AN INTERIM CAREER, ARE YOU TEMP-TED?

Posted May 2, 2017

When I first started in recruitment it was all about “stability” and “tenure” within a single company: 10+ years was desirable and 20+ meant that a candidate was a superstar! Anybody who had moved around and job-hopped was immediately on the back foot when it came to applying for their next job. Moving from a reasonably mature “interim” market in the UK, I found the Aussie approach to temps quite surprising as there was a definite old school approach similar to my previous experience in the UK market.

Thankfully those days have gone and the interim market is alive and kicking!

Temporary is no longer a dirty word. The commercial landscape is changing and there is an increasing demand for interim solutions at all levels within the finance community. Historically, there’s always been a market at the senior manager level as well as a constant flow at the junior level, but what we are seeing now is a HUGE demand at the $100,000 – $200,000 level across all finance disciplines.

It is often seen as taking a risk to jump into the interim market, but I’m a big believer that if the opportunity presents itself, then just DO IT!

There are some real positives – you’ll get the opportunity to meet some fantastic people and build your network, learn new things and broaden your exposure to different industry sectors. As a contractor, you really have to be adaptable and quite often you’ll be working outside of your comfort zone – most likely you’ll be employed to solve a problem, so dealing with these challenges will increase your ability to assimilate new information and go towards building your own capability.

Don’t get me wrong, there are “risks” involved, but a well planned interim career or at least an experience of it is only a good thing.

While we’re on the subject what are the risks?

The big one is financial security – there’s probably going to be periods of time between opportunities so you need to be comfortable with and prepared for that.
You also need to be comfortable to always be the newbie! Sadly there’s still a stereotype out there and you will be judged as just the temp.
Do you have the stamina for it? As you’ll be there to deliver results rather than hide in the background, your working day will be busy and the hours will be long.
Can you adapt to new people, culture and processes – does this excite you? You need to be a bit of a “corporate chameleon” and adept at fitting into new environments and personalities!

What does it take to make it?

You need to have a good proposition – what experience can you bring to the table?
Your communication skills must be 1st class, you need to sell yourself to get the job and then you need to be able to deliver and inspire confidence.
Are you prepared to roll up your sleeves? Are you able to put out a few fires? You need to be adaptable and humble in your approach to the job.
You need to be a self starter with the ability to learn on the fly – asking questions is good but you’re really there to provide answers and deliver quickly.
It can be a lonely place sometimes – depending on why you’re hired and what’s happening around you – you need to have thick skin or a rhino suit!

Your CV

This one is fairly straight forward – it’s all about the one pager. There’s no need for a 10 page CV – think about your key achievements. We’ve all been told about the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) interview technique, but this is the time to put pen to paper – sell yourself, it’s your time to shine.

The job search

You should keep an open mind but you should also treat your job search as you would if this was a permanent search and ask yourself what’s in it for you?
Network – Network – Network

On the job

Sit down with your manager and document your objectives, more than likely you’ll be in a moving landscape and the goal posts will keep changing, it’s paramount that you make a point to revisit your goals and take accountability for any misses.
Keep your nose clean, remember that you’re now representing your own brand and your reputation is everything.
Don’t burn bridges – the world is a very small place.

At Acquire Temps we’re always looking for talented individuals who want to immerse themselves in the interim market as we work with our clients to proactively develop solutions ahead of any requirements that arise. We access these through our vast networks, via recommendations and referrals and by tracking high performing temporary and contract staff.

We aim to accommodate people working much more flexibly and understand that the future workforce will be made up of lots of people working for themselves. We offer a loyalty and rewards program and through all our resources this enables a holistic approach to career development and the flexibility sought.

For more information or for a confidential chat about the current interim market, please get in contact with us info@acquiretemps.com.au

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