseeing projects with the changing culture of the company and the economy.

You can look at the CIO position as leading a project management team. The CEO may have the ultimate goal or direction for the company in mind, but the CIO has to be able to deliver high visibility projects with measurable results and be able to implement new systems, motivate the people around him, and demonstrate a solid knowledge of operations, strategy, and management by utilizing his IT skills and expertise to track the value and success of the projects. A successful CIO will bring more to the table than knowledge of IT; he will understand how it can be used to turn a company into a highly profitable organization.

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