I am thinking of becoming an interim manager. What is the best approach to securing interim assignments? Should I get out and network or is it best to sign up with an interim recruitment agency?
Q. I am thinking of becoming an interim manager. What is the best approach to securing interim assignments? Should I get out and network or is it best to sign up with an interim recruitment agency?
A. There can be no doubt that the market for interim HR work has increased significantly over the past few years. This has been due to companies restructuring, wanting to keep overheads down where possible, and the project nature of some HR work which allows people to come in for short-term periods. There’s also been a trend towards outsourcing some HR services, and sometimes this can be done via interim managers.
If you want to become an interim manager, then it’s vital that as many people as possible know about you, and that you are kept informed about as many opportunities as possible.
To ensure this occurs, don’t rely upon any one source of possible interim opportunities. Recruitment companies have a network of clients and contacts that you could not hope to replicate by yourself, so it’s important to make yourself known to these. In particular, the ones that specialise in HR recruitment, but also the other, more general recruitment companies that may handle the occasional HR contract, are also worth contacting.
At the more senior levels, much of the contract work is distributed via word of mouth between senior HR managers who know who’s around and have kept in contact with colleagues over many years. So it’s also important for you to do your own networking too. It’s not just who you know, but who do your colleagues know who may have a need at some time or another? A further source is the executive search firms who may handle senior HR contracts from time to time.
The downside with interim opportunities can be the lack of ongoing revenue once the first assignment is completed. So if you have a mortgage to pay, the irregularity of ongoing work can be a problem.
The upside can be the variety of interesting project work you get to do, and the possibility that this can sometimes lead to a permanent position becoming available, if that’s in fact what you want to happen! Some people also set themselves up with a business name, and can sometimes see tax advantages to being, in effect, self-employed. However, paid annual and sick leave can become a thing of the past in such circumstances!
For the lucky few who are able to generate regular, ongoing income, this can usually be quite rewarding financially, as people tend to earn more undertaking interim work than they would if working in a permanent role. The work can also offer a degree of independence.
To be able to generate this ongoing income, you need to be in regular contact with your networks, whether they be other HR professionals or recruitment companies. They need to know when you’re going to be available for your next contract, so they can keep you in mind. Planning ahead is vital. Don’t wait until your assignment is finished before you start looking for your next one.
How do you know if you’re going to be a good interim manager? Some of the attributes of the successful ones include: the ability to hit the ground running; excellent interpersonal and communication skills; strong project management abilities, including meeting deadlines; high levels of commercial acumen; good influencing and leadership capabilities; being a team player; the ability to juggle a number of issues at any one time; good technical HR knowledge; and being capable of working with minimal supervision.
