The HR Interim Solution

Too senior or just good value for money? What's the real cost of hiring your HR interims for less?

A recession - its all about being savvy with your cash. Money saving tips are everywhere - 2 for 1 offers, vouchers and giveaways are in their abundance. So why not follow the trend in the boardroom? With the pool of excellent interim HR candidates at a peak, willing to work for less, it makes sense to grab a bargain while you can...doesn't it?

The situation

Interim solutions are often preferred in times of economic uncertainty, so one might think it's a veritable boom time for career interims. And with unemployment tipped to hit the three million mark by 2010, there's no shortage of immediately available, eager jobseekers, ready to get their teeth into their next role.  A hiring manager's dream come true, right?

Not quite. In fact, we're seeing quite a conflict in the interim marketplace. Increased competition means many candidates are slashing their day rates and going forward for more junior positions. Concerning for the employer. By taking a step down, how far will an interim manager's organisational commitment be compromised? What's to stop them deserting you at the first sign of a better paid contract?

More for less?

As an employer, there's bound to be a degree of uncertainty - if you're hiring a senior person at a lower rate, what's the catch?
Hiring someone who is deemed too senior for a role is potentially a risky business. The person may not be sufficiently hands on, if they think the role's beneath them. Surely they'll want to work towards a role more suited to their level? 

A more junior option is safe. Its easy. And you certainly wont get someone coming in, sniffing out weaknesses and posing a threat to the already existing management! But how will that fare in a recession? You need to make sure the business is in the best shape possible, and that might just mean looking again at that CV that screams 'Overqualified!'

Know what you want

It's important to know what you want from the outset. Is it an interim manager or a temp to perm manager? There's a big difference. Are you looking for someone to come in and manage your TUPE transfer, your redundancy initiative or your change management project, or are you really looking for someone permanent but don't yet have the sign off? 

A temp-to-perm solution is not interim management and it's confusion over this that's resulting in true career interims being overlooked.

So, you've decided you want the interim solution. What now?

If you're hiring on a three month basis, then should it matter if the candidate's over qualified? Senior interim managers with blue-chip experience are aplenty in this market - ideal fodder for growing SMEs, especially when you can get more for your money. There is real value to be had from bringing in 'blue blood' and milking their experience and knowledge.

Be realistic

Remember - Career interims are just that. They're hired to come in, get the job done and leave. Rarely will you find a career interim taking on an assignment to get ahead in the company. If they need to roll their sleeves up and be hands on, they will. A good interim will want to take care of the job before moving onto their next assignment. It's nothing they haven't done before!

Think of the added value that can be gained from hiring someone senior for the same money. They can hit the ground running, utilise their expertise and experience, and they don't need hand holding through the process. Don't miss out! This is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of what's available.

Upside to the downturn

We've all been hit by the recession in some way - whether you've banished the finest food range in favour of the basics range; forced yourself under canvas to enjoy a bracing British holiday; or been beaten to a pulp in a Primark stampede. HR hasn't escaped either. Permanent salaries just aren't as high as they were a year ago. So it's hardly surprising that, while Sainsburys are slashing their prices, career interims have had to slash their rates.

Interim solutions are a different ball game to permanent. Ultimately, the more senior the interim candidate, the more experience they can add to your project, even if they're cheaper than they were 12 months ago. As the recent M&S penny bazaar showed us, quality isn't always reflected in price.

There's an upside to this downturn...there's valuable expertise on offer. Hire wisely, and you could get something more for the same price. Perfect.

Lucy Eckersley - Consultant