Comment: In-between jobs? Why interim can be the solution

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Since 2008, the number of senior retailers who have found themselves unemployed has sadly steadily increased.

By Amanda Yeates

The immediate reaction of those recently unemployed, not surprisingly, is to immediately start their search for another permanent position ideally at the same level of seniority and we give them every support to enable them to do this.

Whilst there are successes the plain truth of it is, the senior roles are harder and fewer to find.  Companies are watching every penny and try to avoid taking on an expensive permanent head, often by promoting internally or maybe turning to an interim if the right person is available.

Our advice would be that right from the beginning of your job search you need to be open to opportunities for interim work. Avoid thinking that this route will jeopardise your opportunities for permanent work, rather the opposite is true.  Potential employers much prefer to see that you have been actively engaged in finding and delivering on projects rather than enforced idleness.

A good example of how this approach can be successful is retailer Paul Currie who completed  several interim assignments after leaving Hamleys as COO in 2009. He admits he has enjoyed the experience of working for several different businesses as interim work enabled him to work in new sectors and product areas. Experiencing many different working cultures  has made it easier for him to fit into  his new permanent role  as the Global Retail Sales Director for Molton Brown. "As a consultant I was viewed as being much more objective as I had no vested interests, and because of that my opinions were given greater weight".

A word of warning however, Paul states, "As a interim consultant I found that I was off the radar of  the well known global search firms as they target companies rather than people, I had to make sure I made the effort to maintain visibility through constant communication".

Amanda Yeates is a Director at Gamble & Yeates Executive Search
Gamble & Yeates will be a Network Partner at the Retail Bulletin's 3rd Multichannel Retailing Summit, February 1st 2012. Gamble & Yeates specialises in the placement of senior high performing individuals in Ecommerce, Buying & Merchandising, Marketing, Retail Operations, Supply Chain and Brand Management.

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