How to Get a Job as a Compliance Officer
Experience in a prospective employer's line of work is a plus, Darcy says, as is knowledge of its organizational culture and how its employees work together. "Other past work experience could include internal audit, legal, human resources, internal controls, and risk management," he says. "Prospective candidates should first learn how a job is defined and structured, including what issues it is responsible for," Darcy says. "For example, a regulatory compliance officer must possess a different set of qualifications than an ethics and compliance officer."
Interview Questions Submitted by Real Compliance Officers
"How would you go about collecting past due accounts?" - California State Board of Equalization Tax Compliance Officer Candidate (Irvine, CA)
"Describe yourself in 10 words or less." - Deutsche Bank Compliance Officer Candidate (New York, NY)
"If you know your boss is 100% wrong about something how would you handle it?" - Merrill Lynch Compliance Officer Candidate (Location Unknown)
What is the Job Like?
Many of these jobs can be demanding and stressful, especially when the compliance officer is judging the performance or personal behavior of fellow employees.
"Sometimes ethics and compliance officers are not looked upon as being 'team players' within the organization because they may have to investigate their peers or superiors," Darcy explains. "Working hours can be above-average, and the job can be demanding but very fulfilling." Travel is common at larger employers, particularly multinational organizations. "Ethics and compliance officers are required to learn all aspects of how an organization runs and who does what within it," Darcy says. As for the limits of career advance, he notes, "a chief ethics and compliance officer recently was promoted to chief executive officer of a Fortune 500 company."
Real Reviews From Compliance Officers
+ "Great benefits, simple job duties, decent salary." - Arizona Department of Transportation Enforcement Compliance Officer (Tucson, AZ)
+ "Work life balance is very good. The benefits are decent, and it's easy to take time off when you want." - IRS Tax Compliance Officer (Location Unknown)
- "Management has issues allowing employees to empower themselves and grow." - First National Bank Group Compliance Officer (Location Unknown)
- "There is very little chance for advancement beyond middle mgmt.; There seems to be a very politically charged atmosphere in the work environment." - SunTrust Compliance Officer (Atlanta, GA)
Review information and interview questions supplied by Glassdoor.
