How do people get upper level/exec jobs they are not qualified for?

[Anonymous]

I have seen several examples recently, both within my organization and in others, of unqualified or under qualified candidates landing high level positions (VP finance, CFO etc). This is within the accounting/finance field. What gives? I feel like I am working myself to the bone and have so much varied experience, but whenever these positions come up, the qualifications they purport to require are vast, yet repeatedly people are hired who do not have half the experience or qualifications listed. How?

[Anonymous]

Depends on the company size but most people I’ve seen in these roles do have both big 4 and large publicly traded company experience.

[Anonymous]

Neoptism
Go along to get along.
Overconfidence
Resume fluffing
Height (tall people are promoted more)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Neoptism
Go along to get along.
Overconfidence
Resume fluffing
Height (tall people are promoted more)

Gender. Is a man.

At one point my F500 company had so many male executives in our unit named Dave, it was ridiculous.

I'm reminded of this because today I was on a web call with a Dave executive I've never seen before. He looks like a Dave executive that retired 3 years ago. Like they could be brothers.

[Anonymous]

Connections. Getting your foot in the door is most of it.

[Anonymous]

Because a lot of the qualities that are valued and necessary for senior leadership roles are different than the technical skills needed for mid-level roles.

Plenty of people share I’m not qualified for my job but what they don’t understand is I can lead a team, make decisions and present to senior leaders.

There are plenty of employees who think they know more than I do, but you couldn’t have them put a presentation together and present at a board meeting. Or they can’t lead a team meeting and be effective.

Also lost jobs are BS and no one really knows what they are doing especially the employees who think they are doing something important.

[Anonymous]

Most of them have been canned before. There is something about being canned that can build resilience and scrappiness.

I got canned from an IC role at a prestigious firm and ended up in a high profile executive role at a slightly-less prestigious firm. Once you get that first exec role, it's easy to bounce to another exec role.

But I wouldn't have known all this unless I had the experience of being canned. And, of course, it happened while my spouse was newly pregnant. I had 4 months of severance and just hounded people in my network. Had two competing offers and started 2 weeks before my severance was ending. 40% pay jump, way more visibility and responsibility.

[Anonymous]

The Peter principle is a concept in management developed by Laurence J. Peter which observes that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to "a level of respective incompetence": employees are promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent.

[Anonymous]

Nepotism.

[Anonymous]

Usually connections at the org. Occasionally looks or they may be politically connected.

[Anonymous]

Connections and confidence. They may have worked with someone highly placed in the organization who vouched for them. Also, you say they are underqualified compared to you, but did you actually apply for the job? Are they actually able to do the job once hired?

Also, as an accounting professional, the work just isn't that hard. If you're truly working yourself to the bone you might be doing some things that are unnecessary and creating extra work and the higher ups notice that about you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because a lot of the qualities that are valued and necessary for senior leadership roles are different than the technical skills needed for mid-level roles.

Plenty of people share I’m not qualified for my job but what they don’t understand is I can lead a team, make decisions and present to senior leaders.

There are plenty of employees who think they know more than I do, but you couldn’t have them put a presentation together and present at a board meeting. Or they can’t lead a team meeting and be effective.

Also lost jobs are BS and no one really knows what they are doing especially the employees who think they are doing something important.

I love how “making decisions” is a skill. I’m a technical IC, I make great presentations for my executive to present, and I am capable of speaking in front of audience as I’ve given several technical presentations to leadership.

But I’m not promoted because I’m not “executive presence” according to my VP, which I assume is code for superficial appearance factors and that I grew up dirt poor so have no connections to leverage for bringing in work.

[Anonymous]

Without more information, it's impossible to tell if this is a story of you not having leadership/communication skills and of their jobs not actually requiring the expertise you think they do, or of unqualified applicants getting jobs for bad reasons. Both happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have seen several examples recently, both within my organization and in others, of unqualified or under qualified candidates landing high level positions (VP finance, CFO etc). This is within the accounting/finance field. What gives? I feel like I am working myself to the bone and have so much varied experience, but whenever these positions come up, the qualifications they purport to require are vast, yet repeatedly people are hired who do not have half the experience or qualifications listed. How?

In my company is who you know.... recommendations/referrals.

They rather hire someone who is familiar to them or comes from another familiar company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of them have been canned before. There is something about being canned that can build resilience and scrappiness.

I got canned from an IC role at a prestigious firm and ended up in a high profile executive role at a slightly-less prestigious firm. Once you get that first exec role, it's easy to bounce to another exec role.

But I wouldn't have known all this unless I had the experience of being canned. And, of course, it happened while my spouse was newly pregnant. I had 4 months of severance and just hounded people in my network. Had two competing offers and started 2 weeks before my severance was ending. 40% pay jump, way more visibility and responsibility.

See another (likely tall white male) who is an executive