I saw a great piece in The Times business section this week, about the great rush of people looking for interim work, partly because of the large number of people leaving permanent work. It has put pressure on interim day rates, making things harder for professional interims. It’s a good time to remind people that professional interims have real skills that they have developed over time. It’s worth employing people who are not at a loose end or filling a career gap, but who have the experience and dedication that interim projects demand.
With the current over supply of candidates in the market, it’s no surprise there is a lot of pressure on both permanent salaries and interim day rates. The longer people have been out of work the more flexible they become, with grads offering themselves direct to clients for free internships and work experience and experienced candidates working their networks for interim work at reduced rates. The problem with both these scenarios is the commitment and dedication of free labour rarely lives up to expectations and equally hiring cheap interim resource that will leave the minute they find permanent work can leave you high and dry. It’s a bit of a poisoned chalice! From a client perspective there is nothing worse than having to replace someone mid-project to start the search again!