What is an Interim Resource?

The overview of interim

Interim managers join an organisation for short periods (often from three to 12 months or more) to help businesses that are in?ux, perhaps to implement a new strategy or cover a critical role between permanent incumbents, or during times of absenteeism. The post might involve managing change, setting new food safety goals, providing stability after the departure of a key staff member, or supplying a specific skill set the business lacks.

Here are some quotes taken from publications about interim professionals obtained from interim professionals and people who have worked with interim professionals:

“A candidate will usually be someone with a good track record of delivering in an in—house role as a Technical manager or director, who has then made a choice — not always consciously — to go down the interim route,”  

“The expectation is they will have to hit the ground running; go in there and, from day one, sit in front of the various interested parties and very quickly gain trust. People need to see that they know what they‘re doing, have done this kind of thing before and can establish some very clear goals. Because they’re not going to be there for long, they won’t have a lot of time to get up to speed." Mark Burton, managing director, Burton Recruiting. 

“In my experience so far, it’s very much about in?uence and change management. You come in, you do a task and you move on." Paul Haxell, former group health, safety and environment director at Bovis Homes

Fred Alderson, who has held senior permanent posts in organisations such as Coca—Cola Hellenic as well as multiple interim posts, sees the work as different from food consultancy. “Consultancy is about doing a specific task or project," 

“As a consultant, you are perhaps more conscious that you want to keep going back and earning fees for months at a time. If you're an interim the mindset is different."  Paul Haxell, former group health, safety and environment director at Bovis Homes

An interim manager could be explained as:

A resource that adds value and increases value to the business very quickly. Its not just about doing the job, it about continuous improvement and developing the role without interfering with the equilibrium of the company because a permanent resource will usually be recruited after the interim contract finishes, and you want to the position for that person and also want to help them on their way.

Unlike a consultant an interim is working in an organisation full time, however they do require similar qualities.

The full extent of why companies need an interim ?

An organisation might think it wants an interim and has set out a job profile of what it wants them to do, but is that what the company really needs? An interim can start the job and realise where the company might not be in the place it sees itself. Companies often look to contract interim professionals to a job description that doesn't cover the full extent of the situation that needs the resource. Companies don't always have experience within the company to understand the full extent of work required and in this case the job profile may not cover it. Therefore an interim professional may not know what they will be dealing with, so they need good communication and organisational skills.

How does an interim fit in?

An interim professional needs to understand the company working quickly, so that they can effectively communicate to the right people in the best way possible to achieve results. Often this is best carried out by getting company directors consent prior to starting the position so that any red tape is reduced and actions required are carried out swiftly and effectively. This type of action can cause effective continual improvement of the company culture and achieves results but it is still essential to combine it with listening to consider staff opinions and ideas rather than bulldozing all actions into place.

What does an Interim Professional provide to the company?

Interim professionals tend to be at the company for a short period (quite often less than 6 or 12 months) a this means they tend not to get bogged down in office politics and are more focused on the important tasks of the job.

In many circumstances an interim professional can act as a second opinion particularly as they are usually independent and have little bias to the company. This can benefit the company as the interim professional tends to have no personal gain from sugar coating facts that need actions and instead tends to say it as it is (without getting personal blaming specific staff) to communicate the reality and come to an agreement of how to deal with the situation swiftly and effectively. This is particularly useful for situations such as audit requirements where the interim professional is able to give a black and white result in a similar way to an external auditor who has no association to the company and the staff and therefore is more likely to give a true, unbiased result.

Ideally at the end of a contract an interim professional should leave the business with a more developed continuous improvement program, increased progress rate and a good insight to the requirements for recruiting of the permanent candidate.

What's in it for interim professionals?

• Flexibility & Variety

Flexibility and variety are two of the biggest draws for those taking interim roles. And this fits with the wider trend to more flexible working. flexible working. Its understood by many people taking on interim contracts that the idea of a "job for life" is not all that realistic in the current economic climate. Many organisations have a increasing requirement for people that can focus on job for a Period of time and carry out a specific roles.

The work of an interim professional can be lucrative, offering the option to focus on work for set periods giving them flexibility to take a break prior to taking on another contract.

• Experience

The variety of work in an interim roles gives an interim professional greater exposure to other business methods, manufacturing techniques and opportunities to improve on or learn new skills allowing them to build on their experience in their specific industry.

Working with a variety of people ranging from shop floor to board level gives an interim professional experience to deal with higher level situations as well as understanding how to ensure any actions required are considered and able to be effectively communicated and carried out throughout the company. This can also lead to the company developing a relationship with the interim on a more permanent basis to advise on specific areas the company needs experience with.

Why Interim doesn't appeal to everyone?

It's not often the decision is made to move into interim work by quitting a permanent role. Interim professionals are a certain type of character, able to sustain working under the the following conditions, of which many people would consider disadvantages:

• High pressure to meet targets
• Job insecurity and financial uncertainty.
• Travel to work and living hotels/B&B out of a suitcase for the period of the contract
• Driving for long distances