Top Tips for Interim Managers and companies that want to hire Interim Managers

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Selling yourself as an interim candidate

• Ensure that your CV sells what you are really good at. 3 or 4 pages is normal.
• Begin with “Profile” which tells the reader within a few lines who you are and what you are famous for.
• Include data on the size of companies that you have worked for, plus data on your responsibilities (number of staff managed, budgets, targets).
• You are selling your past experience, not your future aspirations. Eg: a good interim sales director candidate will have been a successful sales director at least 3 times before and ideally will have reached a higher level once before becoming an interim
• Include on page one a “Relevant Experience” summary in your CV for a job application. This needs to show why you are exactly the right person for the role and that you have done the same role 2 or 3 times before. Are you a 90% match? against the client brief. At any one time there are lots of good interims chasing a small number of interim roles.
• Do not mention “consultant” in your CV. Consultants are advisors. Interims are people of action and doers.
• Do not suggest that you can tackle most things. A good interim is not a “jack of all trades”
• Register for job alerts with job boards such as: Executivesontheweb
• Ensure that your LinkedIn profile is updated and has several strong recommendations from previous bosses/clients

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The Client Interview

• Usually only 1 interview of 1-hour duration for Interim
• Much shorter process than for permanent
• Be enthusiastic, energetic and confident
• Look and feel the part
• Take evidence of similar projects/successes
• Don’t talk rates or terms! (refer to the agency)
• Agree the Deal
• You sell to the agency who marks up and sells on to the client. Back-to-back terms based on the REC’s (the industry trade body) terms.
• Agree terms and start date with the agency
• Never leave a project until the client says “Great work, well done… you can go now.”
• Good interims will usually be extended beyond the initially estimated duration and will frequently be asked if they would like to join as a permanent member of staff

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Day One

• Introductions by the client sponsor
• Ensure that the project is fully supported by the client
• Sell yourself and win confidence of immediate reports and seniors
• Expect it to be twice as bad as indicated in the interview
• Keep a log book of meetings, discussions, observations

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Weeks One and Two

• Meet as many people inside and related to the business as possible. Ask lots of questions.
• Re-visit the brief. Confirm the 4 or 5 key issues/tasks.
• Daily feedback to client sponsor. Test first impressions.
• Be flexible. You are no longer an employee. You are a supplier to the client.
• Now that you have got this far you have a 95% chance of succeeding!

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During the Assignment

• Stay focussed on the 4 or 5 agreed key issues (don’t try to fix everything you find wrong). Fix these and you’ll be a hero
• Meet weekly with the project sponsor
• Be aware of politics but don’t get involved
• Don’t try to tackle stuff that is outside your experience – call for other expert help
• Give your expert and impartial advice, even if the news is not always popular

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