There is no question that the industry is in dire need of expertise. Every month brings news of yet another company falling under administration or insolvency. It doesn’t seem to matter if the company was once one of biggest or even the oldest in the industry, most seem to be struggling.

Industry reports say that the majority of expertise in the construction industry lies with more senior employees, ones due to retire in the next ten years. This is cited time and again as a cause for concern, reiterating that the existing skills crisis will worsen when this expertise retires from the industry. Yet this argument does not take into consideration the role that interims can and do play in the industry.

Interims bring expertise companies don’t have in-house

Interims have not only senior expertise, they have specific areas of expertise. For example: turnaround management, change management, project bidding, new technology implementation, commercial management, etc. Interims are contracted for a specific purpose or project and their success lies in delivering on those business objectives. They require no onboarding and can get right into projects with minimal introductions.

Greater value delivered

Interims are strong leaders, they have to be because they often have to make the hard decisions that others aren’t able to. They are typically good negotiators and good with people, able to get them to buy into the change and be able to implement a new approach. Specifically one of the key elements of an interim role is that they will work with the teams in-house, empowering them with the skills and knowledge needed for a project’s success. Aside from improving the bottom line, this is where some of the greatest value lies with interims.

What’s in it for interims?

An interim’s skills are honed as they apply their knowledge to a diverse range of projects and this is also a key factor that attracts professionals to take on an interim role. With each new project there is the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in a different way. There are new challenges that keep things interesting too and it’s a stimulating environment to be operating in.

If you have a key area of expertise and are looking for a new challenge, have you considered taking on an interim role? It’s an opportunity to showcase your true value and help to drive change in the construction industry.

If this is you, we’d like to hear from you. We have interim positions we’re looking to fill at present. Contact the team@ellisfox.co.uk or Tel: 020 7183 0255

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