Interest in interim executive positions has risen in the last few years; most recently, 7-in-10 senior-level leaders surveyed by ExecuNet were considering or may consider part-time roles in their career planning — up from 57 percent in 2006. ExecuNet contributing editor Marji McClure explored the advantages of interim opportunities for our member publication, CareerSmart Advisor, and found that while still more prominent in Europe, interim posts are increasingly gaining traction in the US with both organizations and executives for a variety of reasons.

"I have seen a significant trend in companies using interim executives and professionals to meet a short-term need," said Peter Rosen, president of Atlanta-based HR Strategies & Solutions. "There is a very large pool of very talented people who are not working and are willing to do this. There is also a new breed of talent who have chosen this path as their new career."

In addition, company business plans used to span five years, said Vince Papi, principal of Executive Smarts LLC, a recruitment firm specializing in interim executive roles, while those plans today are much shorter - just one or two years long. By bringing in an interim project manager, companies can more easily change gears after a year or two, if necessary.

For executives, McClure found among the benefits of an interim position:

• The ability to continue a search while making income.
  
• Minimizing employment gaps.
  
• Staying connected with current events and people.
  
• Becoming familiar with a new marketplace.
  
• Having the luxury of previewing a company.
  

An ExecuNet member, who served as an interim director of new product development, saw this role as a placeholder until she landed a full-time position. "The market was terrible, and I was fairly confident healthcare IT vendors were not going to be investing in marketing and product management executives during such uncertain times. Since my husband was laid off too, it made business sense for our family for me to take an interim role, even though it meant more travel than I was comfortable with."

An interim president and general manager preferred the challenges of new projects and viewed his assignment like any other consulting project. "If it were possible to stay steadily employed, I would enjoy doing these types of assignments on a permanent basis in lieu of a regular long-term assignment," he said. "There is a special adrenaline rush that comes from taking on these types of assignments and virtually no opportunity to ever feel stale or stagnant."

Even if the part-time position is not absolutely perfect, the experience, contacts and skill-sharpening activities gleaned from the opportunity could benefit you in your next role — the one that could be the better fit. "It's not forever. You can do most anything for three to six months," said an ExecuNet member in McClure's article.

One ExecuNet member, a serial interim executive, was pleased to extend his positions far longer than traditional short-term assignments: Three of his interim posts lasted five years, 10 years and five years, respectively. "My fourth interim CEO position was supposed to be for three to four months and it lasted 12 months."

Robyn Greenspan
Robyn Greenspan is the Editor-in-Chief at ExecuNet, where she is responsible for setting and driving the editorial content engagement strategy across the private business network's publications and expert-led programming. She is also a Huffington Post blogger. You can follow her on Twitter @RobynGreenspan

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