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When does an interim consultant make sense? Here are 5 situations where an experienced professional can create value from day one
A key person resigns. A major transformation needs to be carried out. A function lacks leadership. Or the company needs experience and the ability to act that it does not have internally.
In these situations, an interim consultant can be a relevant solution.
Addcapacity.com is Denmark’s largest platform for freelancers, temporary staff and interim consultants. Here, companies get fast access to more than 3,000 validated profiles within Finance, IT, HR and Marketing.
Interim consultants typically differ from other external professionals by stepping into a function with clear responsibility and often a relatively broad mandate. This could be a CFO, Finance Manager, IT Manager, HR professional, Programme Manager or Marketing Manager who, for a period of time, takes over a role, leads a function or drives an important change.
The need is temporary. The responsibility is real.
Here are five situations where an interim consultant often makes particularly good sense.
1. When a key person leaves at short notice
A CFO, Finance Manager, IT Manager, HR Manager or another key person resigns. The company is suddenly left with a gap in the organisation that cannot remain open for the months a thorough recruitment process can take.
Here, an interim consultant can ensure continuity. The person can take over responsibility for day-to-day operations, create stability in the team and ensure progress in ongoing projects. At the same time, the company gains time to carry out a proper recruitment process rather than choosing the first acceptable candidate because the situation is urgent.
That is an important difference. An interim solution is not necessarily about finding a temporary copy of the person who has left. The period can also be used to assess what the company actually needs going forward.
Should the role have the same responsibilities as before? Has the organisation changed? Should some tasks be moved? Is a different profile needed?
An experienced interim consultant can both keep the function running and contribute perspective on the permanent solution.
2. When the company is in the middle of a major change
Interim consultants are often brought in when something beyond day-to-day operations needs to happen.
This could be:
- An ERP or system implementation
- A reorganisation or integration
- A major digital transformation
- An efficiency programme
- Building a new function
- A growth or turnaround situation
What these assignments have in common is that they require experience, momentum and a clear mandate.
The internal organisation often has the most important knowledge about the company. But it does not necessarily have experience with the specific change that needs to be implemented. At the same time, permanent employees are typically busy keeping day-to-day operations running.
Here, an interim consultant can bring experience from similar situations.
An interim CFO can, for example, professionalise reporting and financial management ahead of a major growth phase. An IT professional can lead the implementation of a new system. An HR consultant can drive a reorganisation or build new processes. An experienced marketing professional can create direction and momentum in a function that needs to be reorganised.
The value does not only lie in additional capacity. It lies in bringing in someone who has done something similar before.
3. When the assignment requires more than an ordinary temporary position
The line between a temporary position and an interim role is not always clear. But there is an important difference.
A temporary position typically focuses on ensuring continuity in an existing function. An interim consultant is more often brought in with a broader mandate to also develop, change or solve a specific problem. This does not mean that a temporary employee only keeps the seat warm. Nor does it mean that all interim consultants need to carry out major transformations.
But the needs are often different. If a controller goes on parental leave, the assignment may be to ensure that existing processes and deliverables continue. If the finance function also needs to be reorganised, reporting improved and a new system implemented, there may be a need for an interim professional with broader responsibility.
The same applies in IT, HR and Marketing. The question is therefore not only: Who can take over the tasks? It is also: What should be different when the period is over?
The key differences
- Temporary positions typically ensure continuity
- Interim roles often have a broader mandate
- Experience from similar situations is central
- The role can combine operations and change
- The need is temporary, the responsibility is real
A concrete example: A Finance Manager leaves shortly before an ERP implementation. The company does not only need someone who can keep the finance function running. It needs an experienced professional who can lead the team, ensure reporting and, at the same time, drive the finance side of the implementation.
4. When the company needs the expertise – but not permanently
Some needs are important without being permanent. A company may need an experienced CFO for six months. An IT Programme Manager during a major implementation. An HR professional to build a new function. Or an experienced Marketing Manager to create a new structure and make it work.
When the assignment has been completed, the need changes. In this situation, permanent employment may be an unnecessary commitment. Conversely, the assignment may be too extensive or critical to be handled as a traditional project at a distance.
The interim model sits between the two.
The company gets an experienced person close to the organisation during the period when the need is greatest. The person can take responsibility, make decisions and work with the internal team. When the assignment changes in nature, the collaboration can end or be scaled down.
