Chief Information Officers: Job Description, Education, Skills and Duties, Earnings and Outlook
Submitted by: paula
Job Overview Chief Information Officers are better known as information system directors. As the chief or the leader officer in the information department of a company, he/she is responsible in handling all the aspects of the information technology in the entire company. The knowledge on the following such as technology and business are utilized to be able to accomplish the company's goals. Routine activities that the department performs include the following: research, purchasing, set-up monitoring, and overseeing the use of technologies such as internet, intranet, and other types of computer networks.
Education, Knowledge and Trainings Required
Among the helpful subjects that can be taken as preparatory subjects in high school are business subjects, computer science as well as English classes. Although there are no specific requirements as to what course is needed to become a CIO, courses in Business Administration and degrees that provide both computer and business trainings are preferred. Another course that is recommended is the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. Another track to take is first finishing a degree in Management then taking a post graduate training in Information Management and Systems afterwards.
Skills and Abilities
As people who hold a top position in the department, management and leadership skills are very crucial. These are helpful in the overall supervision of the projects, movements and activities of the staff and the staff themselves in the department. Leadership skills may be helpful in influencing people to do thier best in their respective tasks so as to maintain or even increase the quality of the service and the performance of their deparmtent. Teaching skills and helping skills are needed to effectively mentor subordinates about the ins and outs of the job.
Good organizational skills are required as they will be working with tons of information or data to be kept collated, organized or sequenced and interpreted.
Duties
Chief Information officers work in a variety of settings for various types of employers. This may include the government agencies, colleges and universities, libraries as well as business establishments, companies and corporations. They are in charge of overseeing the information system department and supervising the staff and the activities everyday. Most of their time is spent on doing negoitiations regarding vendor contracts, doing strategic planning and building teams to carry out the plans.They may be involved more specifically in research, purchasing, set-up monitoring, and overseeing the use of technologies such as internet, intranet, and other types of computer networks as needed by the department.
Job Outlook and Earnings
The salary of a chief information officer largely depends on the size of the company, type of the firm and the state of practice. A CIO can earn around as low as 36,000 U.S. dollars to 141,000 U.S. dollars per annum. Others who are working on the business sector who have already established a certain reputation in the information technology may earn around 450,000 U.S. dollars per year. The rate of employment is also expected to grow as fast as the average for the other professions.
Paula Hiz is a researcher and a human resource specialist who helps newly graduates, job applicants and post graduate professionals be aware of their job opportunities and available trainings for skills and practice upgrading.
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Word Count: 548 Date: Thu, 25 Nov 2010 Time: 6:50 PM
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