Planning to do a little climbing through your company’s organizational structure? It helps to know what the folks at the top of the Procurement/Purchasing food chain are looking for.

The No. 1 criteria valued by CFOs?

Interpersonal skills.

That means it’s not enough to have good technical skills. They expect you to be talented in pushing numbers around all day. But if you can’t figure out what motivates (and upsets) people, don’t plan on getting too far.

Accountemps surveyed 1,400 CFOs for their opinions on what communication skills were valued most in up-and-coming finance pros. Half of them cited the ability to work well with others.

Other valued traits:

• public speaking/presentation ability — 17%
• negotiation skills — 16%
• writing ability — 12%
• none/don’t know — 5%

 It’s important to have more than just the technical skills, said one Finance pro. Movers-and-shakers must be able to build rapport, resolve conflicts and develop consensus.

Tags: CFO, finance, procurement, purchasing