MULTI-TASKING – OUR EXPERT GUIDE

How to Prove Your Value in the First 30 Days of an Interim Finance Role

As a specialist finance and accountancy recruitment company, we understand the importance of making a strong impression early in any interim assignment. Colin Molyneux, one of our dedicated Interim Specialists, shares his insight:For professional Finance Interims, making a strong and positive impact within the first 30 days of a new assignment is essential. While this may seem obvious, the ability to hit the ground running can vary depending on the nature of the role. In some assignments, showcasing your skills and delivering early wins comes naturally. In others, it requires a more strategic and deliberate approach.In this article, Colin draws on his many years of experience to offer practical advice on how interim finance professionals can demonstrate their value within the first 30 days of an assignment.Understand the assignment & business fully:Firstly, we have to understand the reasons businesses bring interim finance resources into their teams. In broad terms, interim accountants are brought into a business to solve problems such as filling gaps during transition periods, crises, or major projects to stabilise financial operations, bridge staffing gaps, or lead strategic financial initiatives. Usually, but not always, you will go through a selection process to land your assignment. It is within this process you should start building your picture and plan how you will best execute your first 30 days with this new Client.Ensure as part of your due diligence, you fully know this business. Who are they, what do they do, who are their competitors, and what are their business goals in the short, medium and long term. Within the selection process, ensure you are asking key questions about their issues, why they are hiring, and what they see as the key deliverables of the role. What is the problem the interim needs to solve? What are the project outcomes you need to deliver? What barriers have they encountered to date? Whichever way you decide to go about it, ensure you are entering a role that you have the skills & experience to deliver upon.DO NOT SET YOURSELF UP TO FAILOnce you have been appointed:Before you start the role, find out what tools you will have at your disposal. What finance systems does the business use? Are they heavily reliant on other tech, such as Excel, Google docs etc. Are you proficient with these tools? If not, make time to jump onto online learning – it’s likely the client will have access to some training materials you can use to brush up your skills. Remember, experienced Interims should have a supremely honed ability to get up to speed quickly, needing very little “hand holding” through out this period. During your first few weeks, ensure you discover who the key stakeholders are and their expectations. What do they perceive as the key deliverables? Are they being unrealistic? Scrutinise and manage the expectations accordingly. Identify quick wins, prioritise critical tasks: In the first few weeks, you should be seeking out the quick wins. There will almost always be areas within your remit, where quick improvements can be made. Get on and execute them quickly and concisely. Remember, clients love the “fresh set of eyes” that you will bring to the team. Collaborate early on, and ensure you are making suggestions of improvement where appropriate to do so. This way you are making an impact early. You can’t make everything perfect over night, but you can move the needle on critical tasks.Once you are established, it may be time for a deeper dive:As well as executing the role you are there to deliver, you have an opportunity to look at the broader operational features, and again, using your experience, collaborate and identify key improvements. Seek out the processes that are clunky, seek out the bottle necks, where can efficiencies be made? Where can you improve the day-to-day operation for those around you? Be Flexible Yet Focused:Interim roles often shift in scope as new issues emerge. Being adaptable while staying focused on core priorities is critical. The best interims know how to pivot without losing momentum.Stay Professional, Not Political:As a temporary outsider, it’s wise to avoid internal politics. Build trust through action, not gossip. Let results speak for themselves.Communicate Early and Often:Frequent updates to leadership—formal or informal—build credibility. A quick weekly summary or check-in can prevent misunderstandings and demonstrate value consistently.Bring a Fresh Perspective:One of the interim accountant’s greatest strengths is perspective. They’re not burdened by internal politics or history. Use this vantage point to offer objective, constructive insights others may have missed. In Conclusion:The first 30 days of an interim accountant's assignment are a powerful window to drive immediate value and set the stage for long-term improvement. By blending fast learning with focused execution, building relationships, and communicating clearly, interim professionals can transform from a stopgap into a strategic asset.In today’s business world, the ability to hit the ground running is more than just helpful—it’s essential. For an interim accountant, mastering the art of the first 30 days is the key to leaving a lasting impact, even in a temporary role. Looking for your next interim finance assignment—or the right interim professional to strengthen your team?At Sharp Consultancy, we specialise in connecting talented interim finance professionals with businesses across Yorkshire and the surrounding areas. Whether you're ready for your next challenge or need trusted interim support, speak to Colin Molyneux or one of our dedicated Interim Specialists today.📞 Call us on 0113 236 6300 / 0114 261 1700 or 📧 email colinmolyneux@sharpconsultancy.com to start the conversation.

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Top of many potential employers’ list is a candidate who is able to multi-task. But there is a huge difference between juggling several tasks at once without making much headway and being able to completely manage your workload.

Master the art of multi-tasking and you’ll become more efficient at work, improve your performance and grow your career.

Are your expectations achievable?

Take time to plan out your week in advance and make sure that what you set out to do is realistic and achievable. The satisfaction of powering through your to-do list will be far more motivational than staring at a long list of tasks that are never likely to get completed.

Be realistic with your time

Time is a hugely important factor when it comes to your ability to multi-task; firstly you must be realistic about how much time each task will genuinely take to complete to the right standard and secondly, you have to be sensible about what time you have available to you. If you know you are going to be attending several meetings during the week, plan out how you can best use your remaining time to avoid rushing to get things done or missing deadlines.

Write things down

It can be easy to forget about a particular task so write a list by whatever method works best for you – there’s lots of helpful online tools available and for some, nothing beats a simple handwritten list. Taking the time to think through what needs to be done will reduce the likelihood that something will slip your mind.

Get your priorities right

Look at each task in terms of how long it will take and what deadlines you are working towards. Also consider whether you need information or input from elsewhere to enable you to move forward. If you require contributions from other team members, make sure you ask for these with plenty of advance notice so they can plan their own workloads accordingly.

Try not to worry about what you are not doing

Having a clear focus on the task in hand is essential so try to allocate each task on your to-do list to a particular day of the week or time of the day. Knowing that you are not going to work on XYZ until later in the week will allow you to concentrate more effectively on what is your current priority.

Two birds with one stone...

Look for efficiencies by grouping similar tasks together. For example if you know you need to speak to several clients across the week, try to set aside a morning or afternoon to schedule these all in to avoid repeatedly breaking off from other tasks.

Give yourself a break

Multi-tasking isn’t about burning yourself out or rushing through tasks as quickly as possible. Make sure you take regular breaks – including a proper lunch break – you will be more likely to keep a clear head and complete tasks more accurately and efficiently.

Avoid distractions

It can easy to become distracted from the task in hand and emails are one of the most likely causes. Allow yourself regular points in the day to check your emails rather than reacting to every notification as they come in and take you away from what you are doing.

Communicate

Let your colleagues know if you need some quiet time and if possible, move to a different area of the office or pop in some headphones to reduce the sound of others. If you want to avoid being disturbed, ask for messages to be taken on your behalf or set your phone to voicemail.

Also remember to communicate regularly with your team to make sure that your timeframes are coordinated to avoid any last minute panics or repeated requests for updates.

Be disciplined with your time

Unless something needs your immediate attention, try to stick to your proposed schedule as much as possible. It can be worth keeping a little time free during each day to deal with things that need to be looked at more urgently or that crop up unexpectedly.

It’s OK to say no

Sometimes it simply isn’t possible to squeeze something else into your day – and that’s OK. It’s better to say what is possible from the outset rather than agree to every request and produce work of a lower standard or miss a deadline completely.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of finance and accountancy professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for temporary, interim and permanent roles across the full spectrum of positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today and speak to a member of our team about your next career move.