(Robert Half: Menlo Park, CA) -- To fill management positions, companies are more likely to look for talent outside rather than within their own ranks, a new survey from Robert Half Management Resources suggests. Chief financial officers (CFOs) who were interviewed said that, on average, 38 percent of management roles in their departments were filled by internal candidates.

The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources, a provider of senior-level finance, accounting, and business systems professionals on a project and interim basis. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees.

Chief financial officers were asked, “What percentage of managerial positions within your accounting and finance department are filled by candidates who were promoted from within?” The mean response was 38 percent.

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