This provides flexibility. But it also places demands on the company. An interim consultant creates the most value when the assignment is clear, the mandate has been clarified, and the organisation is prepared to give the person access to the necessary knowledge and relevant decision-makers.
5. When the company needs time to find the right permanent solution
Permanent recruitment for a key position should rarely be carried out under unnecessary time pressure.
Yet it often happens. A key person leaves. Tasks pile up. The team lacks leadership. And the company feels forced to recruit quickly.
An interim consultant can create the necessary time.
When day-to-day operations and the temporary responsibility are covered, the company can carry out a more thorough recruitment process. At the same time, the interim period can provide new knowledge about what the permanent role should look like.
Perhaps it turns out that the company needs a different profile than expected. Perhaps the areas of responsibility should change. Or perhaps some tasks can be organised differently. The interim period can therefore be more than a bridge between two permanent employees. It can be used actively to qualify the permanent solution.
Interim requires a clear mandate
Finding a skilled person is not enough. The company must also create the right conditions for the person to succeed.
An interim consultant typically enters an organisation where time is limited and expectations are high. Therefore, clarity should quickly be established around four areas:
- What should the person ensure in day-to-day operations?
- What should be changed or improved?
- Which decisions can the person make?
- What does a good handover look like when the assignment ends?
The clearer the answers, the easier it is to find the right profile and create momentum from the start.
It is also important to distinguish between the assignment on paper and the actual situation in the organisation. A company may, for example, be looking for an interim Finance Manager, but the actual need may turn out to be a combination of leadership, system implementation and process clean-up.
Therefore, clarifying the need should come before searching for a specific title.
An interim consultant does not necessarily have to resemble the predecessor
When a key person leaves, the immediate reaction is often to look for a professional with the same background.
That is not always the best solution. An interim period is temporary, and the assignment may therefore require different skills from the permanent role.
If the company is facing a major system implementation, experience with transformation may be more important than industry knowledge. If a team lacks direction, leadership experience may carry more weight than deep specialist knowledge. If the function needs to be professionalised, experience from a more mature organisation may be particularly relevant.
The right interim consultant is therefore not necessarily a temporary version of the person the company will later employ permanently. The professional should first and foremost fit the assignment that needs to be solved during the period.
When is interim not the right solution?
An interim consultant is not automatically the best solution for every temporary need. If the assignment primarily consists of clearly defined deliverables, a specialist freelancer may be more relevant.
If an employee needs to be replaced temporarily in a well-functioning function with stable processes, an ordinary temporary position may be sufficient. And if the company already knows that the need is permanent and there is no urgent capacity problem, permanent recruitment may be the most direct solution.
Interim makes particular sense when the company needs a combination of experience, responsibility, fast start-up and flexible duration.
How to find the right interim consultant
A good match is about more than title and CV. At Addcapacity.com, the process starts by clarifying the need. This includes the role, the specific tasks, the necessary skills, relevant experience and the scope of the collaboration.
In addition, it is important to look at the situation the person will be entering.
Has the candidate been through a similar transformation? Can the person work with the necessary mandate? Does the leadership style fit the organisation? And is the candidate available during the period and to the extent required?
Addcapacity.com is Denmark’s largest platform for freelancers, temporary staff and interim consultants and gives companies fast access to more than 3,000 validated profiles within Finance, IT, HR and Marketing.
Based on the need, we identify three strong candidates who match both professionally and in terms of the scope of the assignment. The process is free and non-binding. In total, you spend less than two hours, including online interviews with the three candidates.
Typically, the collaboration can be up and running within 2 weeks.
At the same time, many companies experience savings of 30–50% in hourly rates compared with traditional consultancies. The collaboration takes place directly with the person carrying out the assignment and holding the responsibility in day-to-day work.
In short: Interim creates momentum during a transition
An interim consultant is relevant when the company needs more than extra hands.
This may be when an important role suddenly becomes vacant. When a major change needs to be implemented. When the organisation needs experience it does not have internally. Or when time is needed to find the right permanent solution.
A strong interim professional does not only keep a function running. The person creates momentum during a period when the company particularly needs it.
Get 3 strong candidates
Briefly tell us about your situation and needs. We help clarify the role, the tasks, the necessary skills and the relevant background.
We then identify three strong interim candidates who match the assignment.
It is free and non-binding, and your total time commitment is less than two hours, including online interviews with the three candidates.
You can also always arrange an online introductory meeting, where we explain how it works in practice and answer your questions.
Call +45 29930790 for a conversation about the possibilities.
