If the world of finance is something that fascinates and excites you, you might be the exact type of person who could picture themselves with the ultimate career of being a CFO. However, getting to this position isn’t as easy as just getting a finance degree and then applying for job postings for CFO. To really find the right corporate finance job for you, you’ve got to prepare yourself from the very beginning. To help you with this, here are three ways you should ready yourself for a career as a CFO.

Position Yourself Correctly

As was mentioned above, the career path you need to follow to eventually become a CFO isn’t always cut and dry. Oftentimes, people end up becoming a CFO for any number of reasons not necessarily related to this being their ultimate career goal. But that being said, there are ways you can position yourself professionally to help you get closer to landing a CFO job. According to GetSmarter.com, many CFOs formally had positions like finance, operations, or business manager. They also may have been directors of finance, operations, or administration. Because being on a leadership team means having a good business mind in general, all these positions can be helpful for ultimately becoming a CFO.

Build Relationships Outside The Finance Department

While you should have a deep love and knowledge of finance if you want to become a CFO at some point, people within the finance department aren’t the only ones you should be networking with. According to Dona DeZube, a contributor to Monster.com, part of getting a job on a management team and having pull within that team comes from building relationships with people at your same level but in different departments. So although you might not be working with these people on a daily basis, having good relations with everyone throughout your organization can only serve to help you reach your professional goals.

Know What Interviewers Are Really Looking For

Once you think you’re ready to start applying for jobs as a CFO, or you’re getting headhunted for this type of position, Adelma Lilliston, a contributor to Forbes.com, shares that you should change your thinking about the interview process for landing a new job. At this point, the interviewers likely aren’t doubting whether you have the skill to handle the job. Rather, they’re likely looking to see if you’re a good fit for their organization. Knowing this, make sure you’re adequately able to showcase the type of leader you are and how you function within a company as a CFO when speaking to interviewers for a new job.

If you’d eventually like to have a career as a CFO, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you set yourself on this career path.