Are you considering a move into interim or contract work? Are you already in the lifestyle but wanting to explore new workstream sources? Robert Half finance and accounting practice manager David Belsher gives first-hand insight into what the process looks like at Robert Half, why your career could benefit from a partnership with us, and answers your FAQs.
What are the benefits of choosing Robert Half as your interim recruiter?
UK-wide reach
Interim professionals and contractors are typically geographically mobile and willing to travel to secure the right opportunity. One of the main benefits of working with Robert Half is our UK-wide network, which increases the number of opportunities available to you.
“We've got a network of offices throughout the UK,” says David. “If you are a professional contractor, you tend to be geographically mobile — you may take a job in London but may be based out in the regions. We have that UK-wide reach. So, I think one of the main benefits of working with us is our network.”
Dedicated, long-term support
Once you register as a Robert Half interim or contract professional, you have a dedicated career-long partner working with you. They’ll get to know you ahead of your first placement to help guarantee your success in the right role, stay in touch with you throughout, and help you make your next placement. With each role you take, the relationship becomes stronger.
“As an example, I’ve had many people who have been placed; we work together, then they might take a break or find a job through part of their network, and then they re-emerge two years later, and we start that relationship again,” says David. “To that point, a lot of the contractors we work with will become hiring managers. So, they go into a role; typically, the role is in a management position or a job where they need to bring some resources in. So, we’re in an unusual situation where we’re doing both sides of it.”
Access to exclusive roles
Our registered interim professionals benefit from exclusive access to roles with some of the UK’s leading employers before they are advertised on the wider market. Perks like this give ambitious professionals more opportunities to find a right-fit placement faster.
Interim recruitment with Robert Half: your FAQs answered
How does registration work?
At Robert Half, registering for interim roles is about much more than completing essential paperwork, such as compliance and rights-to-work checks. David and fellow interim recruitment experts focus on getting to know their contract partners, from their CVs and interests to their lifestyles and personal circumstances.
“I talk about three things with a person moving into the contract market: what are your skills, what's your knowledge, and then the last part is the character piece. What are you like as a person, compared to the person we're going to be speaking to you about? So, registration for me talks about knowledge, skills, and character fit, and that's really what we're trying to focus on.”
Marketable skills and niche sector knowledge are all excellent things to showcase when meeting with an interim recruiter or submitting a CV to one; however, Robert Half is focused on making the right placement. This means understanding the context of the interim professional’s relationship to the contract work style.
“I've got a candidate that's a long-term contractor, and the context and the purpose of why that lady is doing contract work is circumstantial around the fact that she's just paying to ensure that she can afford to take some time out two times a year,” says David.
“The important thing about registration for us is: Are you seriously looking at contract work? What's the motivation behind that? Give me some context because there's a big difference between registering for a contract role versus looking for a permanent job. So, the point of registration for us is knowledge, skills, characteristics, and then circumstances.”
How quickly could I start an assignment?
“I always talk about timing, and, especially in a job search, timing is everything. It's very, very difficult to give a specific answer. So, what I say to candidates is, timing is crucial,” says David.
Robert Half interim recruiters discuss current and past jobs with their new contractors to determine the kinds of roles they’re likely to be a good fit for in terms of duration, distance, interest, and level of challenge.
“To give an answer to timing—because we are governed in some respect by the client's offer of work—it could be anything from straight away to several weeks, but we advise candidates to be open and available to start quickly.”
How can I become a standout interim candidate?
The current hiring market can feel highly competitive and tight on opportunities. One of the best ways to become a standout candidate is to be unafraid of following up with a recruiter.
“One of the things I say to contractors now is, don't just rely on an email to an agent. Don't just rely on your CV posted on a portal. The important part in the current market is to keep that follow-up there,” says David.
