WORKING AS AN INTERIM – WHAT TO EXPECT

Spreading Joy: Sharp Consultancy’s Annual Easter Egg Drive

At Sharp Consultancy, our annual Easter Egg Drive has once again brought together our team, clients, and community to support local charities and spread a little cheer. As a finance and accountancy recruitment business rooted in Yorkshire, we’re proud to use our network to give something back—and this year has been no exception.Led by Tom Davage, Senior Consultant in our South Yorkshire office, our team has been out and about collecting Easter egg donations from our fantastic clients. The generosity shown has been incredible, especially given the ongoing challenges many continue to face. Thanks to everyone who contributed, we were able to deliver meaningful support to three wonderful charities in our region: Paces, a specialist centre supporting children with cerebral palsy and motor disorders; St Luke’s Hospice, which offers compassionate end-of-life care; and The Family Works, a trauma informed, family support project working alongside underprivileged families.Tom, who organised this year’s initiative, shared: “When you hear the stories from the people working within these charities, it really opens your eyes to the challenges others face. If we can bring a smile to someone’s face—even through something as simple as an Easter egg—it makes it all worthwhile. Every bit of support counts.” Seeing familiar donators from past years and welcoming new ones has been truly heart-warming. It’s a testament to the kind and community-minded nature of the businesses we work with. To all our clients who donated, thank you. Your kindness and continued support make this initiative possible and help us make a real difference. If you’d like to get involved next year or learn more about the causes we support, we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can keep making a positive impact—one small gesture at a time.

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With the COVID-19 pandemic creating a degree of uncertainty for many industry sectors, an increasing number of companies are looking to engage the services of accountancy and finance professionals on an interim basis in order to benefit from the skills and expertise that their businesses needs with the flexibility the current climate demands.

And it’s not just employers that reap the benefits from such a relationship with those that opt for life as an interim rewarded with a flexible, varied career that can offer a more manageable work-life balance.

For those who may be considering applying for an interim position for the first time; here’s our guide to the key factors to be aware of before making the move.:

There are interim opportunities at all levels; it’s not just a role that is exclusive to managers or senior level finance professionals. Essentially, a company will look to recruit an interim to address a specific need such as covering a long period of absence, to handle a particular project or to acquire specific skills.
Interims will usually be employed on either a rolling contract with an agreed day rate or a fixed term/short term contract with an associated salary. These are not always necessarily full-time positions so it is possible to be employed by more than one company on an interim basis at the same time (although you will need to check your terms and conditions and ensure you are clear with each employer as to your availability).
Interims are highly skilled individuals or specialise in a particular area; they will often be called upon at short notice and, due to the nature of the requirement, will be expected to hit the ground running.
Flexibility is an essential quality when it comes to being successful as an interim. You will be expected to quickly get to grips with an organisation’s working practices and be able to build effective relationships with your new colleagues from the outset.
Interims can often be brought into situations that are highly pressured so you will need to demonstrate that you are confident and have the ability to thrive and deliver results in potentially stressful circumstances.
Interim employment offers an excellent opportunity to expand your experience and knowledge through working for a number of different organisations in varying sectors.
Strong communication skills are an essential attribute for an interim; you will be expected to quickly and effectively digest a vast amount of new information and share your vision and expectations of what needs to be delivered to your new colleagues. Depending on the requirement of the role, you may find that there is the potential to ruffle a few feathers along the way – this won’t necessarily be a negative – so you need to be confident addressing and handling challenging situations.
Working as an interim can offer flexibility in terms of the number of days worked per week or by enabling you to work for only a portion of the year. Many also find that interim contracts offer a higher rate of pay. The flip side to this is the uncertainty of needing to secure a new opportunity when each contract comes to an end which can be difficult for those that prefer the perceived job security that regular employment offers.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today to speak to a member of our team about our latest interim opportunities.