The Boyden Brief: Interim Edition

Boyden UK will often post Interim Opportunities on Exec Appointments, which will clearly communicate the desired experience and background required for that specific opportunity.

Occasionally, we are asked why we will only consider CV applications and not telephone calls when it comes to candidates interested in our interim adverts.

Hopefully, this article will not only help explain how we identify talent for interim opportunities, but also explain the benefits of engaging with the adverts despite not being able to have a one on one conversation with the consultant responsible for that role.

When we are asked to identify interim talent for an opportunity, we will all follow pretty much the same process. Who do we know personally who has the right skillset? Who has delivered an interim project like this for us before? Who do my colleagues know and rate?

Those who have prior experience of successfully delivering interim roles will always be our number one call. The people we have met and referenced and who are already in our network will be the number two call and appropriately skilled people within our colleagues’ network will likely be the third call.

The interim market is fluid and dynamic and the most appropriately skilled people will not always be available.

We post adverts to give us another source in identifying potential talent who may be suitable for that opportunity. If someone has an equal or better skillset than those already in our network, that individual will receive a call from the consultant looking after that opportunity.

Four reasons why we cannot field ad-hoc calls for assignments posted online:

1) Each consultant will be working on more than one assignment at any given time. The timelines and priorities for each assignment will differ. This means the consultant will structure their day and their calls in order to ensure they are delivering against the assignment in the order of priorities from a client perspective. A convenient time for you to speak to us, unfortunately is rarely a convenient time for us to speak to you.

2) An ad hoc call will mean that you will catch us when we do not have your details in front of us. We would much rather have a conversation with you when we are looking at your CV so that we can properly qualify your suitability for the role.

3) Time is precious and in the world of interim, time is critical. If we spend even 1-2 hours of our days talking to people who are not the strongest match, then we are reducing our chances of successfully identifying the most appropriately matched individuals. Our three main areas of focus are business development and generating new interim opportunities for our network, fulfilling live interim requirements, and managing our interim talent pool. All equally as important as each other. Our number one objective is to source as many new interim opportunities as possible so that we can present the greatest variety of work to our interim network.

4) People often call for further information. We cannot share any more information with you over the phone than we have shared online. We are purposefully vague in what we write in order to ensure client confidentiality. We always have much more information than we can make available, which we will reference as we are reviewing profiles. So, in the times when you think you are a perfect fit based on what information has been provided, often there will be another 10 considerations that have to remain confidential.

The Benefits of Responding to Adverts:

• Opportunity to broaden your network. You may not be on the radar of the consultant recruiting for that specific opportunity, however, applying to an advert may help you initiate a relationship with a new specialist consultant. Whilst we always share profiles, an interim’s availability is fluid and as a team we will be meeting with hundreds of interims per year, responding to an advert can often be a prompt for the consultant to share your profile with the rest of the team.
• Revisiting past applicants. Even if you are not the best matched individual for that particular interim requirement, occasionally, we work on assignments that have similarities with previous roles. We will often revisit applicants for a previous assignment.
• Consideration for other assignments. Responses to an opportunity posted online are reviewed by the consultant looking after that assignment. They will often forward on CV’s from adverts to their colleagues if they think your experience could be of interest to other team members.
• Increased visibility. Having your application against an advert is much better than having your CV sitting in the inbox of the wrong consultant who have their own different set of demands and priorities. By applying to an advert, you ensure your CV is going to be viewed by the relevant consultant for that opportunity in a timely manner.
• Long-term opportunities. In the world of interim, once you have established a relationship with a consultant that is a fit for your background, you will then spend time getting to know each other so that at some point in time you can become their number one call. An advert can often help get your CV in front of someone who may be able to assist you in the longer term and not just for that opportunity.