We are one of the largest firms placing senior interim managers in the UK – and certainly the largest provider of interims to the public sector.
So we are well-placed to comment on the way that the market is changing. Organisations increasingly see interim managers as a positive part of their overall recruitment strategy – gone are the days when assignments were limited to maternity cover, or when a recruitment process failed (important though these periods can be).
Our clients are asking us to respond to a much wider range of business challenges, and we find that creative use of interim managers is often the answer.
For example, we frequently place people into: project management roles; mentoring roles (often very senior practitioners, on a part-time basis); or to steer organisations through times of change.
Particularly during restructuring, an expert ‘outsider’ can often be more independent and objective.
We aim to be trusted advisers to our clients, and bring to our interim management business the breadth of experience, industry/sector knowledge and networks that are the hallmark of Veredus.
Why interim management is different
Interim management sits alongside other search and selection services – so we can offer a bespoke approach to building capacity and capability in response to any client brief. And the local reach of our regional offices means that we can provide the same level of support to clients anywhere in the UK.
We are expert at interpreting the business need, clarifying the role, and identifying the transferable skills which the right candidate must bring.
The interim market is different in several key respects.
For example, we tend to be called in at very short notice – often without a formal brief – and a sometimes demanding combination of factors: experience, availability and the imperative to fit into an existing structure and culture.
We are expert at interpreting the business need, clarifying the role, and identifying the transferable skills which the right candidate must bring.
The need to respond quickly means the search process relies heavily on the quality of the candidates with whom we already work.
This is especially true because interim managers usually need to be over-qualified for the roles they go into. The focus tends to be on creating stability and promoting good management, so their skills and understanding of the business context must be second-to-none.
At Veredus, with 10,000 experienced, senior professionals on our books, we have access to large number of very talented people - with a wide range of sector and functional specialisms, including senior general management, finance, HR, marketing and communications.
Rigorous selection
Our selection process is rigorous, and two-way.
We are looking for people for whom interim management is a career choice, not those who are “between jobs”, so we run monthly workshops for senior managers considering becoming interims – and we give an honest appraisal of what it’s like, because being an interim can be tough.
We are looking for people for whom interim management is a career choice, not those who are “between jobs”
Our interview process is the most structured in the business, and we always take up formal references, with informal soundings too, where we can.
Another key difference is that with interim management, the contractual arrangement is between the client and ourselves, and the interim and ourselves. The client does not have a contract with the interim directly, and pays only for the days actually worked.
So we insist that all our interim managers operate through their own limited companies, and we see our role at the centre of the process as critical – all the way through the placement.
Our interims tell us they like working with Veredus because we provide a great deal of support. We keep in regular touch with both interim and client, and manage the situation actively through a well-structured reporting process.
We believe that the professionalism and thoroughness of our approach brings business benefits to our clients - and the level of repeat business we get seems to bear this out.
We are often successful in filling demanding roles, such as those requiring an unusual mix of experience, where our competitors have failed.
Above all, we do not see ourselves providing stop gaps.
Clients tell us that our interims leave legacies – developing in-house staff, creating structures and teams, or setting up systems for the future – helping to build capacity and capability for our clients.