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In today’s labour market, Dutch businesses are faced with considerable challenges. There’s a shortage of qualified candidates, a structural lack of time, the pressure of work is high and recruitment processes are in many cases poorly structured.
So it’s important for businesses to be flexible and able to react fast to new challenges. Attracting interim managers gives businesses flexibility and the right expertise for quickly completing temporary projects.
But how do you attract these professionals? In this article, we offer you some practical tips and strategies for attracting the right interim managers.
Before we go into how to attract the best professionals, it’s important to understand what exactly interim means. Interim, sometimes also referred to as ad interim, refers to temporary positions held by professionals who are hired for limited periods to carry out specific projects or tasks. In many cases these professionals, also referred to as interim managers, interim professionals or interim consultants, have considerable knowledge, experience and specialised know-how.
Hiring interim managers has many advantages, such as:
The right person for the right job. Interim managers provide the flexibility you need as a business to be able to react quickly to internal business circumstances or changes in the market. When a key colleague is away on long-term sick leave or sabbatical for example, that leaves a gap that needs to be filled. Or if a specific project calls for specialised know-how, an interim manager can be put to work quickly and efficiently.
Interim managers bring considerable experience and knowledge with them, and in many cases they also have in-depth expertise or experience in specific business areas. Whenever you have a specific project that requires specialist know-how, an interim manager can be extremely valuable. By hiring these professionals, you gain access to their expertise without having to enter into a long-term commitment.
Hiring an interim manager requires an investment. This might sometimes feel like an imposition, but in the long term it may actually turn out to be a cost saving. You pay only for the time for which you need the expertise, without the costs associated with permanent employment such as social security contributions or secondary employment conditions.
Want to know more about how best to make use of interim managers? Read this article.
Now you’re familiar with the advantages of hiring interim managers, but how do you go about attracting them? Here are a few practical tips:
An attractive interim job opening ad is clear and specific. Make sure the potential interim candidate knows clearly what’s expected and how the role is configured in your business. Describe the specific skills and experience you’re looking for and be clear about the nature of the project and how long it will last. The clearer you are, the more closely the responses from interim professionals will match what you’re looking for.
Interim managers tend to have considerable experience and specialist know-how, so they expect to be paid reasonably. Have market research carried out to understand what is reasonable remuneration for the skills and experience you’re looking for. And don’t forget to mention any extra benefits, such as remote working or flexible working hours.
Along with a clear job opening ad and reasonable remuneration, the selection procedure can make a world of difference in attracting an interim manager. You can set your business apart by making the recruitment process run fast and smoothly. Many other businesses have processes that are slow and cumbersome. Stay in close touch with the candidates throughout the procedure and keep them posted on progress. Interim managers are often available almost immediately, so speed is of the essence for this process. If a competitor beats you to it, the interim professional might jump ship if your process is taking too long.
Apart from creating attractive interim assignments, there are some best practices for staying ahead of the competition and attracting top interim managers.
Specialised interim agencies, such as Michael Page, have extensive networks and experience in matching businesses with the right interim managers. By working together with a specialised agency, you increase the chances of finding the right match for your specific requirements.
Make use of your own network for your search, exploring different avenues. Talk to your business partners, for example on LinkedIn. Or make use of a referral programme among employees whereby you reward them for introducing a new colleague. A referral from our network has the added advantage that in many cases the interim professional is already known to you and has a proven track record.
In many cases, you will be keen for the interim professional to start work immediately, but don’t forget that a proper onboarding is essential for getting off to a good start. Make sure he or she is properly welcomed and given immediate access to all the necessary resources, environments and information to be able to get down to work effectively. A well-organised onboarding increases productivity and shortens the time needed to become fully operational.
If you’ve never worked with interim managers before, it can feel a bit overwhelming at first. What are the things to bear in mind? When you hire interim managers there are some legal points you have to bear in mind, namely:
When taking on interim managers, take account of local laws and regulations on temporary contracts. In the Netherlands, specific rules and prescriptions apply to the hiring of interim personnel. Make sure you’re fully conversant with these rules, or hire someone to support you in this process, to avoid legal problems.
Want to know more about laws and regulations on temporary contracts in the Netherlands? If so, follow this link to the Government website for more information.
Tax and insurance obligations in respect of interim managers are different from those applying to permanent employees. So don’t forget to check that you comply with these obligations.
The obligations vary depending on the nature of the activities to be performed by the interim manager and his or her status, for example whether you hired the interim manager directly as a self-employed person or arranged it through an agency.
And then of course, there’s the employment contract itself. It’s important for the employment contract to be clear and to specify all the conditions of the temporary appointment. A clear interim employment contract will include the duration of the agreement, the remuneration agreed, the responsibilities of the interim manager and any specific provisions regarding termination of the contract.
The labour market is in a constant state of flux, and this applies equally to interim jobs. Here are a few trends that might influence the future of this market:
Demand for specialised know-how and skills is expected to continue to grow. Consequently businesses will tend more and more often to hire interim managers for specific projects requiring in-depth expertise. These are likely to be IT, finance and project management professionals. Such as interim managers, interim recruiters and interim finance managers.
The past few years have seen increasing demands for greater flexibility, and this has influenced the interim market too. Interim managers also want flexible working hours and the option of working remotely or in hybrid mode. By agreeing to this wish of interim managers to work remotely, you gain access to a larger talent pool, in that distance is now less important than before.
Sustainability and social responsibility are becoming ever more important in making choices. Interim managers are also ever more likely to choose businesses that commit to sustainable practices and corporate social responsibility. So by embracing these values, you’ll have a competitive advantage when it comes to attracting interim managers.
Want to read more about the trends that are currently in evidence? If so, read this article about the top five tech interim roles and salaries in the Netherlands.
In attracting the best interim managers, the expertise of a specialised recruitment agency can make a world of difference. Apart from putting its large network to work for you, a specialist recruitment agency will also support you throughout the recruitment process.
Michael Page has many years of experience acting as intermediary for interim personnel. Whether you’re looking for an interim manager, a specialist for a specific project, or temporary support during a peak in the workload, we’ll help you find the right match.
Want to know more about hiring interim managers and the advantages of doing so? If so, please contact us!
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Key insights on salaries by sectors and market trends.
