Good interim managers are a specialized breed. If you’re looking for interim management jobs, you should ask yourself a few questions.
Do you really think you’d make a good interim manager? You’ll need to be flexible, honest, loyal, and tactful. You’ll need to be able to handle stressful times when you don’t have a job.
You’ll need to work with people at interim management jobs who will resent you and try to sabotage your work. Above all, you’ll need patience and great leadership skills.
A great CV that shows a good track record in the industry you want to be employed in is your best friend. Instead of education, most companies look at what you’ve actually accomplished as an executive before making the decision to hire you in an interim management job.
Your life in interim management jobs may become akin to a great sea of job interviews, all blending together. If you don’t interview well, then you’re not going to be successful in interim management.
You need to be good at selling yourself in order to stand out from other candidates who may have similar skills and even CVs.
Interim management jobs require that you be able to quickly and accurately assess the job in your new environment and get an immediate idea of where to go from there. You’ll need to be able to put together fast reports, analyze them, put together proactive solutions and deliver them within budget.
Interim management jobs sometimes require overnight travel. If you’re a mom (or dad, for that matter) who has to get home to your kids, interim management is not for you. Interim management jobs are time-consuming and attention-consuming and are not easy for any family.
Do you crave stability? Then-interim management jobs are definitely not for you! They are anything but stable. Instead, interim management jobs tend to come in strings, with each position lasting from six to nine months on average (with some exceptions for special projects). There are sometimes breaks in employment that can last for weeks or even months, and if you can’t handle that, you don’t need to look any further at interim management jobs.
Are you quick to start and resolve a job? Do you have lots of real experience? Do you prefer to be judged by your results as opposed to your skill with office politics? Do you love to teach and pass on your knowledge to others? Are you outspoken enough to let your employer know what you really think about the company? If the answer to all these questions is “yes,” then you are perfect for interim management jobs.
Are you good at handling change? Many interim management jobs aren’t about replacing an executive; rather, they are about helping a company with strategic change and growth. If you aren’t good with change, then you shouldn’t consider an interim management job. If you are good with it, however, then you might be a perfect candidate.
Are you good with uncomfortable situations? Sometimes your interim management job will be due to an executive leaving or being fired.
These positions come with baggage; though your employers might try very hard not to be prejudiced toward you for one reason or another, they will be subconsciously comparing you with the other guy who used to do the job.
If you excel at interim management jobs dealing with vacated positions, you will be assured of employment throughout your career.