“If you haven't heard back from your agent, don't think it's because you've been forgotten. It could just be that they haven't seen your email, have been out on business, or have been doing something else. Make sure you've got your agent's mobile phone number and that you've met them — the minimum requirement is on Teams, but try and meet them in person. Going back to the business relationship; the more a Robert Half agent knows that contractor, the more able they are to talk to somebody else about that person,” he says.
David recommends keeping in touch with the agent, being available for meetings, and collecting testimonials from past employers to add additional weight to your CV.
Will I have one dedicated consultant?
Yes, Robert Half interim recruitment is based on long-term, quality relationships, which means working one-on-one with an agent or working with a dedicated group of agents, depending on the location of the Robert Half office you’re working through.
“The agent is looking after the hiring company and the professional contractor. To me, the contractor is offering a service — they are a business. We're acting as the agent to find them a source of work,” says David. “Once you're in a contract, my job is to ensure that it works well, but more importantly, when we come towards the end of a contract, we're working on the next thing. So yes, it's dedicated.”
Can you talk me through the placement process?
Your interim recruiter will begin by discussing the placement opportunity and whether you feel it's a good fit. Your Robert Half recruiter will have already undertaken an on-site, in-person meeting with the hiring company to ascertain the job description, context in which the role has become available, the chain of command, company culture and environment, and the skills needed to fulfil the role. David says, “We need to know and be able to explain to you exactly what you're walking into.”
This stage is particularly important for a ‘right fit’ placement, and agents like David will be as transparent as possible to ensure the candidate understands the situation fully before agreeing to take interim jobs.
“I like to talk a lot about circumstances, about geography, where you live, and where the job is based. But the bottom line, and I always say this: it's easy to find the person for the job, but it's not always easy to make them stay until the end. And it's staying to the end that's important,” David says.
“On occasion, we do have clients and candidates, and the consultant all meet. That’s an interview where we're present to make sure we understand exactly what's going on and what the milestones are. But typically, it'll be a meeting with the hiring company and the contractor to talk through what exactly they're trying to do — it’s less of an interview and more of a case of ‘This is where we're sitting right now. These are the challenges we face. Have you done it before? Can you cover this?’ And then we go forward from there.”
What happens when my assignment ends?
Your Robert Half interim recruiter will be in touch before your contract ends to discuss your outlook on the situation and what you’d like to do next. “What I talk to candidates and contractors about is the ‘25% to go’ mark. When there’s 25% of the assignment to go, we'll start talking about: ‘Do you think this is going to extend, or are we still working to the same date?’ The reason we ask that question is we then start looking at what happens next.”
If you would like to get back out into the market after your assignment ends, your recruiter will begin matching you with potential opportunities. “The whole routine starts again,” David says. “We’ll ask, ‘How long are you looking to work for? Anything change in your circumstances? Shall we start looking?’ So, that's what we do at that point.”
How Robert Half supports their interim professionals
Market insights
As your long-term career partner, our team at Robert Half is motivated to share insights into the market, covering in-demand skills, sectors showing the strongest demand for your role or specialism, and overall changes in the hiring market.
“The number one question we get asked is, ‘What is the market like?’ That's a big question. They're coming to us saying, ‘Exactly what's going on out there? What can I expect at my level?’” says David. “Our recruiters are perfectly placed to answer those questions.”
In-person networking events
Community and networks are integral to interim and contract career success, so we endeavour to create opportunities for our professionals whenever possible. David says, “We host a lot of in-person events. It gives a chance to network with the agent as well as with like-minded people in the same type of job. Sometimes it puts them in front of hiring companies as well.”
Professional development support
Robert Half recruiting is only as good as the people we place, so we work hard to ensure our professionals are primed for success via CV guidance, LinkedIn support, and networking. David says, “We’re trying to make sure the contractor is covering every single base to get them the next assignment or the next contract.”
Are you considering becoming an interim or contract professional with Robert Half? Upload your CV and one of our expert recruiters will get in touch to discuss your options. Do you still have questions about Robert Half recruitment? Get in touch with your nearest Robert Half location today.
